Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981

<h2 id="part-i--forgery-and-kindred-offences">Part I – Forgery and kindred offences</h2>
<p>These offences are the intentional creation and publication of documents which, if not fake, would have legal force. These sections of the law cover all manner of documents, for example <a href="/facts/Will_and_testament/PoRXxpEM">wills</a>, <a href="/facts/Contracts/SkqyGj6S">contracts</a>, and <a href="/facts/Promissory_notes/MdX7WKTs">promissory notes</a>.
</p><p>Section 1 creates the offence of <a href="/facts/Forgery/I9De2P20">forgery</a>.
</p><p>Section 2 creates the offence of copying a false instrument.
</p><p>Section 3 creates the offence of <a href="/facts/Uttering/hkWWeLoR">using a false instrument</a>.
</p><p>Section 4 creates the offence of using a copy of a false instrument.
</p><p>Section 13 abolished the <a href="/facts/Common_law_offence/t1tTzrTz">common law offence</a> of forgery.
</p>
<h2 id="part-ii--counterfeiting-and-kindred-offences">Part II – Counterfeiting and kindred offences</h2>
<p>Section 27 defines the expressions "currency note" and "protected coin".
This section makes it illegal to forge or counterfeit money. In addition to the money of the United Kingdom it explicitly states that certain foreign coins are <i>protected coins</i> under this act, and counterfeiting them is just as great an offence as  counterfeiting coins of the United Kingdom.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a>
</p>
<h3>Protected coin</h3>
<p>Section 27(1) provides that, in Part II of the Act, the expression "protected coin" means any coin which is customarily used as money in any country, or which is specified for the purposes of Part II in an order made by the <a href="/facts/HM_Treasury/zdrtLRQT">Treasury</a>.
</p><p>The following coins have been specified for the purposes of Part II:
</p>
<ul><li><a href="/facts/Sovereign_(British_coin)/6lwxkd4y">Sovereign</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Half_sovereign/LvgAmVo4">Half sovereign</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Krugerrand/adqjpaEG">Krugerrand</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a></li>
<li>Any coin denominated as a fraction of a Krugerrand.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Maria_Theresia_thaler/DHtJQB2T">Maria Theresia thaler</a> bearing the date of 1780<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a></li>
<li>Any <a href="/facts/Euro_coin/fKnhVfCC">euro coin</a> produced in accordance with Council Regulation No. 975/98/EC (OJ No. L139, 11.5.98, p. 6) by or at the instance of a <a href="/facts/Member_state_of_the_European_Union/hsFC1pJH">member state</a> which has adopted the <a href="/facts/Euro/NWG2nlCx">single currency</a> in accordance with the <a href="/facts/Treaty_establishing_the_European_Community/JVG01BHk">Treaty establishing the European Community</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a></li></ul>
<h3>Orders made under this section</h3>
<p>The power conferred on the Treasury by section 27(1) has been exercised by the following orders:
</p>
<ul><li>The <a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1981/1505/contents/made">Forgery and Counterfeiting (Protected Coins) Order 1981</a> (S.I. 1981/505)</li>
<li>The <a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1999/2095/contents/made">Forgery and Counterfeiting (Protected Coins) Order 1999</a> (S.I. 1999/2095)</li></ul>
<h2 id="part-iii--miscellaneous-and-general">Part III – Miscellaneous and general</h2>
<p><a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1981/45/section/29/enacted">Section 29</a> amended section 63 of the Post Office Act 1953. It was repealed on 26 March 2001<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11"><sup>11</sup></a> by section 127(6) of, and Schedule 9 to, the <a href="/facts/Postal_Services_Act_2000/VSjL6v5A">Postal Services Act 2000</a>.
</p>
<h2 id="see-also">See also</h2>
<ul><li><a href="/facts/Forgery_Act/MhBs5ToB">Forgery Act</a></li></ul>

<ul><li><a href="/facts/Halsbury%2527s_Statutes/QUYJ8hqj">Halsbury's Statutes</a>,</li></ul>

<h2 id="external-links">External links</h2>
<ul><li> The full text of Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981 at Wikisource</li>
<li><a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1981/45/contents">The Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981</a>, as amended from the <a href="/facts/The_National_Archives_(United_Kingdom)/Tmj2kcKQ">National Archives</a>.</li>
<li><a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1981/45/contents/enacted">The Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981</a>, as originally enacted from the <a href="/facts/The_National_Archives_(United_Kingdom)/Tmj2kcKQ">National Archives</a>.</li></ul>

<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
<li id="fn:1"><p>Glazebrook, Peter, ed. (2013) [1989]. Blackstone's Statutes on Criminal Law 2013-2014. Blackstone's Statutes (23rd ed.). Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. pp. 93–98. ISBN 978-0199678549. <a href="978-0199678549" target="_blank">978-0199678549</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:2"><p>Hansard (House of Commons), 19 June 1981, col 1292, Norman Miscampbell. <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:3"><p>The Law Commission. Criminal Law: Report on Forgery and Counterfeit Currency. (Law Com 55). 17 July 1973. <a href="/wiki/Law_Commission_(England_and_Wales)" target="_blank">/wiki/Law_Commission_(England_and_Wales)</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:4"><p>Glazebrook, Peter, ed. (2013) [1989]. Blackstone's Statutes on Criminal Law 2013-2014. Blackstone's Statutes (23rd ed.). Oxford, United Kingdom: Oxford University Press. pp. 93–98. ISBN 978-0199678549. <a href="978-0199678549" target="_blank">978-0199678549</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:5"><p>The Forgery and Counterfeiting (Protected Coins) Order 1981 (S.I. 1981/505), article 2 and Schedule <a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1981/1505/article/2/made" target="_blank">http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1981/1505/article/2/made</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:6"><p>The Forgery and Counterfeiting (Protected Coins) Order 1981 (S.I. 1981/505), article 2 and Schedule <a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1981/1505/article/2/made" target="_blank">http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1981/1505/article/2/made</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:7"><p>The Forgery and Counterfeiting (Protected Coins) Order 1981 (S.I. 1981/505), article 2 and Schedule <a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1981/1505/article/2/made" target="_blank">http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1981/1505/article/2/made</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:8"><p>The Forgery and Counterfeiting (Protected Coins) Order 1981 (S.I. 1981/505), article 2 and Schedule <a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1981/1505/article/2/made" target="_blank">http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1981/1505/article/2/made</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:9"><p>The Forgery and Counterfeiting (Protected Coins) Order 1981 (S.I. 1981/505), article 2 and Schedule <a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1981/1505/article/2/made" target="_blank">http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1981/1505/article/2/made</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:10"><p>The Forgery and Counterfeiting (Protected Coins) Order 1999 (S.I. 1999/2095), article 2(1) (as read with article 2(2)) <a href="http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1999/2095/article/2/made" target="_blank">http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1999/2095/article/2/made</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:11"><p>The Postal Services Act 2000 (Commencement No. 3 and Transitional and Saving Provisions) Order 2001 (S.I. 2001/878), article 2 and Schedule (as read with article 17) <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
</ol>

Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981 open-in-new

Forgery and Counterfeiting Act 1981