Agency vs DIY: What Citizenship by Descent Actually Costs
Citizenship-by-descent pricing is opaque and agency quotes vary wildly. Here is what applicants have actually reported paying, and how to protect yourself.
DIY document budgets (per case):
- A multi-generation Italian case: roughly $3,000–$4,000 all-in — about 15 documents at $25–40 each, plus ~$20 apostilles and ~$75 translations, before the €600 consular fee.
- Croatia (family): ~$1,500–2,000 all-in as a community planning figure.
- Poland: State Archives searches ~600 PLN (~$160); local researchers ~$35/hour.
Agency and lawyer quotes (reported):
- Italian document services from ~$2,670 up to ~$8,000 full-service; complex non-naturalised-ancestor cases $10,000+.
- Italian 1948 court cases: from ~€3,000 in legal fees up to $20,000+ all-in in some reports.
- Slovak family applications: €12,500–€18,750 quoted by lawyers — while others finished with no lawyer at all.
When DIY makes most sense: Ireland (the community consensus is "do not pay agencies — the process is designed for DIY"), Slovakia, and Canada all have deliberately accessible processes.
When targeted help pays: Poland and other archive-heavy cases often benefit from a local researcher (hourly) rather than a full-service package. Court routes (Italian 1948 cases) genuinely require a lawyer.
Protect yourself from the classic failure — the agency that takes your money and stalls. Applicants have reported firms ghosting after months of payment, and cases that were supposedly filed but never were. Defences that work:
- Ask for the court docket number (ruolo in Italy) or official intake number (входящ номер in Bulgaria) as proof your case was actually filed.
- Prefer per-document local researchers over opaque all-in packages.
- Verify any firm through other applicants' documented experiences before paying.
One common overpay to avoid: ordering a naturalisation record from USCIS when the county court where the ancestor naturalised sells a certified copy for a small fraction of the price. Check the county court and NARA first, and price all three at the time you order — these fees change.