Forgery and like offences—personation
Division 3 Forgery and like offences—personation
Chapter 48Forgery in general—definitions484DefinitionsIn this division—bank note includes any negotiable instrument issued by or on behalf of any person or corporation in any part of the world, or issued by the authority of any state, prince, or government, and intended to be used as equivalent to money, either immediately on issue or at any time afterwards, and also includes a bank bill or bank post bill.document does not include trademarks on articles of commerce.seal includes any stamp, die, or other thing, of whatever material, from which an impression can be taken by means of pressure or of ink, or by any other means.sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 48 s 484 amd 1997 No. 3 s 89485sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 48 s 485 om 1997 No. 3 s 120 sch 1486sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 48 s 486 om 1997 No. 3 s 120 sch 1487sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 48 s 487 om 1997 No. 3 s 120 sch 1 Chapter 49Punishment of forgery and like offences488Forgery and uttering
A person who, with intent to defraud—
forges a document; or
utters a forged document;
commits a crime.Maximum penalty—
if the document is a valuable security, insurance policy, testamentary instrument (whether the testator is living or dead) or registration document or is evidence of an interest in land—14 years imprisonment; or
if the document is a power of attorney, contract or document kept or issued by lawful authority other than a document mentioned in paragraph (a)—7 years imprisonment; or
otherwise—3 years imprisonment.
Subsection (1) applies whether or not the document is complete and even though it is not, or does not purport to be, binding in law.
In this section—registration document means a document kept or issued by the registrar under the Births, Deaths and Marriages Registration Act 2023 or an equivalent document kept or issued under a law of another jurisdiction, inside or outside Australia.sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 49 s 488 amd 1986 No. 1 s 74; 1988 No. 88 s 5 sch 2; 1990 No. 80 s 3 sch 1; 1997 No. 3 s 90; 2008 No. 55 s 92; 2023 No. 17 s 182 sch 3 pt 1489sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 49 s 489 om 1997 No. 3 s 120 sch 1490sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 49 s 490 om 1997 No. 3 s 120 sch 1491sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 49 s 491 om 1997 No. 3 s 120 sch 1492sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 49 s 492 om 2008 No. 55 s 93493sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 49 s 493 amd 1988 No. 88 s 5 sch 2om 2008 No. 55 s 93494sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 49 s 494 amd 1988 No. 88 s 5 sch 2; 1997 No. 3 s 91om 2008 No. 55 s 93495sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 49 s 495 amd 1900 64 Vic No. 7 s 1 schom 2008 No. 55 s 93496sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 49 s 496 amd 1988 No. 88 s 5 sch 2om 2008 No. 55 s 93497sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 49 s 497 om 2008 No. 55 s 93498Falsifying warrants for money payable under public authorityAny person, who, being employed in the public service, knowingly and with intent to defraud makes out or delivers to any person a warrant for the payment of any money payable by public authority for a greater or less amount than that to which the person on whose behalf the warrant is made out is entitled is guilty of a crime, and is liable to imprisonment for 7 years.sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 49 s 498 amd 1988 No. 88 s 5 sch 2499Falsification of registers
Any person who, having the actual custody of any register or record kept by lawful authority, knowingly permits any entry which, in any material particular, is to the person’s knowledge false, to be made in the register or record is guilty of a crime, and is liable to imprisonment for 7 years.
The offender can not be arrested without warrant.sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 49 s 499 amd 1988 No. 88 s 5 sch 2500Sending false certificate of marriage to registrarAny person who signs or transmits to a person authorised by law to register marriages a certificate of marriage, or any document purporting to be a certificate of marriage, which, in any material particular, is to the person’s knowledge false, is guilty of a crime, and is liable to imprisonment for 7 years.sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 49 s 500 amd 1988 No. 88 s 5 sch 2501False statements for the purpose of registers of births, deaths, and marriagesAny person who knowingly, and with intent to procure the same to be inserted in a register of births, deaths, or marriages, makes any false statement touching any matter required by law to be registered in any such register, is guilty of a misdemeanour, and is liable to imprisonment for 3 years.sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 49 s 501 amd 1988 No. 88 s 5 sch 2501AContradictory statementsIf, on the trial for a person under section 501, the jury is satisfied—
the accused has made 2 statements and 1 is irreconcilably in conflict with the other; and
the accused made 1 of the statements knowing it to be false;
but the jury is unable to say which statement was falsely made, the jury may make a special finding to that effect and find the accused guilty of the offence.sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 49 s 501A ins 1997 No. 3 s 92 (amd 1997 No. 9 s 3 sch 1)502Procuring or claiming unauthorised statusAny person who—
