- The official adult renewal fee is £102 online and £115.50 on paper. Any extra charge on a third-party site is not the government’s.
- Citizens Advice lists no postal address, pressure to pay fast and unusual payment methods as signs of a scam.
- Tracking an application uses the reference number you were given, on GOV.UK.
What they do
Copycat sites buy search adverts, so they appear above the real service. They copy GOV.UK’s look, add a “service fee” or “check and send” charge, and then submit the same application the government offers directly. Trading Standards teams, including Coventry’s, have published warnings about copycat websites. The official fee is still due on top of whatever the site charges.
How it unfolds
- You search “renew passport” and click an advert near the top of the results.
- The site asks for personal details and a passport scan, then shows a price that includes a service charge.
- You pay. Some people report getting nothing useful back, while others find the site filed an ordinary application.
- In one reported pattern, a person completed a form without paying and then received messages demanding a sum within 72 hours. One forum thread describes a demand of £62.40.
Copycat or official: a side-by-side
| Feature | Copycat | GOV.UK |
|---|---|---|
| Address | Not gov.uk, often a name containing “passport”, “uk” or “office” | gov.uk |
| Adult renewal total | Official fee plus its own charge | £102 online, £115.50 on paper |
| Faster service | “Express” tier of its own | Fast Track £192, 1 Day Premium £239.50, by appointment |
| Tracking | A page of its own | Your application reference number |
| Contact | Chat window, sometimes no postal address | Passport Advice Line, 0300 222 0000 |
Signs you are not on the government service
- The address does not end in gov.uk.
- The total is higher than the official fee (£102 online, £115.50 on paper, for an adult renewal).
- The site offers a premium or “express” tier that is not on the GOV.UK urgent-services page.
- A chat window asks you to upload your passport or photo before showing a price.
- You reached it through an advert, a text or an email, not by typing gov.uk yourself.
- There is no postal address, or only a PO box, and the payment page asks for a bank transfer. Citizens Advice lists a missing postal address and unusual payment methods as scam signs.
What happens to your data
You may hand over a passport scan, a photo, your address and a card number. If the operator is not who they claim, that is enough to attempt identity fraud. Even where the site does submit a real application, you have shared more than the government asks for.
Two-minute checks
- Open a new tab, type gov.uk and search for the service from there.
- Compare the total with the fee table above.
- Look for a street address, not only a PO box, and independent reviews on several sites, not testimonials on the site itself, as Citizens Advice suggests.
- If a demand arrives to a deadline, do not pay. Contact the Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133.
Who to contact
| Who | For | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| HM Passport Office | Whether a real application exists | 0300 222 0000, 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday, 9am to 5:30pm weekends and public holidays |
| Citizens Advice consumer helpline | A site that overcharged or posed as official | 0808 223 1133 |
| Report Fraud | Payment or data taken by a site | Online report; Police Scotland on 101 in Scotland |
If you have only looked, close the page and go to GOV.UK. If you have paid or uploaded documents, follow what to do after paying a passport scam site. For the real route, see renewing a UK passport.
Frequently asked questions
How can I tell if a passport website is fake?
Check the address ends in gov.uk, compare the fee with GOV.UK (£102 online for an adult renewal) and be wary of adverts, chat windows asking for scans, and unexplained service fees.
Is it illegal for a site to charge for passport applications?
A private firm helping with a form is not automatically illegal, but it must not pretend to be the government. If a site misleads you, report it to Trading Standards through Citizens Advice.
Where do I report a fake passport website?
Report it to Report Fraud and to Citizens Advice, and report the advert to the search engine or platform that showed it.
What should I do if I receive a payment demand after filling in a form?
Do not pay to a deadline. People have reported demands arriving within 72 hours of a form being started. Keep the messages, contact Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 and check with HM Passport Office whether a real application exists.
Can a copycat site really submit my passport application?
Some do. Reports describe sites that file an ordinary application and charge a fee for it, with the official fee still due on top. Others take the data and do nothing, so a received confirmation is not proof the site is legitimate.
What is the official passport fee a copycat has to beat?
£102 for an adult online and £115.50 on paper, according to GOV.UK. Anything above that on a third-party site is that site's own charge.