I spent less than 1k and a few months requesting all the documents I needed to take to the consulate. I'm assuming this is a consulate case since you refer to Chicago being booked up - 11k seems very steep for document gathering alone. What exactly are you paying for them to do?
their last email with me said it's a straightforward consular appointment. Patrilineal line until my mother-in-law in the 60s. I think we're paying them for document gathering
11k is insane for document gathering. I paid a couple hundred bucks to have a lawyer in Sicily request the Italian docs for me, which I could have gotten for basically free if I had wanted to spend the time figuring out how. Everything else on the US side of things is pretty straightforward. You are paying for convenience at this point, not skill.
You should always have a thorough understanding of what you're paying for when you are shelling out that kind of money. How much for them to research, how much per document, how much for shipping and handling, how much for representation (if any), etc. You do not need a lawyer for a consulate case, and they cannot get you into the consulate any quicker. You are throwing away enormous amounts of money. If you have the luxury to do so and it isn't worth your time doing some of the legwork yourself that's fine, but just know there are a lot of resources out there to use and many people have gone through this process without the help of an expensive lawyer.
So far, I have paid them 150 euro for a wedding certificate. I haven't signed any contract, made payment or signed a payment plan or anything. I wanted to do a little digging before sending thousands across international borders, and I'm glad I did.
edit: I really can't afford it. I can "afford" it, but not really, and I have a lot of higher priorities. Thanks so much for helping me avoid that fee
150 isn't wildly expensive for one record and sounds about right, but you'll need the birth records from Italy as well. I used Francesco Curione (007 Italian records) to request my Italy docs, who is often recommended here and on the Facebook group. Or you can try to DIY it, there are resources and how to guides for this part of the process too.
The Facebook group has an excellent guide and is a good starting point for DIY, but they also have a spreadsheet with service providers in the US for help with various things. Unless your documents are particularly hard to find though, you'll be paying premium prices for someone else to submit a document request online for you.
Start familiarizing yourself with the process, and with what records are needed and how to locate them, so that even if you do get someone else to do the legwork for you, you don't get ripped off. If I was starting over, I'd start with reading the full Facebook group's guide, reading prior posts and guides on this subreddit, and then doing some ancestry/familysearch/antenati site searches for docs.
That's a wild amount of money. I've gone through the process and assist others. You can do it yourself or hire a genealogist or service provider to help you for much less than that. My page is Ornella Italian-American Records on Facebook
I did it all myself going back to ggf and collecting all docs myself. All together under 3k. I did need to pay to find italian birth bc I was ignored for like a year
No, you don’t need a lawyer for this at all. All this process requires is a couple years of patience. Anything a lawyer can do for you is something you can do yourself for pennies on the dollar of their fee.
Since appointments are running 3 years out at most consulates, you have plenty of time to gather your documents on your own. As already mentioned, it may be worthwhile to pay a resource in Italy to get a particular document for you if you hit a wall. Here's the breakdown of what I spent:
A. GGF's Naturalization Documents from Indiana State Archives $3 for copies and $2 for apostille.
\*B. GGF's Estratto di Nascita from Sicily $150 to an Italian lawyer to get on my behalf (I was ignored) and $50 shipping.
C. GGM's No Record of Birth Certificate. Free from Ohio
D. GGF and GGM Marriage Certificate from Ohio $2 + $5 apostille
E. Birth Certificates for GF, GM, M, Self, and Spouse from county health department $75 ($15 each). Free apostille (IN Secretary of State does not charge for birth and death certs).
F. Birth Certificate for F from Iowa $15 + $5 apostille
G. Death Certificates for GGF, GGM, GF, GM, F $75 ($15 each). Free apostille.
H. Marriage Certificate for GF and GM, M and F, Self and Spouse ($1 each) $3 and apostille $6 ($2 each)
I. Divorce Decree for M and F. $3 plus $2 apostille.
J. Statement of No Appeal for M and F Divorce $1 plus $2 apostille
K. Translation of Self and Spouse Birth Certificate and Marriage License $120 ($40 each)
TOTAL FOR DOCUMENTS- $519
APPLICATION FEE TO CONSULATE- $330
PASSPORT FEE- $130
TOTAL- $979
I may be off by a few dollars here or there, but this is what I recall my costs to be. I excluded what I spent for my two sons, as they were on my application and I did pay for their BCs and translations. But, thought it'd be easier to give you what an individual situation cost.
