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Copycat Government Websites: How to Spot Them and What Passports and Licences Really Cost

Search for “renew driving licence” or “apply for a passport” and the top results are not always the government’s own service. Some are copycat websites: private businesses that look official, guide you through the same online form and add a fee for doing so. This guide explains what official sources say about how to recognise them, what the genuine fees are, and where to report a problem. It concerns UK-wide services such as passports and travel authorisations, and Great Britain-specific services such as DVLA licence renewal.

What copycat sites do

A June 2021 DVLA press release reported that customers had contacted the agency more than 1,200 times since January 2020 about websites not affiliated with DVLA that purport to offer DVLA-related services. It said that using any website other than GOV.UK can mean paying more for services that are cheaper or free on GOV.UK, such as changing the address on a driving licence or V5C registration certificate, or renewing a licence from age 70. The release quoted MoneySavingExpert.com’s deputy editor, who said such sites are not illegal but dress up like legitimate pages, use tricks to rank higher in search engines and then charge for “administration” that amounts to passing the customer’s own form to the relevant body.

Red flags from the DVLA release

  • A charge for something that is usually free. The release gives updating a V5C after an address change as the obvious example.
  • The web address. If a government service is expected, the address should say GOV.UK, and DVLA advises always checking that GOV.UK is being used.
  • A price far above the official one. The release mentions “checking services” for licence renewals offered at £60, more than four times the £14 charged through GOV.UK at that time.

Current official fees to compare against

Fees change, so the safest comparison is the GOV.UK page itself. The following were shown on GOV.UK pages at the time of writing (September 2026):

  • Driving licence renewal (Great Britain): GOV.UK states it costs £14 when applying online. Northern Ireland has a different service.
  • Adult passport renewal or replacement (UK): GOV.UK states £102 online or £115.50 by paper form. A GOV.UK announcement published on 18 March 2026 said these new fees would take effect on 8 April 2026, replacing £94.50 online and £107 by post.
  • Electronic travel authorisation (ETA) for visitors to the UK: the GOV.UK ETA page says other websites may charge more and warns readers to avoid websites that imitate government services.

The same checks apply to any service: read the domain, compare the price with the GOV.UK page and be suspicious of any add-on charge for “processing” or “checking” that GOV.UK does not list.

A safer way to find government services

The simplest defence is not to rely on search results for the first click. Type gov.uk into the address bar, or use a bookmark, then search within the GOV.UK site. Before entering personal details or paying, check the following:

  1. Does the address end in gov.uk, with nothing added before it that changes the domain?
  2. Does the fee match the amount on the relevant GOV.UK page?
  3. Is there a charge for a “checking”, “processing” or “premium” service that GOV.UK does not list?
  4. Are you being asked for payment before you have seen what the service actually is?

The checks matter beyond the fee. As the MoneySavingExpert.com comment in the DVLA release notes, copycat sites get customers to fill in forms, which means the personal details go to a private business rather than straight to the government service.

If you have already paid

Trading Standards guidance says scams and rogue traders can be reported through the Citizens Advice consumer helpline, which passes reported scams to Trading Standards. Contacting the card issuer or bank soon after a payment is also sensible, as the payment method used affects what routes are open. The DVLA release does not describe a refund route for customers who paid more than necessary, so a refund should not be assumed.

Frequently asked questions

Are copycat sites illegal?

According to the MoneySavingExpert.com comment quoted in the DVLA release, they are not illegal, but they can leave customers paying far more than necessary.

Is GOV.UK always free?

No. Many services carry an official fee, such as passport renewal and licence renewal. The point is that the fee on GOV.UK is the government’s own price, not an inflated one.

Does a higher price always mean a copycat?

No. Some official services carry higher fees. The GOV.UK passport announcement of 18 March 2026 said the fee for a premium (1 day) application made from within the UK would rise from £222 to £239.50 from 8 April 2026. The test is whether the price matches the one published on the relevant GOV.UK page for the service you actually chose.

The bottom line

Government services run through GOV.UK, and any site that adds its own fee to submit the same form is charging for something the official service does not require. Check the address, compare the price with the GOV.UK page, and type gov.uk directly instead of clicking the first search result. Confirmed problems can be reported through the Citizens Advice consumer helpline.

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