International Return Shipping

Use this page when you are returning your DNA kit to FamilyTreeDNA from outside the United States. Download the checklist for your kit type and follow its steps. The documents you need are listed at the bottom of this page.

• Customer International Return Shipping Checklist - Kit with Vials
• Customer International Return Shipping Checklist - Dry Swabs

How to return your kit

1. Complete the Green DNA Processing Consent Form - Fill out, sign and date all 5 required fields. If your kit is not yet registered, also complete the White Order Form.
2. Kit with vials - Put the Green DNA Processing Consent Form, the White Order Form (if applicable) and the DNA sample vials in the resealable bag, then put the bag inside the return mailer.
3. Dry swab kit - Put the swabs back in the pouch they came in, then put the pouch, the Green DNA Processing Consent Form, and the White Order Form (if applicable) into the return mailer. The dry swab kit does not include a resealable bag.
4. Choose a carrier - Your local postal service, DHL Express, FedEx or another carrier. Ship Delivered Duty Paid (DDP), pay all fees and get tracking.
5. Give your carrier the Carrier Instructions page for your kit type.
6. Fill in the date you ship, your kit number and your tracking number at the top of the Manufacturer's Declaration. You do not sign it. Complete and sign the Commercial Invoice if your carrier requires it.
7. Put the Manufacturer's Declaration and the Commercial Invoice (if required) in the red Documents Enclosed pouch. Attach the pouch to the outside of the final shipping package so customs agents can review the paperwork without opening it.

Ship Delivered Duty Paid (DDP)

Ship your kit under DDP (Delivered Duty Paid). You, as the sender, prepay all duties, taxes and shipping fees before the package arrives in the USA. Tell your carrier that all duties and taxes must be prepaid. Shipments sent without DDP will be rejected and returned unless arranged with Customer Service in advance.

Need a prepaid return label, or can't ship DDP?

Scan the QR code in Step 2 of your checklist or go to go.familytreedna.com/shippingrequestform and submit a request. Prepaid return labels are at your expense, take 2-3 business days and are not available from all countries. We send the label if we are able to accommodate your request.

Please request a prepaid return label before asking to ship Delivered at Place (DAP). When we arrange the label, the carrier gets our customs paperwork with the correct code. With DAP, we have no control over the code the carrier uses, and the wrong code can cost you as much as 10 times more in duties and taxes.

If no prepaid label is available for your country, you may ship DAP only with prior approval from Customer Service. Request approval on the same form and wait for it before you ship. DAP shipments are at your expense. We will bill you for the duties and taxes once we receive the shipment. These fees are set by customs authorities, and we appreciate your understanding.

If you already shipped DAP without approval, email your tracking number, carrier and ship date to shipments@genebygene.com and include your kit number.

Recipient & Delivery Information

Customs Declaration & Classification

Please use the following descriptions and codes exactly as written so your carrier can complete the customs declaration. They are printed on the Carrier Instructions page for your kit type.

Tariffs, duties, and Harmonized Tariff Schedule (HTS) Codes

All duties and taxes for shipments being returned to the U.S. for processing are the customer's responsibility. The HTS code for these returns is 3002.90.5250. You pay or prepay all duties, taxes and fees under DDP.

HTS Code

HTS 3002.90.5250 (6-digit: 3002.90) (Exempt human specimen)

Use only this code. If your carrier's form takes only 6 digits, enter 3002.90, or 300290 if the form does not accept dots.

Your kit type

DNA Collection Kit (with vials)

This kit contains vials and the lysis buffer solution for collecting a buccal swab sample. The lysis buffer is made of water, 100mM Tris HCl pH 8.5, 0.5M EDTA, 10% SDS and 5M NaCl. The Manufacturer's Declaration certifies that all chemical substances in this shipment comply with all applicable rules or orders under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), and that the components (Tris-HCl, SDS, EDTA and NaCl) are listed as Active on the TSCA Inventory.

