Creating a family tree is not just about drawing a chart of your ancestry; it is a comprehensive research project. It involves searching for archival documents, working with databases, interviewing relatives, and systematizing the collected information. Such a project requires attention to detail, accuracy, and often a considerable amount of time.
Factors Influencing the Cost
The cost of genealogical research consists of several components, each influencing the overall project budget.
Depth of Research
The deeper you wish to delve into your family history, the more complex and expensive the work becomes. A basic family tree covering 3–4 generations includes parents, grandparents, and sometimes great-grandparents. This is a relatively quick and affordable option.
If the goal is to retrieve information about ancestors going back 6–8 generations, the research becomes deeper: there is a need to access old parish records, census data, court or land acts, which requires additional time and financial investment.
Sources of Information
Using digitized databases significantly speeds up and reduces the cost of research. However, for many family lines, especially those from the pre-revolutionary period, information is preserved only in physical archives. Working with state, church, and private archives requires special permits, travel, and waiting time for responses, all of which increase the project cost.
Geography of the Search
If your roots are concentrated in one region of Ukraine, the search will be quicker and cheaper. However, if your ancestors migrated across the country or abroad (e.g., to Poland, Romania, or Russia), the genealogist must work with archives of several countries, which requires additional resources and raises costs.
Additional Services
In addition to basic research, you can add services such as:
- creating a family book with illustrations, maps, and narratives of ancestors’ lives,
- artistic design of the family tree on paper or digitally,
- conducting genetic tests to confirm family connections,
- translating archival documents from foreign languages (Polish, German, Latin).
These additional services make the final result more valuable and unique but also increase the overall budget.
Example Prices for Genealogical Services in Ukraine
Using our company as an example, the prices for different stages of research are:
- Consultation with a manager and genealogist — from $12
- Conducting a family expertise (initial analysis of search possibilities) — about $150
- Full research on one family line — from $650
- Nationality confirmation for consulate applications — from $80 to $280 depending on complexity
- Archive search — from $80 per request
- Research on repressed ancestors and party files — $100–$200
- Military service research — from $30 to $500
- Family book creation — from $150
Comprehensive research covering all four family lines may cost from $3000 and up.
Service Packages and Levels
Many agencies offer packaged solutions to make it easier for clients to navigate:
- “Standard” — basic family research focusing on 3–4 generations (approximately the 19th–20th centuries).
- “Premium” — expanded research going back to the 17th–18th centuries using rare archival data.
- “Maximum” — the deepest possible research including international searches, genetic testing, and family book creation.
Package prices depend on their content and typically start from about 50,000 UAH, reaching up to 170,000 UAH and more for premium options.
Timeline for Research Completion
Genealogical research requires patience. Simple research projects may take from 1 to 3 months, while more complex ones can extend to 6–12 months or longer. The duration depends on archive accessibility, the speed of obtaining responses, and the volume of work required.
Conclusion
Creating a family tree in Ukraine is a personalized project whose cost depends on your goals, the depth of research, geography, and additional services.
Before commissioning a project, it is important to clearly define:
- the result you expect,
- how much time you are willing to wait,
- and what budget you are ready to allocate.
Choosing the right specialist and understanding all the work stages will help make the process of creating your family tree as interesting, effective, and meaningful as possible.