How much does Italian citizenship by descent cost in total?

For a typical consulate-track applicant with three generations, total costs usually land between $1,300 and $2,300 USD. The biggest single line item is the €600 consulate appointment fee — each US consulate sets its own locked USD rate for 6-month windows (the Boston consulate's current rate is $703.10 through June 30, 2026; other consulates may differ). Document acquisition, apostilles, and certified translations account for most of the remainder. Judicial 1948 cases add $3,000–$10,000 in attorney fees on top.

Is the consulate fee per person or per family?

The €600 consulate fee is per adult applicant. If you and your spouse are both applying for recognition, or multiple adult siblings are applying together, each adult pays the fee separately. Minor children (typically under 18) are often included on a parent's application at no additional government charge, but always verify with your specific consulate.

Can I apply for Italian citizenship without a lawyer?

Yes — for the standard consulate track, most applicants successfully apply without hiring an attorney. The process is document-intensive but procedurally straightforward: gather vital records, apostille and translate them, book a consulate appointment, and submit. You only need a lawyer for the 1948 judicial track (maternal line before 1948) or if you're resolving name discrepancies, adoption edge cases, or complex naturalization timing questions.

How long does Italian citizenship by descent take?

Document gathering typically takes 3–12 months depending on how cooperative US state vital records offices and Italian comuni are. Consulate appointment backlogs vary dramatically — some US consulates have years of waitlist, while others are months. After your appointment, the consulate's internal processing adds 6–24 months. Judicial cases can be faster overall because they bypass consulate waiting lists, though court calendars have their own delays.

What isn't included in this estimate?

The calculator does not include: attorney fees for non-judicial cases, document corrections for errors on old vital records (which can cost $200–$500 per correction), Italian passport fees after your citizenship is recognized, travel to your consulate appointment or to Italy if you apply in-country, and any permesso di soggiorno fees for applicants who apply while residing in Italy.

What changed with Law 74/2025?

Law 74/2025 raised the consulate recognition fee from approximately €300 to €600 per adult applicant. Many older cost guides still cite the old €300 figure — if you see that number on a blog post, it's out of date. The €600 fee applies to all consulate-track applications submitted in 2025 and later.

How Much Will Italian Citizenship by Descent Cost You?

A free, up-to-date calculator for the total cost of Italian citizenship by descent (jure sanguinis) — government fees, documents, apostilles, translations, and the separate 1948 judicial attorney range. Verified against official consulate and ministry sources.

Which track?

How many generations?

e.g. 3 = you → parent → grandparent

Conditions in your lineage

Conditional documents (death certificates, marriage records, divorce decrees) are added when the condition applies.

Married ancestors

Divorced ancestors

Deceased ancestors

Where do you live?

Used to look up your state's apostille fee. Choose “Outside the US” to skip.

Last verified 2026-04-14

These estimates are based on publicly available government fees and typical vendor costs. Your actual costs may vary. This is not legal or financial advice.

Estimated Italian citizenship cost

$948 – $2,070

Most applicants pay around $1,677

Italy raised the consulate fee to €600 per applicant in 2025 (Law 74/2025). Applications before then paid ~€300.

Breakdown

Based on ~13 required documents for this scenario.

Government & filing fees

Consulate appointment fee
Boston consulate locked rate: $703.10 through June 30, 2026. Other US consulates set their own 6-month USD rates — verify with your consulate.
$703
€600
USCIS Index Search
$65

Document acquisition

US vital record (certified copy)×4
Varies by state and county
$40–$200
NARA record request
Free; processing time varies by NARA office — weeks to 12+ months
$0
Italian comune record request×3
Recent records (post-1865): free to €10. Pre-1865 or archival requests: some comuni charge €50–€200
$0–$702
€0–€600

Apostilles & translations

Apostille×4
Fee set by the state that issued the document (not necessarily your home state). Use the state lookup as an estimate.
$20–$100
Certified translation×4
Per document; most are 1-2 pages
$120–$300

