Testing additional family members is recommended. Each of your family members carries unique pieces of DNA that together can unlock your family’s story. Testing one or both of your parents allows you to obtain additional information about your own DNA Matches. For example, you’ll be able to find whether each match is paternal or maternal. Testing parents, siblings, cousins and other relatives is also very useful for discovering more relatives and for learning more about your own matches. Because of the nature of genetic inheritance, your siblings may get different ethnicity results than you. Comparing your results can help you learn even more about your ancestry.

The MyHeritage DNA test enables you to receive unique matches to users who have only tested with MyHeritage, as well as matches to users who uploaded their results to MyHeritage from other services. Thanks to MyHeritage’s wide international reach and availability in 42 languages, you will have a greater chance of being matched with relatives who live in other countries. You will also receive the highest resolution ethnicity analysis on the market, which accurately pinpoints your origins across 2,114 geographic regions.

Yes! When placing the order online you can either ship the kit to yourself, or provide the recipient’s shipping address and we will ship the DNA kit to them directly. Once they receive the DNA kit you purchased for them, they will be asked to open a free MyHeritage account if they don’t have one already, and activate their new kit.
From the moment they activate their kit, we will send them relevant emails about tracking their sample, and of course, the results themselves once they are ready.

The MyHeritage DNA test kit is simple to use and doesn’t involve blood or spit. To collect your sample, you simply scrape the inside of your cheek with a small swab for about 45 seconds, and repeat this with a second swab. You place the swabs into vials and mail them to our DNA lab for analysis. Results will be available for you to view securely online, on the MyHeritage website.

Once your kit arrives at our lab, it takes about 3–4 weeks for the results to be ready. When they are available, we will notify you by email and the results will be accessible to you online on the MyHeritage website.

The MyHeritage DNA test uses microarray-based autosomal DNA testing. This test provides the raw data that helps us calculate your DNA matches and ethnicity analysis from all ancestral lines, both paternal and maternal.

DNA and family trees complement each other. DNA can be used to prove or disprove documented family tree connections. For example, when another person shares your surname, or you have a Smart Match™ with a family tree owner, you can both test via MyHeritage DNA to find out if you are indeed related. Family trees are also invaluable for understanding the relationship path to DNA matches. We recommend that anyone who takes a DNA test create a family tree, to make the most of DNA results and uncover the full story behind them. MyHeritage provides excellent tools for creating family trees, including 14.0 billion historical records that make it fun and easy to grow your tree.

Genetic Groups differ from Ethnicity Estimates, in that a particular group can be comprised of one or several ethnicities. Members of a Genetic Group share geographic origins, but they may come from diverse ethnic backgrounds. For example, a Genetic Group in Australia may consist of individuals whose ancestors originated in England and Germany, but after migrating to the same city became a melting pot and created a new group of their own. While the Ethnicity Estimate includes a percentage breakdown of origins, Genetic Groups do not come with a percentage; you are either a member of the group or you are not. While the Ethnicity Estimate covers 42 ethnicities, Genetic Groups provide greater depth and resolution by pinpointing where your ancestors came from across 2,114 regions.