Immigration and relocation firm website cost in Washington DC: local agencies vs Kolonell (2026)

The verdict in three sentences

In Washington, an immigration and relocation firm website built by a local agency costs, as a 2026 ballpark, 15 000 to 60 000 USD, more if you add a client portal. Kolonell builds the pages by client profile (international organization staff, researcher, transferred employee, family), the employer and HR page and a minimal intake form for a fixed price of 2 900 USD, 4 900 USD or 8 900 USD. What matters most is how clearly the site shows who gives legal advice and who handles relocation, the 3-year total cost and how each provider protects the personal data of your clients.

How much do DC agencies, freelancers and Kolonell charge?

These are prudent ballparks, not official rates. They draw on public rate cards of agencies in DC, Northern Virginia and Maryland, minimum project sizes on Clutch.co profiles (often 10 000 to 25 000 USD), hourly rates published by local agencies (often 150 to 250 USD, higher for firms that serve federal clients) and rates on Upwork for freelancers in the region.

A project manager is reachable in Eastern Time, with calls at your hour and a written update every week; the team is based in Senegal (GMT), 4 to 5 hours ahead of DC. Payment by bank transfer or Wise, 50 % at kickoff and 50 % at delivery. The packages are set out in our international website offer.

Who are the clients of a Washington firm, and which pages do they need?

The capital region has a clientele found almost nowhere else. International organizations such as the World Bank, the IMF and the Inter-American Development Bank bring in staff and their families; embassies rotate diplomats and local staff; universities such as Georgetown, George Washington and Johns Hopkins, and research centers like the NIH in Bethesda, hire researchers and postdocs; think tanks, law firms, consultancies and federal contractors transfer employees. Families then choose between DC, Montgomery County in Maryland and Arlington or Fairfax in Virginia, often based on schools and commute.

Each profile looks for a different page: the type of visa or status the case usually involves (for example G-4 for international organization staff, J-1 or H-1B for researchers, L-1 for transferred employees), the steps the firm handles, and what relocation covers on the ground. These categories should be described as types of requests, never as outcomes.

A client portal where families track their file and upload documents is a custom application quoted on request, as is ongoing search optimization. Other languages, such as Spanish or Portuguese, are supplied by you or quoted separately.

What must the site say about legal advice?

In the United States, only attorneys and accredited representatives of organizations recognized by the Department of Justice may give legal advice on immigration. A relocation provider helps with housing, schools, bank accounts, a driver's licence and settling in; it does not prepare or advise on immigration filings. If your firm combines both through a partner attorney, the site must state who does what, with the attorney's name and bar admission.

Two points deserve care. Attorney advertising is regulated by the rules of professional conduct of the bar where the attorney is admitted (the DC Bar for DC lawyers, Virginia or Maryland bars across the river): check the rules on statements about results and specialization. And the "notario" problem is real in the region: people who are not attorneys sometimes present themselves as able to file immigration cases. Your site should make the difference plain, in every language you publish. No page should promise a visa, a status, a green card or a processing time.

Case files hold passports, family details and employment information. Keep the intake form minimal, never ask for passports by plain email, use a secure upload tool and publish a clear privacy policy. Virginia and Maryland have adopted consumer privacy laws whose thresholds may not apply to a small firm, so check with counsel. The ADA and WCAG 2.1 AA as a technical reference apply. This is not legal advice.

What full budget should you plan over three years?

Maintenance by Kolonell after the support period is quoted on request, so the table uses the same assumption on both sides.

These figures frame the decision; they do not predict your invoice.

Which red flags should you watch for in a quote?

• Copy that implies results. Phrases like "guaranteed approval" must never appear.
• Forms asking for passport numbers on first contact. Name, profile and need are enough.
• No mention of the partner attorney. Visitors must know who advises.
• Portal promised for a low fixed price. A real secure portal is a separate project.
• Domain held by the agency. Ask for registration in your name.

Mini case study

Illustrative example. Nadia S. runs a relocation firm in Arlington with five consultants and works with a partner immigration attorney in Dupont Circle. Her clients are mostly families of World Bank and IMF staff, plus HR teams of two consultancies. She wants English and French pages because many families come from francophone countries.

A DC agency quotes 31 000 USD for a bilingual site. Kolonell Premium costs 8 900 USD; she adds 1 200 USD for team portraits and keeps her existing booking tool. With the same maintenance assumption on both sides, she estimates the three-year gap at about 20 000 USD, and uses part of the saving to pay her partner attorney to review every page that touches on immigration.

FAQ

How much does an immigration and relocation website cost in Washington?

As a 2026 ballpark, 15 000 to 60 000 USD with a local agency and 3 500 to 12 000 USD with a freelancer. Kolonell offers fixed prices of 2 900 USD, 4 900 USD and 8 900 USD.

Can a relocation firm describe visa categories on its site?

It can explain the types of cases its clients face, such as G-4 or L-1, while stating that legal advice comes only from an attorney or accredited representative. The partners page, included from 4 900 USD on Growth, makes that clear.

Can families upload documents through the site?

Yes, through a secure third-party tool, often around 20 to 40 USD per month. A custom portal is quoted on request.

Is a French version possible?

Yes, bilingual EN/FR is included from Premium at 8 900 USD, written natively. Spanish or other languages are supplied by you or quoted separately.

How quickly can the site go live?

3 to 4 weeks on Starter and Growth once your content is ready; Premium usually takes 4 to 6 weeks with a written plan.

Let's scope your project. Send us your client profiles, your partners and the languages you need, and we will reply with a fixed-price package and a 3 to 4 week plan. Request your free quote or see the international offer.