What citizenship by descent actually costs

Citizenship by descent is far cheaper than the $5,000–$15,000 consultants charge — but it isn't free. The cost is mostly small, predictable line items that add up across generations.

Where the money goes

• Government & filing fees — the application fee charged by the authority
• Document acquisition — vital records (birth, marriage, death) per ancestor
• Apostilles — per-document state certification (varies by US state)
• Translations — certified or sworn, depending on the country and route

Our cost calculator estimates all of this from your lineage, with per-US-state apostille fees and live currency conversion — and lets you compare countries side by side.