ESTA or online visa: how to avoid overpaying or a fake site
You search “USA ESTA” or “[country] online visa” on Google and several results look official: the country's flag, bold letters, a clean-looking form. The problem is that most of those top results aren't the government's site — they're intermediaries charging 5 to 15 times the real cost of the process, and in the worst case, they don't even process the request.
How this scam works
Ads that outrank the official result
Anyone can pay to appear first on Google, even with no connection to the government. Many of those ads lead to third-party sites that charge extra for handling a process that's free or nearly free to do yourself.
They charge up to 10 times the real price
The official US ESTA costs about $21. There have been reported cases of fake sites charging $121, or even up to $150, for the same process.
In the worst case, they steal your data
Beyond overcharging, some of these sites collect your passport and card details, which are later used for identity theft, without ever completing the actual application.
How to identify the official site
Check that it ends in the right government domain
For the US ESTA, the only official site is esta.cbp.dhs.gov (a .gov domain). Any site ending in .com, .org, .info, or similar is not the government, even if it uses the same colors or the country's seal.
Be suspicious if the price doesn't match the official one
If the page doesn't clearly state the price (or it's much higher than what official sources publish), it's a middleman charging extra.
Search using the government's name, not a generic term
Instead of searching “ESTA online,” search directly for “CBP ESTA,” or type the official address in by hand.
A simpler way to check your trip
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AuditorTravel is an automated information tool; use it as a guide. The final decision is always yours.