AABB relationship testing accreditation is AABB's accreditation of laboratories and collection sites that perform parentage and other relationship DNA testing, assessed against the AABB Standards for Relationship Testing Laboratories, 17th edition, effective January 1, 2026. It is for laboratories and collection and verification sites that need their results accepted for immigration, legal or other relationship cases. Integral Healthcare Solutions (IHS) drafts the custody and reporting procedures for relationship testing accreditation; your scientists and counsel own validity and use.

Last reviewed: October 2026.

What is AABB relationship testing accreditation?

The governing text is the AABB Standards for Relationship Testing Laboratories, 17th edition, effective January 1, 2026, on a 24-month revision cycle. AABB describes the standards as setting out "requirements for laboratories performing parentage testing and complex relationship testing" (AABB).

Accreditation is granted by activity. AABB's Accreditation Activities list (Version 3, effective 4/2/2026) defines the activity this way: "Relationship Testing Activity - A facility that performs, or is responsible for, the performance of the following: customer service, and at least two of the following - sample collection, testing, or verification/result reporting of relationship testing" (AABB Accreditation Activities).

AABB lists the facilities it accredits in this area as those providing "Parentage and relationship DNA testing," "Including forensics and investigative genetic genealogy testing," and "DNA collection and verification" (AABB relationship DNA testing).

The process has two phases: "the self-assessment phase, followed by the on-site assessment phase" (AABB accreditation process). The application includes a "Relationship Testing Questionnaire" (AABB). AABB states its assessment expectation plainly: "all standards are addressed in policies, processes and procedures (PPPs), and that PPPs are followed as written" (AABB).

Who needs it and what triggers it

The trigger is usually that a buyer or agency will only accept results from an accredited facility. AABB states that "USCIS, passport agencies and U.S. embassies will only accept DNA test results when the case is initiated by, and reported directly from, a laboratory or collection and verification site accredited by AABB for relationship testing activities" (AABB). AABB also states: "AABB-accredited facilities are deemed acceptable by USCIS for immigration case reports" (AABB). These statements are AABB's own; this page does not cite a USCIS source.

For legal parentage cases, AABB states that "Many U.S. statutes require AABB accreditation for legal relationship tests" (AABB). Which statutes apply depends on your state; your counsel confirms that.

Common starting points:

• A laboratory or collection site wants to take immigration and visa cases.
• A new relationship testing operation is forming and needs its quality system written from the start.
• An accredited facility is adding an activity, which AABB treats the same way as first accreditation: both phases apply (AABB).
• A new edition of the standards takes effect. The 17th edition took effect January 1, 2026.

Timing matters. AABB states that "a facility must be in operation for a minimum of 6 months (in the desired accreditation activity) before the initial accreditation process can begin" (AABB).

How IHS helps

IHS works from your laboratory's copy of the AABB Standards for Relationship Testing Laboratories. The process:

1. A gap assessment of your current procedures and records against the 17th edition.
2. Questionnaires on case acceptance, identification, custody and reporting, so gaps are found in your own records and your staff's words.
3. Document and evidence mapping: a crosswalk from each standard to the procedure or record that shows it is met.
4. Drafting the case acceptance, identity and chain-of-custody workflows, document controls and reporting procedures, for your laboratory director and scientists to review and approve.
5. A mock review of the documents against the standards before the on-site assessment.
6. Readiness support through the self-assessment, the on-site assessment and any response to nonconformances.

What you supply: your purchased copy of the standards, your current SOPs, and your laboratory scientists, plus legal advisers on the permitted uses of results. Your laboratory applies to AABB, completes the self-assessment and the Relationship Testing Questionnaire, and hosts the assessment.

The limit: scientific validity of the testing and the legal uses of the results are outside IHS's role. IHS covers the quality system documents and evidence.

What to have ready

• Your purchased copy of the Standards for Relationship Testing Laboratories, 17th edition, effective January 1, 2026 (AABB).
• A list of which activities you perform: customer service, sample collection, testing, and verification/result reporting, matched to AABB's Relationship Testing Activity definition (Version 3, effective 4/2/2026).
• The date you began operating in the activity, against AABB's six-month minimum (AABB).
• Your case acceptance, identification and chain-of-custody procedures as they exist today.
• Your result reporting procedure, including how cases are reported directly to the agency where AABB says that is required for immigration cases (AABB).
• Your document control procedure, since AABB expects every standard to be addressed in policies, processes and procedures that are followed as written (AABB).
• Any collection and verification sites you use, and whether each is accredited by AABB for relationship testing activities (AABB).
• The Relationship Testing Questionnaire named in AABB's application steps (AABB).

