What citizenship by descent costs
Karte Global fees, government fees, and the costs in between
A citizenship by descent application has three kinds of cost: the government's own fees, the cost of records, translations and apostilles, and any professional help you engage. This page sets out all three, so you can budget before you commit to anything.
Karte Global fees
Your matter moves forward one defined stage at a time. Each stage has a clear deliverable, and you decide whether to continue at every step. There are no bundles, no hourly billing, and no large fee paid upfront.
| Stage | What you receive | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| I. Eligibility Screening | A 30-minute call that checks for obvious non-starters and scopes the research your matter needs | $49, credited in full against Stage II |
| II. Pathway Assessment & Roadmap | A written roadmap of which pathways your ancestry engages, what each requires, a full document inventory and a realistic timeline | $499 |
| III. Records & Research Block | Vital records, archival research, certified translations and apostilles, one defined round at a time | Quoted from your Roadmap |
| IV. Dossier Assembly | A complete, submission-ready application package | Quoted from your Roadmap |
| V. Filing & Authority Liaison | Submission and structured support through to a decision | Quoted from your Roadmap |
| VI. Concierge (optional) | Relocation and settling-in support once citizenship is secured | Quoted to scope |
From the Roadmap onward, every stage is quoted before work begins and invoiced only once it is delivered.
Government fees by country
| Country | Route | Government fee |
|---|---|---|
| Ireland | Foreign Births Register | €278 per adult, €153 per child |
| Poland | Confirmation of citizenship | $118 consular fee when filed through a Polish consulate in the US |
| Germany | Article 116(2) and Section 15 restoration | No fee |
| Germany | Section 5 declaration | No fee |
| Germany | Confirmation of existing citizenship (citizenship certificate) | €51, charged even if the application is refused |
| Italy | Recognition at a consulate | €600 per adult |
Government fees change and are set by each country. Confirm current amounts with the relevant authority before you file.
Records, translations and apostilles
- Vital records: US state certified copies typically cost a modest amount each; European archival searches vary widely.
- Apostilles: issued by each US state's Secretary of State, usually a small fee per document.
- Certified translations: priced per page; Italy, Germany and Poland all require them for English-language records.
- Naturalization records: the USCIS Genealogy Program charges for record requests.
The number of generations in your line is the main driver of cost. Your Roadmap includes a full document inventory, so these costs are visible before you commit to Stage III.
Guides
The first step is a $49 eligibility screening, credited in full against your Pathway Assessment if you continue.