Dry Swabs

Some countries require dry swab collection kits. This kit contains only dry swabs for sample collection: two synthetic microfiber swabs in two self-sealing pouches. It does not include vials or lysis buffer.

Commercial Invoice

Download the Commercial Invoice for your kit type from the documents in the Regulatory Forms section below. Our company details, the description and the HTS code are already printed. The kit with vials invoice also has the FDA lines printed. Complete only the highlighted areas, which are marked REQUIRED:

• Invoice Date (the date you ship), Kit Number and Tracking Number.
• Buyer name and full address, and Buyer Phone.
• Country of Export.
• Quantity - The number of kits in the package.
• Your printed name and title, your signature, and the date and place.

The invoice already shows 1.00 USD as the amount and the total, with no commercial value, so do not enter an amount or a total. The declared value is $1.00 USD for the entire shipment, however many kits are in the package.

Instructions for Carrier Agent

1. Verify the shipment is set to DDP, with all duties, taxes and fees prepaid by the sender.
2. Ensure HTS code 3002.90.5250 (6-digit forms: 3002.90) is included in the digital customs filing.
3. Attach the red Documents Enclosed pouch, containing the Manufacturer's Declaration and the Commercial Invoice (if required), to the outside of the final shipping package.

Regulatory Forms

Download the documents for your kit type. Use one complete set. The two sets are not interchangeable.

Green DNA Processing Consent Form and White Order Form Requirements

There are several points to remember when mailing your completed DNA sample to us.

• The Green DNA Processing Consent Form must be included along with your DNA sample. If the Green DNA Processing Consent Form is missing from your kit or damaged, a new one can be downloaded and printed here.
• The name of the DNA donor on the Green DNA Processing Consent Form must match the person the kit is registered to.
• The White Order Form normally comes with multi-kit orders, where kits are handed out to testers who still need to register them. If your kit is not yet registered, complete the White Order Form and pack it with the Green DNA Processing Consent Form and your sample, as shown in the Pack Your Samples step of your checklist.
• Minors under the age of 13 cannot be DNA tested regardless of parental consent due to international privacy laws, so the month and year of birth on the form is required.
• You cannot re-label collection kits with a kit number different from the one printed on the label for that kit. If you have lost or damaged your kit, Customer Service will be happy to assist in getting a replacement sent to you.

IMPORTANT: The Green DNA Processing Consent Form must contain the name, DOB, genetic sex, and signature of the DNA donor, regardless of the person who purchased the test. The name of the tester MUST be on the correct line, so read carefully.

Official FDA Exemption Statement

The FDA Registration and Device Listing can be found in this section.

The collection kit in this shipment contains a NucleoShield specimen collection container, manufactured in the United States by Gene by Gene. It is returned to the manufacturer for laboratory ancestry testing. The collection kit is a Class I device that is exempt from FDA premarket notification (510(k)). The exemption covers the collection kit, not the specimen. This FDA exemption applies to the kit with vials only.

FDA Registration Details

Verification

This status can be verified in the U.S. Food & Drug Administration's Establishment Registration & Device Listing database.

If you are returning a kit with vials, you can also view our FDA exemption documentation here.

Why is this exempt?

FDA classifies a specimen transport and storage container (Product Code NNK) as Class I under 21 CFR 864.3250 and exempts it from premarket notification (510(k)), subject to 21 CFR 864.9. Gene by Gene is registered and the device is listed with the FDA under 21 CFR Part 807.

The Registration Number (3007261225) and Regulation Number (864.3250) are provided for your carrier's and customs broker's reference.

Replacement Kits

When a replacement kit is ordered, the original DNA collection kit sent to you may have been delayed rather than lost. If you receive the replacement kit, do not use it for any other individual. Submitting samples from different individuals under the same kit number can cause significant delays in testing.

Need help?

• Customers - Go to www.familytreedna.com/contact and select Shipping - International returns.
• Carriers and customs brokers - Email shipments@genebygene.com and include the kit number.