The two kinds of cost
Every visa budget splits into money you pay your lawyer and money you pay everyone else — governments, translators, insurers. Firms blur the two, which is how “our fee is $1,800” becomes a $4,500 invoice. I keep them separate on purpose: my fee is fixed and published, and the third-party costs get quoted in writing, for your specific document list, before you commit a dollar.
Part one: the legal fee
$2,400 flat, paid 50% when we start and 50% when your visa is approved. It includes strategy, your personalized document checklist, my personal review of every document, employer or client letters, sworn-translation coordination, the government filing (fee included), responses to any official requests, and residence-card support after approval. The full scope is on the pricing page — along with the guarantee: approved, or my professional fees back.
Part two: third-party costs, line by line
| Item | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| FBI background check | $18–50 | $18 direct; ~$50 via an approved channeler (faster) |
| Federal apostille on the FBI check | $20–70 | $20 State Dept. fee; couriers/expediting add the rest |
| State apostilles (marriage/birth certificates) | $20–50 each | Family cases only; prices vary by state |
| Sworn translations | $350–500 total | ~$50–100 per document; count depends on your file |
| Qualifying health insurance | $60–200/month | Full coverage, no copays, no waiting periods |
| Government filing fee | $0 to you | Included in my fee |
| Certificate of Coverage (W-2 cases) | $0 | The SSA doesn’t charge — it only takes time |
Add it up for a typical single applicant and you land in the $750–1,100 range for third-party items, with insurance the main ongoing cost. The biggest swing factor is the translation count: a lean file needs five or six documents translated; a complex freelancer file with multiple contracts needs more.
What families should budget
Each dependent adds $500 to my fee and, on the third-party side, their civil certificates: state apostilles ($20–50 each) and translations (~$50–100 each). A family of four typically lands around $4,800–5,600 all-in. Remember the income side too — household thresholds rise with each dependent, as covered in the income requirements guide.
The costs nobody itemizes
- Redoing documents. An expired FBI check or a wrong-type apostille means paying twice. Sequencing — covered in the FBI check playbook — is cheaper than any fee.
- The trip itself. For in-country filing you must be in Spain on filing day. Most clients fold this into their actual move, making it free in practice.
- Rush charges. Started early, nothing needs expediting. Started late, everything does. Time is the cheapest line item in the whole budget.
Cost versus risk
The real comparison isn’t my fee versus a cheaper platform’s fee — it’s the cost of filing once versus filing twice. A rejection costs you months, re-ordered documents, and (elsewhere) a second fee. My model prices that risk where it belongs: with me. If your visa isn’t approved, my professional fees come back to you in full — the details are in what actually happens after a rejection.
Want your numbers instead of typical numbers? Start with the free assessment; if your case is viable, your day-one quote lists every document and every cost, in writing.
Sources: FBI — Identity History Summary Checks · U.S. State Dept. — Office of Authentications. Last updated: July 2026.