Top 5 questions about Ancestry

• How much work is it to build a family tree?

  Your privacy is important to us. We use industry standard security practices to store your DNA sample, your DNA test results, and other personal data you provide to us. In addition, we store your DNA test results and DNA sample without your name or other common identifying information. You own your DNA data. At any time, you can choose to download raw DNA data, have us delete your DNA test results as described in the AncestryDNA Privacy Statement, or have us destroy your physical DNA saliva sample. We do not share with third parties your name or other common identifying information linked to your genetic data, except as legally required or with your explicit consent.

• What will my AncestryDNA results look like?

  AncestryDNA is a cutting edge DNA testing service that utilizes some of the latest autosomal testing technology to revolutionize the way you discover your family history. This service combines advanced DNA science with the world's largest online family history resource to predict your genetic ethnicity and help you find new family connections. It maps ethnicity going back multiple generations and provides insight into such possibilities as: what region of Europe are my ancestors from, or am I likely to have East Asian heritage? AncestryDNA can also help identify relationships with unknown relatives through a dynamic list of DNA matches.

• Why should I use AncestryDNA instead of another DNA test?

  Your AncestryDNA results include information about your ethnicity across 350 regions and identifies potential relatives through DNA matching to others who have taken the AncestryDNA test. Your results are a great starting point for more family history research, and it can also be a way to dig even deeper into the research you've already done.

• How do I know if I’ll find anything?

  The AncestryDNA test may predict if you are at least partly Native American, which includes some tribes that are indigenous to North America, including the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The results do not currently provide a specific tribal affiliation. (Please note that your AncestryDNA ethnicity results cannot be used as a substitute for legal documentation.)

• How do Ancestry and AncestryDNA work together?

  AncestryDNA is a simple saliva test you can do in the comfort of your own home. Once you order, you will receive the AncestryDNA kit in the mail in a matter of days. Your AncestryDNA kit includes full instructions, a saliva collection tube, and a pre-paid return mailer (so you don't have additional costs to return your DNA.) After returning your sample by just dropping it in the mail, your DNA is processed at the lab. You then receive an email notifying you that your results are ready to explore on the AncestryDNA website.