Our cooperation with passport-ua.org started in February 2025.
Core services of the company:
- issuance of international passports for Ukrainian citizens in Ukraine and abroad;
- issuance of child international passports;
- ID-cards;
- photo updates.
The niche is complex, competitive and, as it turned out, under increased attention from Google’s moderation team.
At the time of contacting us, the client was already advertising on Google Ads, but the result didn’t meet expectations: leads existed, but the volume was low and the cost economically unjustified.
The main KPI was clear and straightforward: reduce cost per lead (call or form submission) to 280 UAH.
Breakthrough Optimization
We started with fundamentals:
- correctly restructured the ad account;
- properly configured conversion tracking;
- selected optimal bidding strategies;
- launched systematic work with keywords, search terms and ad texts.
Already within the first month of optimization the CPA dropped to 202 UAH.
And in July-August 2025 the CPA reached a record 48 UAH – the moment when the ad was scaling consistently, generating high-quality, low-cost leads.
Mass Competitor Complaints and Full Ad Rejection
At the end of August 2025 the situation suddenly flipped:
- spam leads started coming in;
- campaigns were fully rejected.
Google stated the reason as:
“Government documents and services. To update the campaign status, fix the ads that violate advertising policies.”
Google required passing a certification before the ads could run again.
The Core of the Problem from Google’s Policy Perspective
According to Google’s rules, advertising for official documents and government services is permitted only for:
- government entities, or
- authorized providers with direct governmental verification (linked from an official government website).
Our client was neither a government entity nor an authorized government-listed provider.
Therefore, our only possible options were:
- an exception for business classification, or
- proving that the ads did not promote government services.
Certification, Rejections and “Talking to a Bot”
We submitted multiple certification applications attaching all incorporation documents, official activity codes and legal confirmations. We got responses, but they all were negative. The phrasing repeated, while the style clearly indicated automated review.
The process dragged on, the client was losing leads. We made a decision: in parallel, we opened a new Google Ads account and launched ads to a different domain. Some campaigns passed moderation but worked inconsistently, with higher CPA and lower lead quality.
It became obvious that this was only a temporary fallback. The main, well-optimized account had to be restored.
The Turning Point: Content & Positioning Shift
After multiple appeals we managed to get a real Google specialist involved. That’s when we understood the root cause: it was not only in the ads, but in how services were presented on landing pages.
We completely rebuilt the website content, shifting the focus from “issuing” and “obtaining” documents to legal support and consulting. Trigger formulations related to issuance or direct document acquisition were removed from the semantics. Ad copy explicitly stated that the company is not a government entity and does not issue documents, but provides consulting and legal assistance.
After that, we re-submitted certification – and this time it was approved.
Advertising Restored and Performance Stabilized
Ads started running again. Some campaigns remained limited and new directions went through tough paths from full rejection to approval, but the account was alive again.
In October 2025, CPA returned to 202 UAH, and by December we reduced the lead cost to 85.67 UAH.
The backup domain campaigns were completely shut down – they were inferior both in price and in lead quality.
Key Takeaways
- Even a fully rejected Google Ads account can be brought back to life
- In document-related niches, website content is critical
- Google evaluates semantic meaning, not just the factual nature of the business
- Mass competitor complaints can trigger a chain of policy blocks
- Working with Google support is a marathon, not a sprint
We didn’t stop after the first rejections and didn’t leave the client alone with Google support. We worked in parallel with the business, tested alternatives, communicated with moderation and pushed the case to a successful outcome.
If you have:
- a business in a sensitive or regulated niche;
- rejected ads or a blocked account;
- mass complaints from competitors;
- mandatory Google certification that seems “impossible to pass” – contact us.
We handle complex cases and know how to restore advertising even when others have already given up.