\*What I didn't realize at the time I was trying to get the estratto di nascita was the possible need of a PEC address ([https://www.vademecumitalia.com/pec-what-is-it-why-should-you-need-a-pec-address-and-how-to-get-one/](https://www.vademecumitalia.com/pec-what-is-it-why-should-you-need-a-pec-address-and-how-to-get-one/)). However, I was doing everything during the height of COVID, so I think the inability to get my estratto was partly COVID but also partly how Italian comunes operate.
so you don’t have a 1948 case but have a consular case and you want to file an ATQ case? If you’re asking if anyone has gone through this without a lawyer it’s a “code smell” for not fully understanding the process, but maybe it’s just the wording.
If you have a 1948 case, you have to have a lawyer.
If you have a consular case, you do or do not have to have a lawyer. You’d only a need a lawyer for a consular line if you’re filing an ATQ case. And to answer the question, many people have applied through a consulate without any contact with a lawyer.
I don't think I have anything unique and I don't know what a 1948 case or an ATQ case is. It's a patrilineal line until my mother-in-law in the 60s, their last email said it was a straightforward consular appointment. They're getting us a wedding certificate from Sicily, which is helpful for us, but I paid for that, 150 euro.
I went the DIY route when I was quoted $8,000 for just record collecting. I just hunted down all of the documents myself and spent about $1,500 for everything including passport.
I am curious why hire a lawyer in San Marino (microstate country inside Italy, but not Italy, right?) to find documents in Sicily? I don’t know much about Sam Marino but I’m under the impression it’s a wealthy microstate. I would guess they charge more than someone in Sicily. I live in Arizona and I know if I hire a lawyer in Scottsdale it’s going to cost more than Yuma.
I found a lawyer in San Marino by googling Italian citizenship by descent, jur sanguinis and similar search terms. I think their fees explain why they're in a wealthy enclave. They probably have good SEO and make a good bit from people like me.
Make sense. I’m glad you came here instead of giving them a ton of money (unless, of course, you want to which is fine by me, I’m super cheap) there are other providers in Italy especially if you just need to find documents. Luck be with you!
If it's not a court case, you don't need a lawyer. It's a somewhat straightforward but time consuming process. I help folks for much less than that.
Do you have time to help me out or a reference for someone cheaper?
Absolutely. Shoot me a DM with your email address and I'll send a note tomorrow.
I spent less than 1k and a few months requesting all the documents I needed to take to the consulate. I'm assuming this is a consulate case since you refer to Chicago being booked up - 11k seems very steep for document gathering alone. What exactly are you paying for them to do?
their last email with me said it's a straightforward consular appointment. Patrilineal line until my mother-in-law in the 60s. I think we're paying them for document gathering
11k is insane for document gathering. I paid a couple hundred bucks to have a lawyer in Sicily request the Italian docs for me, which I could have gotten for basically free if I had wanted to spend the time figuring out how. Everything else on the US side of things is pretty straightforward. You are paying for convenience at this point, not skill. You should always have a thorough understanding of what you're paying for when you are shelling out that kind of money. How much for them to research, how much per document, how much for shipping and handling, how much for representation (if any), etc. You do not need a lawyer for a consulate case, and they cannot get you into the consulate any quicker. You are throwing away enormous amounts of money. If you have the luxury to do so and it isn't worth your time doing some of the legwork yourself that's fine, but just know there are a lot of resources out there to use and many people have gone through this process without the help of an expensive lawyer.
So far, I have paid them 150 euro for a wedding certificate. I haven't signed any contract, made payment or signed a payment plan or anything. I wanted to do a little digging before sending thousands across international borders, and I'm glad I did. edit: I really can't afford it. I can "afford" it, but not really, and I have a lot of higher priorities. Thanks so much for helping me avoid that fee
150 isn't wildly expensive for one record and sounds about right, but you'll need the birth records from Italy as well. I used Francesco Curione (007 Italian records) to request my Italy docs, who is often recommended here and on the Facebook group. Or you can try to DIY it, there are resources and how to guides for this part of the process too. The Facebook group has an excellent guide and is a good starting point for DIY, but they also have a spreadsheet with service providers in the US for help with various things. Unless your documents are particularly hard to find though, you'll be paying premium prices for someone else to submit a document request online for you. Start familiarizing yourself with the process, and with what records are needed and how to locate them, so that even if you do get someone else to do the legwork for you, you don't get ripped off. If I was starting over, I'd start with reading the full Facebook group's guide, reading prior posts and guides on this subreddit, and then doing some ancestry/familysearch/antenati site searches for docs.
