Should I send my passport to an agent or courier?
Do not send your passport just because a message asks for it. Verify the request through your existing marketplace account or the courier's independently located contact details. Ask why identity evidence is needed, then submit only the accepted, necessary information through a verified secure route. This is Cambridge China Bridge's practical advice.
Verify who is asking before opening an upload link
Open the marketplace through your usual app or saved address and check whether the request appears against your order. For a courier request, locate its website independently and contact support with the tracking reference. Ask support to confirm the requesting department, document request and upload address. Knowing your name or parcel reference does not establish that a sender is genuine.
Pause if the request comes from an unfamiliar account, moves the conversation away from the marketplace or combines document collection with payment pressure. Our guide to avoiding sourcing scams covers the wider warning signs. Here, the extra check is whether the verified organisation confirms this specific identity request.
Ask what the document is needed for
Ask whether the check concerns the marketplace account, payment verification, collection by the recipient or customs clearance. Request the organisation carrying out the check, the order or shipment it relates to and why a passport is needed instead of less revealing evidence. If someone says it is compulsory, ask for the exact requirement and where you can verify it.
GOV.UK says the parcel or courier company is responsible for taking goods through UK customs. That role alone does not establish why your passport is needed. Ask its clearance team what information is missing. Use our customs document guide for shipment paperwork and UK identifier guide if the request actually concerns a tax number.
Agree the minimum acceptable evidence
Explain that this is a personal purchase and describe its actual use. Do not describe business stock as a personal order to fit a form. Ask whether confirming the recipient's details, providing purchase evidence or showing an alternative identity document would resolve the check. Do not send a bundle of identity documents while waiting for an explanation.
Before making a copy, ask which page and fields must remain visible and whether redaction or a purpose watermark is accepted. If accepted, mark the copy with the recipient organisation, purpose, order reference and date without obscuring required details. A watermark can discourage reuse; it does not prevent it. Do not alter or mark the original document.
Submit through a verified secure route
Prefer an upload area reached from your verified account or the courier's independently located website. Confirm any external verification provider with the marketplace or courier before uploading. Avoid group chats, publicly accessible file links and unfamiliar personal inboxes. If email is the only offered route, ask for a secure alternative or agree encrypted delivery with the password sent separately.
UK government guidance says businesses must keep personal information secure, accurate and up to date. Ask who can access your copy, whether it will be passed to another organisation, how long it will be retained and how to request deletion when no longer needed. Keep the explanation and submission receipt, without attaching the passport again to your general order correspondence.
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Pause unexplained requests and contain mistakes
You can reply: “Please confirm the organisation requesting identity evidence, its purpose, the required fields, accepted alternatives and the secure upload route. Please also explain who will receive the copy and how long it will be kept.” Ask what happens to the order if you decline, including any hold, cancellation or refund options. Keep the reply in the verified order conversation.
If you already sent a copy to an unverified recipient, stop sending further information. Save the messages and upload address, then contact the genuine marketplace or courier independently. Ask it to investigate and, where possible, disable access to the copy. If you suspect misuse, seek advice from your passport issuer and contact your bank if payment information was also exposed.
Frequently asked questions
Does a personal China order mean I must send my passport?
Do not assume it does. Ask the verified marketplace or courier which check requires identity evidence, why a passport is needed and whether an alternative is accepted.
Can I hide details on my passport copy?
Ask which fields must remain readable and whether redaction or a purpose watermark is accepted. Mask only agreed details on the copy; do not alter the original document.
Is a passport upload link in a courier text safe?
Verify it independently before uploading. Open the courier's website yourself and ask support to confirm the document request and upload address against your shipment.
What if I already sent my passport to a suspicious agent?
Stop further sharing, save the messages and contact the genuine platform or courier independently. Seek advice from your passport issuer if you suspect misuse, and your bank if payment details were exposed.