What to do if you paid an unofficial visa site

It happens to careful people, because the sites are designed to look official. Acting quickly gives you the best chance of limiting the damage. This is general information, not legal advice, and outcomes depend on your bank or card issuer.

Find out whether your authorisation is real

Some unofficial sites file a genuine application on your behalf and only add a fee. Use the reference number you were given on the official portal's status page. US Customs and Border Protection, for example, advises travellers who used a third-party site to confirm their application on the ESTA site with their reference number, and Turkey's embassy in New Delhi points to the e-visa status page.

Keep records

Save screenshots of the site, the payment page, confirmation emails and the amount charged.

Contact your card issuer

Tell them promptly that you paid a site that presented itself as an official government service. Ask whether they can dispute the charge or replace the card if you shared card details.

Report it

Report the site to your national consumer protection or fraud reporting service, and to the destination country's embassy, which may track lookalike sites.

Do not pay twice without checking

If the authorisation turns out to be invalid or missing, apply on the official portal, using the address from an embassy or government page, and allow time for processing.

Watch for follow-up scams

Be wary of emails or calls claiming to fix your application, and be careful about sharing more personal details. If you gave a passport scan and are worried, ask your passport authority what they advise.

Prevent a repeat

Read how to spot a fake visa website before your next trip.

Last updated 28 September 2026. General information only. See our disclaimer.