Not included

Attorney or service fees if you hire help (consulate track is typically DIY)
Document corrections for errors on old vital records (~$200–$500)
Passport fees after your citizenship is approved
Travel to consulate or court appointments
Permesso di soggiorno for applicants applying in Italy instead of abroad

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Most applicants pay around

$1,677

Range:
$948–$2,070

Gov fee

$703.10

~€600, Boston locked rate through June 2026

Typical total

$1,300–$2,300

Consulate track

Processing

18–24 mo

From consulate appointment

Biggest variable

Translations

Required on every doc

The honest answer is: somewhere between $1,300 and $2,300 for a typical consulate-track application in 2026, with the biggest variables being how many ancestors separate you from your Italian ancestor and how many US states you need apostilles from. This range is based on the actual fees published by Italian consulates, state Secretaries of State, and translation service rates — not estimates pulled from forum posts or law firm marketing pages.

The single most common question in Italian citizenship communities is whether the €600 consulate fee is per person or per family. It is per adult applicant. If you are applying along with your spouse or an adult sibling, each of you pays €600 separately. Minor children on a parent's application are typically not charged the adult fee, but always verify with your specific consulate because policies vary slightly by jurisdiction.

The second most common confusion is the 1948 judicial track. If your Italian line passes through a woman who gave birth before January 1, 1948, Italian law did not automatically transmit citizenship through her. The workaround is a judicial case filed in the civil court of Rome, which requires an Italian attorney. Attorney fees for these cases typically fall between $3,000 and $10,000, with variation based on firm reputation, case complexity, and whether multiple family members are consolidated into a single filing. Because this range is so wide, we show it separately from the main total — folding it in would make the total range so broad it would stop being useful.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does Italian citizenship by descent cost in total?: For a typical consulate-track applicant with three generations, total costs usually land between $1,300 and $2,300 USD. The biggest single line item is the €600 consulate appointment fee — each US consulate sets its own locked USD rate for 6-month windows (the Boston consulate's current rate is $703.10 through June 30, 2026; other consulates may differ). Document acquisition, apostilles, and certified translations account for most of the remainder. Judicial 1948 cases add $3,000–$10,000 in attorney fees on top.
Is the consulate fee per person or per family?: The €600 consulate fee is per adult applicant. If you and your spouse are both applying for recognition, or multiple adult siblings are applying together, each adult pays the fee separately. Minor children (typically under 18) are often included on a parent's application at no additional government charge, but always verify with your specific consulate.
Can I apply for Italian citizenship without a lawyer?: Yes — for the standard consulate track, most applicants successfully apply without hiring an attorney. The process is document-intensive but procedurally straightforward: gather vital records, apostille and translate them, book a consulate appointment, and submit. You only need a lawyer for the 1948 judicial track (maternal line before 1948) or if you're resolving name discrepancies, adoption edge cases, or complex naturalization timing questions.
How long does Italian citizenship by descent take?: Document gathering typically takes 3–12 months depending on how cooperative US state vital records offices and Italian comuni are. Consulate appointment backlogs vary dramatically — some US consulates have years of waitlist, while others are months. After your appointment, the consulate's internal processing adds 6–24 months. Judicial cases can be faster overall because they bypass consulate waiting lists, though court calendars have their own delays.
What isn't included in this estimate?: The calculator does not include: attorney fees for non-judicial cases, document corrections for errors on old vital records (which can cost $200–$500 per correction), Italian passport fees after your citizenship is recognized, travel to your consulate appointment or to Italy if you apply in-country, and any permesso di soggiorno fees for applicants who apply while residing in Italy.
What changed with Law 74/2025?: Law 74/2025 raised the consulate recognition fee from approximately €300 to €600 per adult applicant. Many older cost guides still cite the old €300 figure — if you see that number on a blog post, it's out of date. The €600 fee applies to all consulate-track applications submitted in 2025 and later.

The Next Passport is not affiliated with the Italian government, any consulate, or any citizenship attorney. Content is informational only and is not legal advice. Verify all details with your consulate before submitting documents.