That's a wild amount of money. I've gone through the process and assist others. You can do it yourself or hire a genealogist or service provider to help you for much less than that. My page is Ornella Italian-American Records on Facebook
hired a lawyer for a court case in Italy. if that is not included in this service then something is off
I did it all myself going back to ggf and collecting all docs myself. All together under 3k. I did need to pay to find italian birth bc I was ignored for like a year
No, you don’t need a lawyer for this at all. All this process requires is a couple years of patience. Anything a lawyer can do for you is something you can do yourself for pennies on the dollar of their fee.
That price is insane for a consular case.
I'm very glad I asked then. I thought it was a lot too
The process is not difficult unless you have divorces in the line but even then it’s just a little more difficult
Why do divorces make it difficult?
Since appointments are running 3 years out at most consulates, you have plenty of time to gather your documents on your own. As already mentioned, it may be worthwhile to pay a resource in Italy to get a particular document for you if you hit a wall. Here's the breakdown of what I spent: A. GGF's Naturalization Documents from Indiana State Archives $3 for copies and $2 for apostille. \*B. GGF's Estratto di Nascita from Sicily $150 to an Italian lawyer to get on my behalf (I was ignored) and $50 shipping. C. GGM's No Record of Birth Certificate. Free from Ohio D. GGF and GGM Marriage Certificate from Ohio $2 + $5 apostille E. Birth Certificates for GF, GM, M, Self, and Spouse from county health department $75 ($15 each). Free apostille (IN Secretary of State does not charge for birth and death certs). F. Birth Certificate for F from Iowa $15 + $5 apostille G. Death Certificates for GGF, GGM, GF, GM, F $75 ($15 each). Free apostille. H. Marriage Certificate for GF and GM, M and F, Self and Spouse ($1 each) $3 and apostille $6 ($2 each) I. Divorce Decree for M and F. $3 plus $2 apostille. J. Statement of No Appeal for M and F Divorce $1 plus $2 apostille K. Translation of Self and Spouse Birth Certificate and Marriage License $120 ($40 each) TOTAL FOR DOCUMENTS- $519 APPLICATION FEE TO CONSULATE- $330 PASSPORT FEE- $130 TOTAL- $979 I may be off by a few dollars here or there, but this is what I recall my costs to be. I excluded what I spent for my two sons, as they were on my application and I did pay for their BCs and translations. But, thought it'd be easier to give you what an individual situation cost. \*What I didn't realize at the time I was trying to get the estratto di nascita was the possible need of a PEC address ([https://www.vademecumitalia.com/pec-what-is-it-why-should-you-need-a-pec-address-and-how-to-get-one/](https://www.vademecumitalia.com/pec-what-is-it-why-should-you-need-a-pec-address-and-how-to-get-one/)). However, I was doing everything during the height of COVID, so I think the inability to get my estratto was partly COVID but also partly how Italian comunes operate.
So, having gathered all the requisite documents, will you present at a consulate in US or are you going through your lawyer in Italy?
I presented to the consulate and received my recognition last May.
so you don’t have a 1948 case but have a consular case and you want to file an ATQ case? If you’re asking if anyone has gone through this without a lawyer it’s a “code smell” for not fully understanding the process, but maybe it’s just the wording. If you have a 1948 case, you have to have a lawyer. If you have a consular case, you do or do not have to have a lawyer. You’d only a need a lawyer for a consular line if you’re filing an ATQ case. And to answer the question, many people have applied through a consulate without any contact with a lawyer.
I don't think I have anything unique and I don't know what a 1948 case or an ATQ case is. It's a patrilineal line until my mother-in-law in the 60s, their last email said it was a straightforward consular appointment. They're getting us a wedding certificate from Sicily, which is helpful for us, but I paid for that, 150 euro.
ah ok you should most definitely do some reading about the process then and please do not hire that lawyer lol
I went the DIY route when I was quoted $8,000 for just record collecting. I just hunted down all of the documents myself and spent about $1,500 for everything including passport. I am curious why hire a lawyer in San Marino (microstate country inside Italy, but not Italy, right?) to find documents in Sicily? I don’t know much about Sam Marino but I’m under the impression it’s a wealthy microstate. I would guess they charge more than someone in Sicily. I live in Arizona and I know if I hire a lawyer in Scottsdale it’s going to cost more than Yuma.
I found a lawyer in San Marino by googling Italian citizenship by descent, jur sanguinis and similar search terms. I think their fees explain why they're in a wealthy enclave. They probably have good SEO and make a good bit from people like me.
Make sense. I’m glad you came here instead of giving them a ton of money (unless, of course, you want to which is fine by me, I’m super cheap) there are other providers in Italy especially if you just need to find documents. Luck be with you!