Buying and Activating DNA Test Kits for Relatives

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Black Friday is coming soon, and one item many genealogy researchers will be looking for is DNA test kits to give as gifts for relatives. A common question is should I activate the kit before giving or sending it to my relative?
The answer depends on:
  • Which testing company?
  • Will you be in charge of the kit, or your relative?

The Basics

Let's start with the basics. 

Have you tested yourself? If so, choosing the same company for both of you will simplify matters.

If not, test yourself too. Test results get their meaning from comparison with matches. If you are purchasing from FamilyTreeDNA, MyHeritage or LivingDNA, you can upload your results to those companies, and my advice is that everyone should do so whether or not you are buying kits for relatives. This is known as "fishing in all the ponds." I would add uploading to Gedmatch to the list above.

Have you asked your relative if they want to test? Have you explained to them in as much detail as they want, what the risks and rewards are? Have you discussed whether or not they are comfortable with law enforcement having access to their results? If they are not, then you have a bit of work to do, depending on what company you choose to buy from. It is not ethical to get a sample of DNA without asking these questions of your relative. And you must have permission from them to upload their data to another service.

Don't forget to check GenealogyBargains.com to see the latest and best kit price information.

Testing companies

Testing companies have varying Terms of Service (ToS) and different ways of doing kit management.

With Ancestry.com kits, rather than activating the kit yourself, you enter your relative's email and Ancestry will contact them. Ancestry Terms Of Service say:
We require that a DNA kit be activated by the person providing the DNA sample, or their parent or legal guardian if they are under the age of 18.Once the person providing the DNA sample activates their kit, they can give you full access to view and manage their test results through your Ancestry account.
If you don't think the relative will be able to figure out how to share their results, manage their kit or turn over management to you, it's best to give them the test in person and do the activation with them at their own computer. If they do not have a computer, you can help them do it on their phone or on your laptop. Remember to link their kit to their own tree or a person on yours.

If you don't care about shared test results or kit management, you can just enter relative's email and let them take it from there, or let them register directly. If they then share or give you test management, it's quite easy to administer another person's test, via a drop-down in your own account. https://support.ancestry.com/s/article/Gifting-an-AncestryDNA-Test

23andMe: Another person can only share with you their login details, or download raw data and match data and send it to you. There is no provision in the 23andMe website of managing a kit for someone else. However, a kit can be registered with the relatives' name and the gifter's email. https://customercare.23andme.com/hc/en-us/articles/115014368327-Personal-Genetic-Testing-Kit-as-a-Gift


FamilyTreeDNA: You can buy and register a kit with your relative's name and your own email. You then log in with their kit number and a password of your choosing, then share that with them if they are interested. On FamilyTreeDNA there is a tab in account settings where one can designate a beneficiary. 

Activate before sending the kit to your relative, or have FamilyTreeDNA send it to them directly. https://forums.familytreedna.com/forum/general-interest/dna-and-genealogy-for-beginners/22706-how-do-i-manage-a-kit-account-for-relative


MyHeritage: You can easily administer multiple kits, which are available via a dropdown in your own account. Activate before sending to your relative or it is difficult to get their kit into your account. https://faq.myheritage.com/en/article/i-bought-a-dna-kit-as-a-gift-whats-next
Again, you want links between the test person and the online family tree, even if it is small.

LivingDNA: Not as easy as MyHeritage to administer another person's kit yet, however there is the concept of management of more than one kit. To activate before sending the test to your relative, you will have to open the box. https://support.livingdna.com/hc/en-us/articles/360012757611-Can-I-send-the-test-as-a-gift-


Valorie Cowan Zimmerman

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