Has anyone sent samples from outside the United States, specifically Argentina ?. I

[mat123]

Hello, i need help to send the samples.


Has anyone sent samples from outside the United States, specifically Argentina or Latin America ?.
I was told to send it as cotton swabs when declaring it. Is this method safe?

Thanks

[Armando]

Hello, i need help to send the samples.


Has anyone sent samples from outside the United States, specifically Argentina or Latin America ?.
I was told to send it as cotton swabs when declaring it. Is this method safe?

Thanks

I have had family members and distant relatives send samples from Latin America and they never declared the contents and they have always been sent and returned without a problem other than the long wait.

[Dabney Carr]

I had a hard time sending my kit from Brazil. The post office didn't allow it so I had to go through FedEx who had some experience in dealing with this. The forms I got from FTDNA were not sufficient and my kit got held up in exit customs.

FedEx gave me some forms that were nearly impossible to fill out, but I filled them out as best I could, changing some things, leaving some things blank, adding another. They seem to treat any biological sample like it was some nasty contagious virus instead of a tiny amount of DNA which is probably equivalent to the saliva on a stamped envelope or used toothbrush.

Fortunately, Brazilian exit customs finally cleared my kit, and it arrived in Houston just in time to get batched that very same day.

It was a big pain in the neck, but it was worth it as I was able to find out more about my family tree, paternal Y-DNA matches and such.

The easiest way would have been to wait until someone you know is going to travel to the U.S. and then order the kit a month or two beforehand, and then give the completed ready to mail kit to them. They can put it in their checked luggage and then drop it in any mailbox in the U.S.

[mat123]

thanks!!


I have sent samples by usps, and it has already been delivered. However on the genographic project page it still says "Hello! Your DNA sample has not reached us yet.
First, have you mailed your sample? If so, it may still be in transit or it may have arrived at our facility and not yet completed the check-in process. "

How long does it take to acutalize the state of the sample? How are they when they start to analyze?