Visa scam? Yes, and not the scam about Visa credit cards with no welcome bonuses! The only mandatory step to take for all trips is to check the country’s entry requirements. But if you need to fill out a travel authorization, an e-visa, or a real visa, you must not fall for a scam that’s so easy to avoid! That could be 5 times pricier (or more) for absolutely nothing.
Soooooooo many travelers fall for this scam, sadly. We see it time and time again.
We recently received another comment from a reader who paid 5 times too much, so I wanted to share a short dedicated post with you to make sure this mistake doesn’t happen to anyone else. We love to help!
Here’s the terrible travel visa scam that’s so easy to avoid… and a vital lesson to learn from it (that applies to all aspects of travel).
What is the travel visa scam?
This very common scam was already explained in the guide to country entry requirements we previously shared. Read it for all the details on this topic.
This scam is to pay a higher price because you used a third-party site!
ALWAYS make sure you’re on the official government website.
It’s that easy to avoid this basic mistake and save money. You just need to take the time to read what’s written (as is very often the case)!
When we shared an update on the European travel authorization (ETIAS) that will be required in 2026, a reader wrote this comment about paying 150 CAD to enter the UK.
The problem is that the UK ETA costs 16 GBP. Not 150 CAD.
A small surcharge of 400%… or 5 times the real price if you prefer that calculation method.
We shared a complete guide to the new UK ETA well in advance of its introduction last January and I even shared my experience applying for the new UK ETA to enter the United Kingdom at the beginning of my 6 continent trip.
(If you take the time to at least scan the post titles in our free newsletter, you’ll never miss anything important!)
And after being told she’d been scammed, she said it was her travel agent who provided her with that link.
Sad.
At least her mistake can help other travelers; let’s turn this into a positive together!
What is the important lesson to be learned from this travel visa scam?
This applies to absolutely every aspect of travel, and anyone who wants to be a travel pro should definitely know it: if you want something done right, do it yourself!!!
Filling out a visa application is so easy to do yourself and is cheaper.
Checking the entry rules of the countries (or verifying that a link is for the correct site) is better done yourself to ensure it is done correctly.
And booking everything for your trips will be so much more enjoyable and more affordable if you do it yourself. You’ll be able to make exactly the best choices for your personal situation, and you’ll obviously save an incredible amount of money!!!
We’ll help you with all our content; it’s honestly really easy if you put in just a tiny bit of time.
How do people fall for the travel visa scam?
Being sent the wrong link by a travel agency and not checking to make sure it’s the right one before using it is one scenario, obviously.
But most people get scammed all on their own.
For those who don’t know how Google works, the first results are very often sponsored content.
These are sites that want to make inattentive people believe that they are on the official site (“Welcome to the United Kingdom”)… but it says “Sponsored” in bold right there.
Many sadly don’t take an extra 10 seconds to make sure it’s the right site.
Why avoid the travel visa scam?
There is no need to go through a third-party site for an electronic travel authorization or an electronic visa.
Completely useless.
(For some more complicated real visas, it can sometimes be at least somewhat useful even if I still always recommend doing it yourself; but it’s never useful for e-visas and the like!)
These third-party sites always charge an obscene extra amount to… fill out a form for you.
I’ll honestly never understand why e-visas and similar requirements are stressful for some travelers.
It’s literally just filling out a form. If you can read, you can fill it out yourself.
The form you’ll need to fill out on a third-party site will be as “complicated” as the one you need to fill out on the right site. The third-party site can’t magically guess your personal info required for the visa; they’ll ask you… and re-enter it in the right form.
Even if you’re not tech-savvy, it’s really not complicated. However, in the worst case, ask a friend or family member for help; it doesn’t take long, and they’ll probably be happy to do it. No need to pay more for this.
How to make sure you’re on the official website?
Usually, government websites are very clearly identified.
The United Kingdom is actually pretty much the clearest example. Their website is literally “gov.uk”, so it can’t be more obvious that it’s the government website.
It’s also (almost) always written on the site itself that it’s the government. It’s clear and explicit.
For my trip to Cambodia this winter, the website is also evisa.gov.kh, so it’s clear here too.
To be sure, they even wrote “Official government website” twice!
For my trip to Vietnam in the fall, the website is also evisa.gov.vn! Very clear.
And again, on the site itself… it’s impossible not to know it’s the government. Unless you don’t read at all.
However, there are always exceptions in everything, of course. Sometimes it’s not as clear as that, and you need to read a bit more. It’s worth reading to avoid paying 5 times more, in our opinion. And this happens pretty rarely!
Finally, sometimes it’s more complicated when a country mandates a third-party website to manage the process on its behalf. It happens. But that’s also quite rare, fortunately. It’s not a scam if it’s the government’s official representative. If there’s no other website. If there’s no government website.
You just have to read carefully to validate. Be alert.
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Summary
There’s a terrible visa scam that’s so easy to avoid by simply making sure you’re on the official government website. Unfortunately, there are still too many travelers who get caught, so pay attention to this for your next application and share this article with your travel companions, too.
What would you like to know about this travel visa scam? Tell us in the comments below.
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Featured image: Skye, Scotland (photo credit: Kyle Pasalskyj)
