IMPORTANT
Following sample collection instructions carefully is essential. If your sample is collected incorrectly and is unusable, you'll need to restart the entire process with a new kit, causing unnecessary delays in getting your results. Read all instructions thoroughly before collecting your sample to avoid this issue.
When your DNA kit arrives at your home, you can proceed to activate your kit online, collect your DNA sample, and ship this sample back to our laboratory.
Inside the MyHeritage DNA Kit, you will find the following components:
1 vial
1 swab stick wrapped in plastic
1 Ziploc plastic bag with a cotton pad
1 booklet with instructions on how to use the kit to collect your DNA
1 padded envelope (weight = 10 g)
Note:
Some kits that were purchased before August 2024 might come with 2 vials and 2 swabs. In that case, please follow the booklet with instructions that comes within the kit.
If one of those parts is missing in the box, please contact our support team for assistance.
Note: For best results, please do not eat, drink, chew gum, or smoke for 30 minutes before collecting your DNA sample.
Pregnancy, sickness and vaccines do not affect your sample.
When ready, please do as follows:
Activate your kit online. Do NOT skip this step. It is necessary to get your results. Visit www.myheritageDNA.com/setup to activate your kit. Make sure to select the right individual whose DNA will be collected.
Open the test kit and lay out the unopened swab and vial on a clean surface.
Remove the cheek swab from its wrapper and use the swab head to scrape the inside of one of your cheeks, while rotating the swab, for 60 seconds.
Open the vial and insert the swab inside, swab-end down. Once the swab touches the bottom of the vial, break the swab against the inside edge of the vial at the marked black line, leaving the swab-end inside the liquid in the vial.
If you find it hard to snap, you can use scissors to cut off the head of the swab at the exact place where the black line is.
Note: Make sure the liquid stays inside the vial.
Close the vial cap tightly.
Place the closed vial on the cotton pad in the clear plastic bag, and close the ziplock. Do not put anything else in the bag. Place the bag with the vial in the enclosed addressed envelope and seal the envelope.
Pay the postage and mail the envelope to our DNA lab. Once the lab receives your sample, we'll inform you via email.
For specific instructions on how to ship your samples to our lab, read this article: How do I ship back my DNA sample and to which address?