document forgery
Use of a false document to deceive in legal relations, punishable under § 171.
Document forgery is the criminal act of using a false document with the aim of deceiving in legal relations. Under Danish law, a document is considered false when it does not originate from the person or authority stated as its issuer, or when the content of the document has been altered in a way that cannot be attributed to the stated issuer.
The offence is governed by the Danish Penal Code (straffeloven) § 171, whose subsection 1 sets out the prohibition itself against the use of false documents, while subsection 3 specifies when a document is to be regarded as false. The decisive criterion is not merely that the document has been falsified, but that it is actively used to mislead others in legal relations — for example when entering into agreements, in applications to public authorities, or when presented to employers.
The penalty is determined under straffeloven § 172. In ordinary cases the penalty may be a fine or imprisonment for up to 2 years. Where the offence is of a particularly serious nature, or where it involves a larger number of falsifications, the penalty may rise to imprisonment for up to 6 years. The assessment of seriousness typically depends on the extent of the harm, the nature of the document, and the intended gain or damage.
Practical examples of document forgery include the use of falsified passports, driving licences, diplomas, signatures or official certificates. The offence may be committed both by the person who has produced the false document and by a person who knowingly uses a document that they know to be falsified.
