The original concept of citizens advice service comes from Great Britain, where the first citizens advice bureaux were set up 65 years ago as a direct answer to threats posed by the war and its consequences. Today, similar to the British model of free advice service offered to people in need is known and functioning in over 20 countries in the world (among them the Czech Republic, Ireland, Israel, Lithuania, Nigeria, New Zealand, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, South Africa, Zimbabwe).

The development of advice services in the majority of countries concerned has been relatively individual and run largely in the absence of any ready-made models, standards or mutual technical support etc. Despite being unaware of each other's existence, they have acquired similar names and working methods. Their work has always had the same aim: to provide fellow citizens with the knowledge and basic skills to manage difficult situations so that they can solve their own problems.

Late 1990s brought a need for a more concerted effort. A number of newly created organisations, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe, started benefiting from the assistance and expertise of their British colleagues. Encouraged by the value and benefit of such cooperation, they also started to look for other partners, with whom experience could be shared.

Representatives of several countries met for the first time in Prague, in September 2001 during a conference held to summarise 10 years of developmental work. For a majority of them it was the first opportunity to exchange experience and realize how similar their activities were.

One year later a conference was held in Vilnius. Representatives of ten countries participated and during that meeting on 25th April the 'Memorandum on Cooperation' was signed.

In December 2002 representatives of various advice services were invited to Brussels to attend a Forum of Citizens Advice Services organised by the European Citizens Action Service (ECAS). The event gathered approximately 120 representatives of non-governmental organisations offering various forms of specialised and general advice services, representatives of the European Parliament and the European Commission. During that meeting a group of individuals representing advice services in eight different countries formed a steering group devoted to establish a more permanent structure.

In 2003 the same group, joined by representatives of other countries participated in a meeting in Klekotki (northern Poland), which provided an additional stimulus. By 2003 many of the Central and Eastern European organisations had to face the unavoidable withdrawal of independent and external funders from the region, which has very rarely been supported by a clear 'exit plan.' Therefore, the need for a common strategy to intervene with the governments to convince them to provide core-funding became increasingly urgent.

In September that year representatives of the steering group met in the European Parliament in Strasbourg and persuaded MEPs to amend the draft Commission's budget, and recommend EUR 3 million spending in order to support the activity of citizens advice organisations.

In December 2003 citizens advice services met again at the Forum of Citizens Advice Services in Brussels, which by that time started taking on the characteristics of a typical Assembly. During that meeting a consensus emerged to create an international umbrella organisation by 1 May 2004, when 10 new countries joined the European Union.

At the end of March 2004, on invitation from Citizens Advice, the group met in London. For many it had a symbolic meaning - in the place where the citizen advice movement began, on 31 March 2004 the founding document of Citizens Advice International was signed.  

The organisation was officially launched on 22 October 2004 during the Annual International Conference of Citizens Advice and Information Services in Bucharest.

The statutes of Citizens Advice International were officially approved by the Ministry of Justice of the Kingdom of Belgium on 5 December 2004. The association acquired legal personality and was entered into the register of non-profit international organisations under the number 872 309 320. Statutes of Citizens Advice International were published in the Belgian Official Journal (Moniteur Belge) on 28.02.2005.