Road Traffic Act 1988

173 Forgery of documents, etc

(1) A person who, with intent to deceive—

(a) forges, alters or uses a document or other thing to which this section applies, or

(b) lends to, or allows to be used by, any other person a document or other thing to which this section applies, or

(c) makes or has in his possession any document or other thing so closely resembling a document or other thing to which this section applies as to be calculated to deceive,

is guilty of an offence.

(2) This section applies to the following documents and other things—

(a) any licence under any Part of this Act,

(b) any test certificate, goods vehicle test certificate, plating certificate, certificate of conformity or Minister’s approval certificate (within the meaning of Part II of this Act),

(c) any certificate required as a condition of any exception prescribed under section 14 of this Act,

(d) any plate containing plated particulars (within the meaning of Part II of this Act) or containing other particulars required to be marked on a goods vehicle by sections 54 to 58 of this Act or regulations under those sections,

(e) any records required to be kept by virtue of section 74 of this Act,

(f) any document which, in pursuance of section 89(3) or 117(2) of this Act, is issued as evidence of the result of a test of competence to drive,

(g) any badge or certificate prescribed by regulations made by virtue of section 135 of this Act,

(h) any certificate of insurance or certificate of security under Part VI of this Act,

(j) any document produced as evidence of insurance in pursuance of Regulation 6 of the [S.I. 1973 / 2143.] Motor Vehicles (Compulsory Insurance) (No. 2) Regulations 1973,

(k) any document issued under regulations made by the Secretary of State in pursuance of his power under section 165(2)(a) of this Act to prescribe evidence which may be produced in lieu of a certificate of insurance or a certificate of security, and

(l) any international road haulage permit.

(3) In the application of this section to England and Wales “forges” means makes a false document or other thing in order that it may be used as genuine.