Terrorism Act 2000

[F1 58B Entering or remaining in a designated area U.K.

(1) Subject to subsections (3) and (4), a person commits an offence if—

(a) the person enters, or remains in, a designated area, and

(b) the person is a United Kingdom national, or a United Kingdom resident, at the time of entering the area or at any time during which the person remains there.

(2) It is a defence for a person charged with an offence under this section to prove that the person had a reasonable excuse for entering, or remaining in, the designated area.

(3) A person does not commit an offence under this section of entering, or remaining in, a designated area if—

(a) the person is already travelling to, or is already in, the area on the day on which it becomes a designated area, and

(b) the person leaves the area before the end of the period of one month beginning with that day.

(4) A person does not commit an offence under this section of entering, or remaining in, a designated area if—

(a) the person enters, or remains in, a designated area involuntarily, or

(b) the person enters, or remains in, a designated area for or in connection with one or more of the purposes mentioned in subsection (5).

(5) The purposes are—

(a) providing aid of a humanitarian nature;

(b) satisfying an obligation to appear before a court or other body exercising judicial power;

(c) carrying out work for the government of a country other than the United Kingdom (including service in or with the country's armed forces);

(d) carrying out work for the United Nations or an agency of the United Nations;

(e) carrying out work as a journalist;

(f) attending the funeral of a relative or visiting a relative who is terminally ill;

(g) providing care for a relative who is unable to care for themselves without such assistance.

(6) But a person does not commit an offence of entering or remaining in a designated area by virtue of subsection (4)(b) only if—

(a) the person enters or remains in the area exclusively for or in connection with one or more of the purposes mentioned in subsection (5), or

(b) in a case where the person enters or remains in the area for or in connection with any other purpose or purposes (in addition to one or more of the purposes mentioned in subsection (5)), the other purpose or purposes provide a reasonable excuse for doing so under subsection (2).

(7) The Secretary of State may by regulations add a purpose to or remove a purpose from subsection (5).

(8) For the purposes of subsection (5)—

(a) the reference to the provision of aid of a humanitarian nature does not include the provision of aid in contravention of internationally recognised principles and standards applicable to the provision of humanitarian aid;

(b) references to the carrying out of work do not include the carrying out of any act which constitutes an offence in a part of the United Kingdom or would do so if the act occurred in a part of the United Kingdom;

(c) a person is “terminally ill” at any time if at that time the person suffers from a progressive disease and the person's death in consequence of that disease can reasonably be expected within 6 months.

(9) A person guilty of an offence under this section is liable on conviction on indictment to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 10 years, or to a fine, or to both.

(10) In this section—

• “designated area” means an area outside the United Kingdom that is for the time being designated for the purposes of this section in regulations under section 58C;

• “relative” means spouse or civil partner, brother, sister, ancestor or lineal descendant;

• “United Kingdom national” means an individual who is—

  (a)

  a British citizen, a British overseas territories citizen, a British National (Overseas) or a British Overseas citizen,

  (b)

  a person who under the British Nationality Act 1981 is a British subject, or

  (c)

  a British protected person within the meaning of that Act;

• “United Kingdom resident” means an individual who is resident in the United Kingdom.

(11) The reference in subsection (3) to the day on which an area becomes a designated area is a reference to the day on which regulations under section 58C come into force designating the area for the purposes of this section.

(12) Nothing in this section imposes criminal liability on any person acting on behalf of, or holding office under, the Crown.]

Textual Amendments

F1 Ss. 58B, 58C and cross-heading inserted (12.4.2019) by Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act 2019 (c. 3), ss. 4(2), 27(3)