Fake Passport Renewal Fee Scams via Email
How fraudulent emails impersonating passport agencies collect application fees and personal documents from people who believe they are renewing their passports through official channels.
Part of: Fake Passport and ID Renewal Scams
Last reviewed: 8 June 2026
Passport renewal is a legitimate administrative task that most adults must complete periodically, and the process genuinely involves fees, forms, and submission of personal documents. Scam emails exploit this normalcy — the request for a fee and a copy of identifying documents does not raise immediate suspicion because these are standard parts of a real application.
Fake passport renewal emails are timed to reach people who have recently searched for passport services, received a renewal reminder, or live in countries where travel document processing is slow and people look for faster options. They offer a smooth online process, a convenient fee payment link, and a promise of expedited handling.
The danger is twofold: the fee is stolen, and the personal documents and details submitted — passport photo, date of birth, ID number — are harvested for identity fraud.
How this scam works on email
An email arrives appearing to come from the national passport agency or a government travel documents office. It addresses the recipient by name, references a passport 'approaching expiry', and provides a link to a well-designed fake portal. The site closely mimics the official government website and requests the same information a real application would — full name, date of birth, address, existing passport number, and a scanned copy of the current passport.
A fee is collected by card on a page that looks like a legitimate government payment portal. After submission, the target receives an official-looking confirmation email with a case reference number and an estimated processing time, giving no immediate indication that anything is wrong.
The personal documents submitted are subsequently used to open fraudulent accounts, apply for loans, or commit identity theft. The payment is simply stolen. Victims often only discover the fraud weeks later when their real passport agency has no record of any application.
Common red flags
- Email link goes to a domain that is not the official government passport website
- Site asks you to upload scans of your current passport without any prior account registration on the official portal
- Unusually low fee or promise of faster-than-official processing times
- Payment is requested via card on a site with no HTTPS certificate or with a suspicious domain
- No telephone number or official address for the processing agency
- Confirmation email comes from a non-government domain
How to protect yourself
- Always go to your government's official passport website directly — type the address yourself or use a trusted bookmark
- Compare the URL of any passport portal with the official government domain before entering any information
- Do not upload copies of identifying documents to any site you reached via an email link
- Verify fees against the official fee schedule published on the real government website
- If you have already submitted documents, place a fraud alert with the major credit bureaus
How to report it
- Report the fraudulent website and email to your national passport agency using the contact information on their official website
- File a phishing report with your national cybersecurity authority
- Report to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov or Action Fraud in the UK
- If card payment was made, contact your card provider to dispute the charge and report fraud
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if a passport renewal website is genuine?
The genuine site will be on the official government domain for your country. Always navigate there directly rather than clicking email links, and compare the URL carefully before submitting any information.
I submitted my passport scan to a suspicious site. What should I do now?
Contact your national identity fraud or credit bureau service immediately to place a fraud alert. Report the incident to your passport agency and to your national fraud reporting body. Monitor your credit and financial accounts closely.