How to spot a fake visa website, and the official sites to use

Search for “ESTA”, “UK ETA” or “India e-Visa” and the first results are often not the government. They look official, use flags and the word “official”, and charge two, three or ten times the government fee to type your answers into the same government form.

Most are not illegal. They are a service you did not need. A few are worse: they take your money and never apply at all, or they collect your passport details for other uses.

This guide covers how to tell, what governments themselves say, and the official address for each scheme. Everything was read on the official pages on 4 October 2026.

What governments say about these sites

They are not shy about it.

United States (ESTA). CBP says that third-party sites “are not endorsed by, associated with, or affiliated in any way with DHS or the U.S. government”, and that using one “will not expedite approval” (cbp.gov). The ESTA FAQ adds that “CBP cannot refund the money you paid to a third party website” (esta.cbp.dhs.gov).

United Kingdom (ETA). gov.uk: “Other websites may charge more to apply. Avoid websites that imitate government services” (gov.uk), and “You cannot get a faster decision by applying through another website or app” (gov.uk).

Canada (eTA). IRCC says companies that charge to submit eTA applications “are NOT operating on behalf of the Government of Canada” (ircc.canada.ca), and that it “does not issue refunds for extra fees charged by third party websites” (ircc.canada.ca).

European Union (ETIAS). The EU warns of “dozens of unofficial ETIAS websites”, and that it “does not issue authorisations nor licences to commercial intermediaries” (europa.eu). ETIAS is not even running yet. Any site taking an ETIAS payment today is not the EU; see our ETIAS page for its current status.

India (e-Visa). India’s FAQ tells applicants to “beware of unscrupulous elements/ travel agents/ intermediaries demanding extra payment” (indianvisaonline.gov.in).

France. France-Visas advises “caution in all transactions with companies claiming to offer assistance in obtaining French visas” (france-visas.gouv.fr).

Six ways to tell

1. Look at the address, not the logo. Government sites sit on government domains: .gov, gov.uk, canada.ca, europa.eu, gov.in, gov.vn. A site called something like “esta-online-application.com” is not the US government, however many flags it shows.
2. Compare the price with the official fee. If the total is more than the government charges, you are paying a middleman. The official fees are on our travel authorisations page and visa fees page.
3. Be wary of “processing”, “service” or “handling” fees. Governments name their fee. Extra lines on top of it are the agent’s markup.
4. “Express” and “urgent” often mean nothing. India, for one, says it charges no emergency or express fee for an e-Visa at all. A site selling a faster Indian e-Visa is selling something India does not offer.
5. Sponsored search results are adverts. Results marked “Sponsored” or “Ad” are paid for. Agents bid heavily on these searches, so the top result is often not the government.
6. Check where emails come from. For UK visa appointments, gov.uk says genuine emails from its partners come only from addresses ending @tlscontact.com or @vfsglobal.com (gov.uk).

The official sites

Scheme	Official site	Official fee
US ESTA	esta.cbp.dhs.gov	See our ESTA page
UK ETA	gov.uk/eta, or the UK ETA app	See our UK ETA page
Canada eTA	canada.ca	CA$7, see our Canada eTA page
Australia ETA	The Australian ETA app, from immi.homeaffairs.gov.au	See our Australia ETA page
EU ETIAS	travel-europe.europa.eu/etias	Not running yet, see our ETIAS page
India e-Visa	indianvisaonline.gov.in/evisa	Set by nationality, see our India e-Visa page
Vietnam e-Visa	evisa.gov.vn	See our Vietnam e-Visa page

Canada puts it plainly on its own application page: “This is the Government of Canada’s official website to apply for an eTA. It only costs CAN$7” (canada.ca).

Contractors are not fake, but they are not the government

Some governments use companies such as VFS Global, TLScontact or BLS International to collect applications, fingerprints and passports. That is legitimate where the government’s own website names the company. They charge a service fee on top of the visa fee, and they do not decide your visa.

The safe route is always to start from the government’s own visa page and follow its link to the contractor, rather than searching for the contractor directly. Our Schengen application form page shows which contractor each government names, and our VFS tracking page covers lookalike tracking sites.

If you already paid a lookalike site

• Check whether an application was actually made. Use the official site’s own status or lookup tool, never the third-party site’s.
• Do not expect the government to refund the difference. CBP and IRCC both say they cannot.
• Ask your card provider. Whether a charge can be disputed depends on your bank and the circumstances; they can tell you.
• If the site never applied, apply on the official site before you travel.

Checklist

• Start from a government domain, not a search result.
• Compare the total with the official fee before you pay.
• Ignore “express” and “service” add-ons.
• Reach contractors only through the government’s own link.
• Check every figure on the official page before you pay.