Official Secrets Act 1920
01 January 1991
Official Secrets Act 1920
actdoc September=1991
(NB: Marginal notes are in [ ] immediately before the section
to which they refer)
An Act to amend the Official Secrets Act, 1911.
[23rd December 1920.]
BE it enacted by the King's most Excellent Majesty, by and
with the advice and consent of the Lords Spiritual and
Temporal, and Commons, in this present Parliament assembled,
and by the authority of the same, as follows :
[Unauthorised use of uniforms; falsification of reports,
forgery, personation, and false documents]
1. If any person for the purpose of gaining admission,
or of assisting any other person to gain admission, to a
prohibited place, within the meaning of the Official Secrets
Act, 1911 (hereinafter referred to as " the principal Act "),
or for any other purpose prejudicial to the safety or interests
of the State within the meaning of the said Act-
(a) uses or wears, without lawful authority, any naval,
military, air-force, police, or other official
uniform, or any uniform so nearly resembling the
same as to be calculated to deceive, or falsely
represents himself to be a person who is or has been
entitled to use or wear any such uniform; or
(b) orally, or in writing in any declaration or
application, or
in any document signed by him or on his behalf,
knowingly makes or connives at the making of any
false statement or any omission; or
(c) forges, alters, or tampers with any passport or any
naval, military, air-force, police, or official
pass, permit, certificate, licence, or other
document of a similar character (hereinafter in this
section referred to as an official document), or
uses or has in his possession any such forged,
altered, or irregular official document; or
(d) personates, or falsely represents himself to be a
person holding, or in the employment of a
person holding office under His Majesty,
or to be or not to be a person to whom an
official document or secret official code
word or pass word has been duly issued or
communicated, or with intent to obtain an
official document, secret official code
word or pass word, whether for himself or
any other person, knowingly makes any
false statement; or
(e) uses, or has in his possession or under his
control,without the authority of the Government
Department or the authority concerned, any die,
seal, or stamp of or belonging to, or used, made or
provided by any Government Department, or by any
diplomatic, naval, military, or air force authority
appointed by or acting under the authority of His
Majesty, or any die, seal or stamp so nearly
resembling any such (lie, seal or stamp as to be
calculated to deceive, or counterfeits any such die,
seal or stamp' or uses, or has in his possession, or
under his control, any such counterfeited die, seal
or stamp; he shall be guilty of a misdemeanour.
(2) If any person-
(a) retains for any purpose prejudicial to the safety
or
interests of the State any official document,
whether or not completed or issued for use,
when he has no right to retain it, or when it
is contrary to his duty to retain it, or fails
to comply with any directions issued by any
Government Department or any person authorised
by such department with regard to the return or
disposal thereof; or
(b) allows any other person to<