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Disclaimer: This is not legal advice. Legislation and case law change. Always consult a qualified solicitor for your specific situation.

UK Law Reference
All sections of Equality Act 2010
2010 c. 15, s.188

Section 188 — Forgery, etc.

This version in force from 2010-10-01

Snapshot: 2026-08-24

Reproduced from legislation.gov.uk (Crown Copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0). Amendments made after 2026-08-24 may not be reflected — always check the official text .

(1) In this section “relevant document” means—

(a) an exemption certificate issued under section 166, 169 or 171;

(b) a notice of a kind mentioned in section 166(3)(b), 169(4)(b) or 171(4)(b);

(c) an accessibility certificate (see section 176);

(d) an approval certificate (see section 177).

(2) A person commits an offence if, with intent to deceive, the person—

(a) forges, alters or uses a relevant document;

(b) lends a relevant document to another person;

(c) allows a relevant document to be used by another person;

(d) makes or has possession of a document which closely resembles a relevant document.

(3) A person guilty of an offence under subsection (2) is liable—

(a) on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum;

(b) on conviction on indictment, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 2 years or to a fine or to both.

(4) A person commits an offence by knowingly making a false statement for the purpose of obtaining an accessibility certificate or an approval certificate.

(5) A person guilty of an offence under subsection (4) is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding level 4 on the standard scale.