How to spot a fake or overpriced e-visa website

Sign 1: the web address is not a government domain

This is the fastest check. Singapore's Immigration and Checkpoints Authority says “Official ICA websites or e-Services' URLs will always contain “.ica.gov.sg”” ¹. Indonesia's immigration service says official government sites end in .go.id ².

Canada tells people to “Check the address in your browser's address bar when you land on a website” ⁴. Look at the whole domain, not just the start. A name like a country plus “visa” on a .com address is not a government site.

Our list of official e-visa websites gives the right address for each scheme we cover.

Sign 2: the price is higher than the official fee

GOV.UK says some websites look like part of an official service when they are not. “Some make you pay for things that would be free or cheaper if you used the official government service” ³.

The Hong Kong Consumer Council said unofficial agency sites often charge fees “several times higher than those of the official websites” ⁵. In one case a traveller paid US$100 for an Australian ETA that cost AUD20 ⁵.

Know the real price first. A UK ETA costs £20 ⁷. A Canada eTA costs CAN$7 ⁸. Thailand's arrival card is free ⁶.

Sign 3: it promises speed or a guarantee

Canada says: “Don't pay for offers of guaranteed entry into Canada or faster processing of your application. These claims are false” ⁴.

GOV.UK says you cannot get a faster UK ETA decision by applying through another website or app ⁹. India says it charges no emergency or express e-Visa fee ¹⁰.

Sign 4: the disclaimer is hidden

Many copycat sites admit they are private, in small print. The Hong Kong Consumer Council found a notice “in hardly legible fine print” at the bottom of one site saying it was a private company ⁵.

Türkiye's consulate in Boston said fake e-visa sites carry a footnote reading “This is a commercial/private website, NOT an official website of the Government” ¹¹.

The Consumer Council says an official site will show the government department it represents in a prominent place, with its address and contact details ⁵.

Sign 5: it ranks high in search results

The Hong Kong Consumer Council warned that “Search engine rankings do not necessarily represent the reputation and credibility of individual website” ⁵. Danish payment firms said copycat sites buy high places in Google results ¹².

GOV.UK says you can report scam or misleading adverts, including those in search engines, to the Advertising Standards Authority ³.

Other red flags from regulators

• Odd payment options. Australia's Scamwatch warns about sites with only one payment method, or that ask for gift cards or Bitcoin ¹³.
• Pop-ups with urgent warnings that ask you to click a link ¹³.
• Requests to pay a visa fee by cash or money transfer. GOV.UK says you will never be asked to pay for a UK visa that way ¹⁴.
• Lookalike apps. Japan's Digital Agency warned of a fake app posing as Visit Japan Web that asked for credit card details ¹⁵.
• Messages that look like they come from a government agency. The US FTC says not to click on any link in them ¹⁶.