by any false representation procures any authority authorised by any statute to issue certificates testifying that the holders thereof are entitled to any right or privilege, or to enjoy any rank or status, to issue to himself, herself or any other person any such certificate; or
falsely represents to any person that the person has obtained any certificate issued by any such authority; or
by any false representation procures himself, herself or any other person to be registered on any register kept by lawful authority as a person entitled to such a certificate, or as a person entitled to any right or privilege, or to enjoy any rank or status;
is guilty of a misdemeanour, and is liable to imprisonment for 3 years.sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 49 s 502 amd 1988 No. 88 s 5 sch 2; 2008 No. 55 s 94503sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 49 s 503 amd 1988 No. 88 s 5 sch 2om 2008 No. 55 s 95504sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 49 s 504 amd 1988 No. 88 s 5 sch 2om 2008 No. 55 s 95 Chapter 50sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 50 hdg om 2008 No. 55 s 96505sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 50 s 505 amd 1988 No. 88 s 5 sch 2om 1997 No. 3 s 120 sch 1506sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 50 s 506 amd 1988 No. 88 s 5 sch 2; 1997 No. 82 s 3 schom 2008 No. 55 s 96507sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 50 s 507 om 2008 No. 55 s 96508sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 50 s 508 om 2008 No. 55 s 96509sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 50 s 509 om 2008 No. 55 s 96 Chapter 51Preparation for forgery510Instruments and materials for forgeryAny person who unlawfully—
makes, or starts or prepares to make, a thing with intent to use it to forge a document; or
possesses a thing with intent to use it to forge a document; or
uses a thing to forge a document; or
disposes of a thing that has been used to forge a document;
commits a crime.Maximum penalty—14 years imprisonment.sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 51 s 510 amd 1988 No. 88 s 5 sch 2sub 1997 No. 3 s 93511sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 51 s 511 amd 1988 No. 88 s 5 sch 2om 1997 No. 3 s 120 sch 1512sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 51 s 512 amd 1988 No. 88 s 5 sch 2om 1997 No. 3 s 120 sch 1513sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 51 s 513 amd 1988 No. 88 s 5 sch 2om 1997 No. 3 s 120 sch 1 Chapter 52Personation514Personation in general
Any person who, with intent to defraud any person, falsely represents himself or herself to be some other person, living or dead, real or fictitious, is guilty of an offence which, unless otherwise stated, is a misdemeanour, and the person is liable to imprisonment for 3 years.
If the representation is that the offender is a person entitled by will or operation of law to any specific property, and the person commits the offence with intent to obtain such property or possession thereof, the person is guilty of a crime, and is liable to imprisonment for 14 years.sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 52 s 514 amd 1988 No. 88 s 5 sch 2; 1997 No. 3 s 94515Falsely acknowledging deeds, recognisances etc.Any person who, without lawful authority or excuse, the proof of which lies on the person, makes, in the name of any other person, before any court or person lawfully authorised to take such an acknowledgement, an acknowledgement of liability of any kind, or an acknowledgement of a deed or other instrument, is guilty of a crime, and is liable to imprisonment for 7 years.sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 52 s 515 amd 1988 No. 88 s 5 sch 2; 2000 No. 46 s 3 sch516sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 52 s 516 om 2008 No. 55 s 97517sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 52 s 517 amd 1988 No. 88 s 5 sch 2om 2008 No. 55 s 97 Chapter 53sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 53 hdg om 1997 No. 3 s 120 sch 1518sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 53 s 518 om 1997 No. 3 s 120 sch 1519sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 53 s 519 amd 1988 No. 88 s 5 sch 2om 1997 No. 3 s 120 sch 1520sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 53 s 520 amd 1988 No. 88 s 5 sch 2om 1997 No. 3 s 120 sch 1521sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 53 s 521 amd 1988 No. 88 s 5 sch 2om 1997 No. 3 s 120 sch 1522sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 53 s 522 amd 1988 No. 88 s 5 sch 2om 1997 No. 3 s 120 sch 1523sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 53 s 523 amd 1988 No. 88 s 5 sch 2om 1997 No. 3 s 120 sch 1524sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 53 s 524 amd 1988 No. 88 s 5 sch 2om 1997 No. 3 s 120 sch 1525sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 53 s 525 amd 1988 No. 88 s 5 sch 2om 1997 No. 3 s 120 sch 1526sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 53 s 526 amd 1988 No. 88 s 5 sch 2om 1997 No. 3 s 120 sch 1527sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 53 s 527 amd 1988 No. 88 s 5 sch 2om 1997 No. 3 s 120 sch 1528sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 53 s 528 amd 1988 No. 88 s 5 sch 2om 1997 No. 3 s 120 sch 1529sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 53 s 529 amd 1988 No. 88 s 5 sch 2om 1997 No. 3 s 120 sch 1530sch 1 pt 6 div 3 ch 53 s 530 amd 1988 No. 88 s 5 sch 2om 1997 No. 3 s 120 sch 1
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