Bring what you have to the introductory call, complete or not.

How it compares

We did not review other laboratory accreditation routes for this page, so it makes no comparison with them. Which route fits depends on your case mix and the agencies and courts you report to.

What it costs

AABB publishes its institutional dues and fees in its 2026 fee schedule (2026 AABB Institutional Dues Fees). The published items for relationship testing include:

• Basic membership for accredited institutions: $1,714.
• Application fee for new members: $1,740.
• Relationship Testing Activity: $5,748; Relationship Testing Secondary: $3,658.
• Relationship testing requires lead assessor services, and "an accreditation fee of $3,694 is applied" in addition to the activity fees.
• Annual case fee for relationship testing labs: $105 for 1 to 1,000 cases, $1,045 for 1,001 to 10,000, and $7,733 for more than 10,000.

AABB adds that "Additional fees may apply if activities are performed at multiple sites" (AABB). The standards are sold separately: the 17th edition print copy lists at $238.00, $160.00 for members (AABB purchase standards). These are AABB's published dues and fees, not a total cost. The same AABB fee document lists a travel fee of $1,568 per year for non-U.S. locations (excluding Canada), notes that additional fees may apply for multi-site activities, and does not itemize other assessor charges. Verify current fees with AABB. IHS scopes each engagement after a free introductory call.

What this is not

• IHS is not AABB and does not grant, predict or influence an accreditation decision.
• IHS does not apply to, submit to or speak for your laboratory with AABB, USCIS or any court. IHS drafts; your laboratory applies and reports.
• This page is not legal advice on which statutes require accreditation or how results may be used, and IHS does not judge the scientific validity of testing.

Frequently asked questions

What is AABB relationship testing accreditation?

It is AABB's accreditation of facilities that perform relationship DNA testing, assessed against the AABB Standards for Relationship Testing Laboratories, 17th edition, effective January 1, 2026. AABB defines the activity as customer service plus at least two of sample collection, testing, or verification and result reporting. Accreditation follows a self-assessment phase and an on-site assessment phase.

What does AABB say about USCIS, passport agencies and embassies and AABB-accredited DNA testing?

AABB states that USCIS, passport agencies and U.S. embassies will only accept DNA test results when the case is initiated by, and reported directly from, a laboratory or collection and verification site accredited by AABB for relationship testing activities. AABB also states that U.S. federal agencies require AABB accreditation for DNA testing performed for immigration and visa applications. These are AABB's statements; this page does not cite the agencies' own pages.

Does a collection and verification site need its own AABB accreditation?

AABB lists DNA collection and verification among the relationship testing services it accredits. Its activity definition requires customer service plus at least two of sample collection, testing, or verification and result reporting, so whether a site qualifies on its own depends on which of those it performs. For immigration cases, AABB says results must come from a laboratory or collection and verification site accredited by AABB for relationship testing activities.

What changed in the 17th edition of the Relationship Testing Standards, effective January 1, 2026?

AABB's standards page we reviewed gives the edition, the January 1, 2026 effective date and the 24-month revision cycle, but does not summarize the changes. The changes are in the standards text itself, which AABB sells. IHS works from your purchased copy and maps each requirement to your procedures.

How long does AABB relationship testing accreditation take?

AABB states that the majority of facilities complete the self-assessment and on-site assessment phases in 1 to 2 years. A facility must be operating in the activity for at least 6 months before the initial process can begin. After accreditation, the on-site assessment phase repeats every two years.

How much does AABB relationship testing accreditation cost, including case fees?

AABB's 2026 fee schedule lists basic membership at $1,714, a $1,740 application fee for new members, the Relationship Testing Activity at $5,748, and a $3,694 accreditation fee for lead-assessor activities. The annual case fee is $105 for 1 to 1,000 cases, $1,045 for 1,001 to 10,000, and $7,733 above 10,000. Verify current fees with AABB; IHS scopes its own work after a free introductory call.

What chain-of-custody and identity-verification records do assessors check?

The AABB pages we reviewed do not list specific records. AABB's stated expectation is that all standards are addressed in policies, processes and procedures that are followed as written, so the records required are those the 17th edition calls for. IHS drafts the identity and chain-of-custody workflows and maps each requirement to the record that shows it is met.

Does AABB accreditation cover forensic and investigative genetic genealogy testing?

AABB lists parentage and relationship DNA testing, including forensics and investigative genetic genealogy testing, among the relationship testing services it accredits. Whether a particular forensic use also needs another accreditation is a question for your counsel and the agencies you report to.