Length of time for a kit to get to UK?

[Matt62]

I ordered the Family Finder (autosomal) DNA test kit last week, Thursday 18th of September to be specific. I live in the UK. When should I expect it arrive? I'm getting impatient I've read that it takes ages for the results to come up online, so I am naturally desirous to get the ball rolling.

[efgen]

We send out kits the business day after the order is placed, but the actual delivery time can vary due to the postal service and customs.

At minimum, I would expect two weeks for delivery. But in some cases it takes 3-4 weeks.

Elise

[Hneel]

In my case less than a week (to the Netherlands).
The way back took much longer though. I'm still not sure if US customs held it for weeks or if it was sent by ship instead of by plane.

[Matt62]

Thank you for the feedback!

[dna]

Use tracking

When sending your samples back to Houston, make sure that you get tracking, so you are not agonizing about your DNA fate

[Matt62]

When sending your samples back to Houston, make sure that you get tracking, so you are not agonizing about your DNA fate

I will keep that in mind dna, thank you

[MBR1965]

Mine took two weeks exactly to arrive but I was expecting that.

I sent them back via international airmail tracked and it should have taken about 5 days but it actually took two weeks to arrive as it was held up by the jobsworths at Chicago O'Hare Airport Customs Office for 8 days. At least with that method I could follow its progress online.

Having said that, there were no instructions inside the packet as to what exactly you should write on the customs declaration form - that might have been helpful , I mean is it a commercial sample , an "other" , a "gift" or "documents" - and what do you put on exactly for contents and weight and value etc ?

Some guidance form FTDNA on that issue , enclosed with the test packets, would have been appreciated. I mean they should know what to write to get it though customs easily !

Having said that. the online tracking shows that my samples were delivered 2 days ago but I haven't had any email confirmation of arrival yet !

[dna]

When sending from outside of the United States

[----] Having said that, there were no instructions inside the packet as to what exactly you should write on the customs declaration form - that might have been helpful , I mean is it a commercial sample , an "other" , a "gift" or "documents" - and what do you put on exactly for contents and weight and value etc ?

Some guidance form FTDNA on that issue , enclosed with the test packets, would have been appreciated. I mean they should know what to write to get it though customs easily !

Having said that. the online tracking shows that my samples were delivered 2 days ago but I haven't had any email confirmation of arrival yet !

I swear that the information was in the FAQ some time ago. But here it is as sent by Family Tree DNA to someone in the UK 2 years ago:

Thank you for your email. If you are mailing your kit back to us from outside the United States, it is very important that when declaring what is contained in the kit, you only notify customs that it contains cotton swabs. Do not notify customs that the package contains DNA, as in fact what is being sent to us is just material from your cheek. If you declare that you are sending DNA, the package will be held up at customs and may not be delivered. The skins cells that you are mailing to us are not considered human tissue samples, nor are they bodily fluids and are not considered dangerous if exposed in any way the cell samples are no different from those that you would shed while going through your normal daily routine.

The DNA kit you are sent qualifies as an "Exempt human specimen." If you are concerned about customs, we suggest you write "Exempt human specimen" on the return envelope.

The following is a description of the guidelines for this type of package.

Patient Specimens for which there is minimal likelihood that pathogens are present are not subject to these Regulations if the specimen is packed in a packaging which will prevent any leakage and which is marked with the words "Exempt human specimen" or "Exempt animal specimen", as appropriate. The packaging must meet the following conditions:

(a) The packaging must consist of three components:

1. a leak-proof primary receptacle(s);

2. a leak-proof secondary packaging; and

3. an outer packaging of adequate strength for its capacity, mass and intended use, and with at least one surface having minimum dimensions of 100 mm x 100 mm;

(b) For liquids, absorbent material in sufficient quantity to absorb the entire contents must be placed between the primary receptacle(s) and the secondary packaging so that, during transport, any release or leak of a liquid substance will not reach the outer packaging and will not compromise the integrity of the cushioning material;

(c) When multiple fragile primary receptacles are placed in a single secondary packaging, they must be either individually wrapped or separated to prevent contact between them.

I hope this is helpful!

Please let me know if you have any additional questions.

[Matt62]

My kit arrived this morning when I was at university

I'm going to look through the process tonight and take the swab(s) probably tomorrow morning.

[Matt62]

I sent my kit back on the 30th of September and it still hasn't been delivered yet to the lab.

My tracking feature on Royal Mail has stayed the same since last Thursday or Friday, saying this:

Your item, posted on 30/09/14 with reference[...]has arrived in O`HARE (CHICAGO) and is being processed for delivery.

Is it to be expected that it should should still be at this stage 6 days after posting? Just asking. I'm getting steadily more impatient

[anksil]

I sent mine on Oct 22 (well, after last delivery, so really the 23rd) and it still hasn't been marked received by FTDNA, so I'd advise patience.

Tracking wise, however - can't promise it'll work that way for you, since your originating post is not the same entity, but the way it's worked for me was updates past 'received at international terminal' never came through on the Swedish post's website - BUT they were shown under the same tracking number at USPS:

https://tools.usps.com/go/TrackConfirmAction!input.action

Mine has been marked 'out for delivery' for some days now, but I think I've moaned enough about that in my own thread.

[dna]

I sent my kit back on the 30th of September and it still hasn't been delivered yet to the lab.

My tracking feature on Royal Mail has stayed the same since last Thursday or Friday, saying this:

Your item, posted on 30/09/14 with reference[...]has arrived in O`HARE (CHICAGO) and is being processed for delivery.

Is it to be expected that it should should still be at this stage 6 days after posting? Just asking. I'm getting steadily more impatient

Exactly!

See MBR1965's post (on the first page of this thread) from the 25th September 2014. So may be only two more days in Chicago.

P.S. Did you declare Exempt human specimen?

[Matt62]

Exactly!

See MBR1965's post (on the first page of this thread) from the 25th September 2014. So may be only two more days in Chicago.

P.S. Did you declare Exempt human specimen?

Yikes! I must have missed that post. I doubt that I would have wrote anything close to "exempt human specimen", which doesn't really roll off of the tongue

I hope it doesn't take much longer to get to the lab. At least once I know they have received it I can relax.

I've been filling out my surnames list and refining my ancestry tree to upload as a GEDCOM as soon this process is complete. With the time this is taking, any hypothetical contacts better be prepared for the largest surname list in FTDNA history - 'cos I've had plenty of time to comb my tree for every nook and cranny (and it looks like I still will have)

[anksil]

Data point: My kit was marked Delivered by USPS late (in European timezones) yesterday. I sent it on Oct 22.

It has not yet been marked received by FTDNA, but I imagine they have quite a pile of parcels to sort through. Going by USPS status, their mail bag sat there, contents building up for at least a week.

[Matt62]

Data point: My kit was marked Delivered by USPS late (in European timezones) yesterday. I sent it on Oct 22.

It has not yet been marked received by FTDNA, but I imagine they have quite a pile of parcels to sort through. Going by USPS status, their mail bag sat there, contents building up for at least a week.

Check mate! (ps don't you mean September 22? October 22 isn't for another fortnight!)

I just took a look at my Royal Mail tracker this morning to find this:

Status: Delivered

Your item, posted on 30/09/14 with reference...was delivered in UNITED STATES OF AMERICA on 07/10/14.

Thank you for using our International Tracked service.