What to do
What you paste stays on your phone
The check runs on your own phone or computer, inside this page. The page’s security setting (a Content Security Policy, a rule the browser enforces) blocks it from connecting to any server after it has loaded, so what you paste stays on your device.
- No account, no sign-up and no cookies.
- It never opens the address you paste.
- Switch the internet off once the page has loaded, and it still works.
How to read a web address
The part of a web address that decides where it goes is the name just before the first single slash, read from the right. In passport.gov.renew-online.com/apply, the website is renew-online.com. The words “passport” and “gov” at the front are labels anyone can add. The check shows that part in bold for every address it finds.
- A government ending. Most governments keep an ending that only their own bodies can use, such as .gov in the United States, .gov.uk in the United Kingdom and gov.za in South Africa. The full list the check uses is below.
- “Gov” in the wrong place. An address such as gov-passport-help.com or uk-gov.online uses the word as decoration.
- “Not a government website”. A site that says this in small print is a private company. It may be legal, and it usually charges a fee on top of the official one for a form you can fill in yourself.
- Disguised addresses. Shortened links, addresses made of numbers, addresses with an @ sign, and look-alike letters from another alphabet.
Why this check exists
On 22 October 2026 the Federal Trade Commission, the United States consumer protection agency, sued GovAssist LLC and Entry LLC. It alleges that their search adverts often appeared above the Department of State’s own passport page and charged at least $148 on top of the government fee, and that at least $40 million was taken from more than 300,000 people since October 2023. These are allegations, and the court will decide (Federal Trade Commission, 22 October 2026). Read why the first Google result can be a scam.
What this check cannot do
It reads the address you paste. It does not open it, so it cannot see where a shortened link leads or what the page shows. A real government ending proves the address belongs to a government body, and a copied page can still sit at a look-alike address that is only one letter different. Some government services use addresses outside these endings. The safest step is the same every time: type the government’s address yourself, or use a bookmark.
Go straight to the official service
The official addresses of some services that copied sites and advertisers often imitate. Checked 26 October 2026.
| Service | Country | Official address |
|---|---|---|
| Renew a United States passport online | United States | opr.travel.state.gov |
| Apply for travel under the United States Visa Waiver Program (ESTA) | United States | esta.cbp.dhs.gov |
| Renew a United Kingdom passport | United Kingdom | www.gov.uk/renew-adult-passport |
| United Kingdom Electronic Travel Authorisation | United Kingdom | www.gov.uk/eta |
| Home Affairs services | South Africa | www.dha.gov.za |
| myGov | Australia | my.gov.au |
| Government of Canada services | Canada | www.canada.ca |
In the United States, the Department of State says the only official place to renew a passport online is opr.travel.state.gov, and an adult renewal costs $130 (Department of State, October 2026).
The government endings this check knows
Any address that ends in one of these belongs to that government. List compiled 26 October 2026. If an ending is missing, please write to support@utilforge.org.
| Country or body | Ending |
|---|---|
| the United States | .gov |
| the United States | .mil |
| the United Kingdom | .gov.uk |
| the United Kingdom | .nhs.uk |
| the United Kingdom | .police.uk |
| Australia | .gov.au |
| Canada | .canada.ca |
| Canada | .gc.ca |
| New Zealand | .govt.nz |
| South Africa | .gov.za |
| India | .gov.in |
| India | .nic.in |
| Singapore | .gov.sg |
| Ireland | .gov.ie |
| Nigeria | .gov.ng |
| Kenya | .go.ke |
| Ghana | .gov.gh |
| Tanzania | .go.tz |
| Uganda | .go.ug |
| Rwanda | .gov.rw |
| Zambia | .gov.zm |
| Zimbabwe | .gov.zw |
| Botswana | .gov.bw |
| Namibia | .gov.na |
| Egypt | .gov.eg |
| Mexico | .gob.mx |
| Brazil | .gov.br |
| Argentina | .gob.ar |
| Chile | .gob.cl |
| Peru | .gob.pe |
| Colombia | .gov.co |
| Jamaica | .gov.jm |
| Trinidad and Tobago | .gov.tt |
| the European Union | .europa.eu |
| France | .gouv.fr |
| Germany (federal government) | .bund.de |
| Spain | .gob.es |
| Italy | .gov.it |
| the Philippines | .gov.ph |
| Malaysia | .gov.my |
| Indonesia | .go.id |
| Vietnam | .gov.vn |
| Japan | .go.jp |
| South Korea | .go.kr |
| Hong Kong | .gov.hk |
| Taiwan | .gov.tw |
| the United Arab Emirates | .gov.ae |
| Saudi Arabia | .gov.sa |
| Türkiye | .gov.tr |
| Israel | .gov.il |
| Pakistan | .gov.pk |
| Bangladesh | .gov.bd |
Questions and answers
How do I know if a website is the official government site?
Look at the end of the web address, the part just before the first single slash. Government sites use an ending kept for government, such as .gov in the United States, .gov.uk in the United Kingdom or gov.za in South Africa. Paste the address into the check above to see that part in bold.
The address has “gov” in it. Is it official?
Not always. Anyone can put gov at the front or in the middle of an address. In passport.gov.renew-online.com the website is renew-online.com, a private address. Only the ending counts.
The site says it is not a government website. Is it a scam?
It is a private company. Some are legal, and they usually charge a fee on top of the official one for forms you can fill in yourself on the government’s own site. The Federal Trade Commission alleges in a case filed on 22 October 2026 that two such companies charged at least $148 on top of the passport fee.
Why was the first search result not the government?
The first results are often adverts, marked Sponsored or Ad, and anyone can bid for them. Read why the first Google result can be a scam.
I already paid a copied site. What now?
Call your bank or card company on the number on your card and ask about disputing the payment. The first-hour guide lists the next steps for your country.