How Much Does a 1948 Case Cost?
A 2026 Breakdown
What you pay for an Italian court case through a female ancestor: legal fees, Italian government fees, documents and translations, with worked examples.
Last updated: November 7, 2026
Short answer (as of November 2026)
With Citizenship Italia, a typical 1948 case for one applicant costs $6,300 to $7,800, plus the Italian court fee of €600 (about $650) per claimant. That covers the $4,500 legal fee for the court case, plus records and translations. Each additional immediate family member adds $200 to our fee and their own €600 court fee.
- Legal fee: $4,500 for case preparation and representation by an Italian lawyer
- Court fee (contributo unificato): €600 per claimant, paid to the Italian court
- Translations: $80 per document; records: $75 per U.S. record and $150 per Italian record if we order them
- A $500 travel fee applies only if the hearing is outside Piemonte and the judge refuses a virtual hearing
What goes into the cost of a 1948 case
| Cost item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Court case application and representation | $4,500 | Petition, filings and hearings by an Italian-licensed lawyer |
| Italian court fee (contributo unificato) | €600 per claimant (~$650) | Set by the 2025 Budget Law; paid to the court whoever represents you |
| Additional immediate family member | $200 per person | Same line; each claimant also pays the €600 court fee |
| Additional first cousin | $500 per person | Through the same Italian ancestor |
| Certified translations | $80 per document (up to 4 pages) | Typically a birth and a marriage record per person in the line, plus naturalization records |
| U.S. record ordering | $75 per record + the issuing office’s fee | Optional: you can order records yourself |
| Italian record ordering | $150 per record + the comune’s fee | Optional |
| Out-of-region travel fee | $500 | Only if the hearing is outside Piemonte and a virtual hearing is refused |
| U.S. record amendments (if needed) | ~$4,500–$7,000 | Only when names or dates conflict across records |
See every fee on our pricing page, or run your own numbers in the cost estimator.
Worked examples
One applicant, Italian-born grandmother
Your grandmother was born in Italy and never became a U.S. citizen; your mother was born in the U.S. in 1946. That is a 1948 case, and your grandmother can be the qualifying ancestor under the 2025 rules.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Legal fee | $4,500 |
| 7 translations (3 people in the line × 2, plus 1 naturalization record) | $560 |
| Court fee, 1 claimant | €600 (~$650) |
| Records ordered for you (for example 6 U.S. and 2 Italian) | $750 + office fees |
| Estimated total | About $6,460 + record office fees |
Three siblings on the same line
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Legal fee + 2 additional family members | $4,900 |
| 11 translations (7 for the line, plus 2 for each sibling) | $880 |
| Court fee, 3 claimants | €1,800 (~$1,950) |
| Estimated total before records | About $7,730 |
These are illustrations using our published fees. Your quote is confirmed after the free eligibility review.
What makes a 1948 case cost more
- More generations mean more records to order and translate.
- Name or date conflicts between records may need a U.S. court amendment.
- Missing records may need genealogical research ($75 per hour).
- More claimants add $200 or $500 each to our fee and €600 each in court fees, but sharing one line is far cheaper than separate cases.
Check eligibility before you spend money
Since 2025, a 1948 case must also meet Article 3-bis: a parent or grandparent of the applicant must have held exclusively Italian citizenship, unless the case was filed by March 27, 2025. Many lines that were valid 1948 cases before 2025 no longer qualify, so we check this before you order a single record. See how 1948 cases work, with more examples.
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We check eligibility first, so you never pay for documents you can't use.
Sources
- Law 207/2024 (2025 Budget Law), Normattiva
- Decree-Law 36/2025 as converted by Law 74/2025 (Normattiva)
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules and consulate practice change; check the official sources or ask us before acting.
Questions about 1948 case costs
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