Start with the intended use, not the cheapest DNA kit
A paternity DNA test compares genetic profiles, but the purpose for which a report will be used is a separate question.
A private family-information test, a report intended for a birth or nationality process, and an appraisal commissioned by a Korean family court can require different identity checks and specimen-handling records.
Paying for a home kit first can create a second full expense if the actual recipient rejects the report or the court orders a new appraisal.
Private information
Confirm every participant’s consent and the provider’s specimen policy, then decide whether the report is only for a family discussion.
Agency submission
Ask the actual recipient which provider, witnessed collection, sealing, original report, translation, and authentication steps it accepts.
Court process
Do not assume a private report replaces a court-designated appraisal. Confirm the claim type and the court’s direction before spending.
What this calculator adds
The calculator does not invent a market price or recommend a laboratory.
It adds the actual quotes you enter, beginning with the number of participants included in the base test and the charge for each additional participant.
Per-person collection and identity-verification fees remain separate from mobile collection, shipping, expedited service, translation, notarization or apostille, and other costs.
Budget formulas
- Direct testing equals the base fee, extra-participant fees, per-person collection and identity costs, and all entered logistics and document costs.
- Procedure cost equals any applicable filing stamp plus the entered service deposit, court-appraisal deposit, lawyer fee, and other procedure costs.
- The minimum plan includes a retest only when it is confirmed, while the upper plan also includes a conditional retest reserve.
- Potential duplicate spending shows the current direct-test subtotal when court use is selected before a court-designated collection route.
A zero default does not mean a service is free.
It means no verified quote or payment notice has been entered, so obtain the current amount instead of filling the field with an assumed average.
How to use the calculator
- Select the final use. Choose private information, possible official submission, or a Korean family-court process according to the actual destination of the report.
- Select the collection route. Distinguish a home kit, witnessed identity-verified collection, and a court-designated or commissioned appraisal from the provider’s written instructions.
- Enter participant coverage. If the base quote covers two people and three will participate, the calculator charges one additional participant.
- Copy each quoted amount once. Check whether VAT, collection, shipping, and original report issuance are already included before using the other-cost field.
- Classify a possible retest. A scheduled recollection belongs in both plans; a retest triggered only by rejection or an inadequate specimen belongs in the upper plan.
- Identify the legal route cautiously. Recognition, denial of paternity, objection to recognition, and parent-child relationship confirmation have different elements and filing-period issues.
- Complete only verified checks. Mark provider status, consent, identity linkage, recipient acceptance, specimen policy, and court direction only after direct confirmation.
- Use the warnings as a call list. Resolve recipient acceptance and possible duplicate testing before paying a nonrefundable fee.
Written consent and genetic-data protection
Consent comes before specimen collection
Article 51 of South Korea’s Bioethics and Safety Act generally requires written consent after explaining the purpose, specimen management, withdrawal, participant rights, and privacy matters before genetic testing.
When an outside collector sends a specimen to a testing institution, the consent documentation is also part of the statutory framework.
A family relationship does not itself make covert collection appropriate, and this calculator provides no method for secretly obtaining a specimen or avoiding consent.
Ask what happens to the report and specimen
Articles 52 and 53 address records, access, and the handling or destruction of specimens after testing.
Genetic-test results are sensitive information under Korean privacy rules, so do not place names, identity numbers, raw genetic data, or test results in this budget tool.
Ask the provider for its retention period, destruction or return procedure, secondary-use policy, correction process, and method for issuing copies.
Korean family-court testing and private reports
Article 2 of the Family Litigation Act classifies several recognition and parent-child relationship cases and assigns them to the family court’s exclusive jurisdiction.
Under Article 29, when other evidence is insufficient and an examination is necessary, a court may order a party or related person to undergo blood typing, genetic testing, or another examination while respecting health and dignity.
Unjustified noncompliance can lead to the sanctions described in Article 67, so a court examination is not merely an optional line in a household budget.
A private test and a court appraisal can be two expenses
A private report may help a family discussion or case preparation, but it does not automatically replace an appraisal using the institution and procedure selected by the court.
That is why the calculator warns when both a direct private-test cost and a court-appraisal deposit are entered.
Ask the court or counsel whether private testing should occur first, and record each cost separately if both are genuinely required.
Separate the filing stamp from other court costs
The amount calculated automatically
Article 2 of the Family Litigation Fee Rule sets a KRW 20,000 filing stamp per Type A or Type B family action.
