What is the legal situation like?
According to the paternity testing guidelines written by the Bundesärtzekammer/ Robert-Koch-Institut, performing a DNA paternity test is seen as an infringement of the individual's personal rights. This means without a court order, an individual's parentage cannot be tested and determined without his/her consent. In the case of minors, the consent of their legal guardian is necessary.
In addition, there are legal regulations that place high demands on the testing laboratory and the experts who work there. For example analyses have to be carried out in accordance with strict data protection regulations. This applies in particular to the protection of personal data.