The electronic-submission rate under Article 8 is 90 percent, so the calculator uses KRW 18,000 per selected case for e-filing.
Joined claims can be treated differently under Article 5, which is why a multiple-claim warning tells you to follow the court’s actual payment notice.
Amounts you must enter
Service deposits vary with the number of parties and expected service events, so enter the amount on the court notice.
Appraisal deposits depend on the selected institution, participant and specimen conditions, and possible travel, so leave the field at zero until a reliable amount is available.
Enter document issuance, translation, travel, and lawyer fees only from actual notices, agreements, or quotes.
Practical scenarios
Private family-information test
When two consenting participants are included in the base quote, enter the base test and any collection or shipping charge.
Keep the legal track at none, but still verify the provider’s status, consent process, and specimen-destruction policy.
Use the result as a cash-planning sheet, not as a second interpretation of the laboratory’s parentage analysis.
Birth, nationality, visa, or embassy submission
Ask the named recipient whether it requires an approved provider, witnessed collection, sealed transfer, original reports, translation, notarization, or an apostille.
A lower-cost home kit can become a complete retest expense if the recipient refuses it.
For participants abroad, separate international shipping, local identity verification, travel collection, translation, and authentication quotes.
Recognition or another family-court claim
Confirm the exact claim, select e-filing only if it will actually be used, and copy the service and appraisal deposits from court notices.
If a private test has already been purchased, retain it in the direct-test subtotal so the budget reflects real cash outflow even if the court orders a separate appraisal.
Do not delay a filing-period review while waiting for a test result.
Statutory filing periods require separate advice
The Korean Civil Act includes a two-year rule tied to awareness for a denial-of-paternity action and a one-year rule tied to awareness for an objection to recognition.
Recognition claims and parent-child relationship confirmation after a parent’s death can also involve a two-year rule tied to awareness of the death.
The actual trigger date, proper party, presumption of paternity, existing registration, and cross-border facts can change the analysis, so selecting a route in this calculator is not a legal conclusion.
If any period may be running, show the records promptly to a Korean family court help desk, the Korea Legal Aid Corporation, or qualified family-law counsel before waiting for testing.
Frequently asked questions
Can a home-collection report be filed in court?
A document can be submitted, but submission is not the same as the court accepting it as sufficient proof. Weak identity or specimen linkage and a later court order can require a new test.
May I test a specimen collected without the other person knowing?
This calculator does not advise that. Written-consent duties, privacy and personality rights, and lawful evidence use require a proper consent or court process.
Does the KRW 18,000 e-filing stamp cover the lawsuit?
No. Service deposits, court appraisal fees, documents, translation, travel, and legal representation can be additional costs.
Should I enter the parentage probability from the report?
No. Follow the testing institution’s report and explanation for interpretation. This tool calculates costs and preparation steps only.
What is the difference between confirmed and conditional retesting?
A scheduled recollection belongs in both plans. A retest that occurs only after specimen or recipient rejection belongs in the upper plan, and its trigger should be written in the quote.
Documents to collect before entering costs
- Obtain a quote stating the test scope, included participants, collection route, identity checks, specimen sealing, VAT, shipping, and report issuance.
- For agency use, retain an email or checklist from the actual receiving office that identifies its acceptance conditions.
- For a court case, use the case number, correction order, payment notice, and appraisal direction instead of a generic average.
- Do not enter genetic results, names, identity documents, resident-registration numbers, or passport numbers in the calculator.
- Treat the output as a budget note, not a legal opinion, admissibility ruling, or recipient preapproval.
Official sources
The rules below were checked against the Korean National Law Information Center as of August 23, 2026.
Laws, fees, and recipient procedures can change, so verify the current text and payment notice on the date of testing or filing.
- Bioethics and Safety Act, especially Articles 49 and 51 through 53 on institutions, consent, records, and specimens.
- Family Litigation Act, especially Articles 2, 29, and 67 on case categories, examination orders, and noncompliance.
- Civil Act, especially Articles 844, 846, 847, 855, and 862 through 865 on paternity and recognition proceedings.
- Family Litigation Fee Rule, especially Articles 2, 5, and 8 on filing stamps and electronic submission.
Confirm acceptance before paying
The avoidable loss is often not the first test price but paying twice after using a collection route that does not fit the final purpose.
Enter the quotes you actually have, turn every unresolved warning into a provider, recipient, court, or counsel question, and keep the conditional reserve separate.
If consent is disputed or a statutory period may be running, use a lawful court process and prompt qualified advice instead of relying on private testing alone.