§1541 — Issuance without Authority.

Chapter 75 — Passports and Visas

Whoever, acting or claiming to act in any office or capacity under the United States, or a State, without lawful authority grants, issues, or verifies any passport or other instrument in the nature of a passport to or for any person whomsoever; or

Whoever, being a consular officer authorized to grant, issue, or verify passports, knowingly and willfully grants, issues, or verifies any such passport to or for any person not owing allegiance, to the United States, whether a citizen or not -

Shall be fined under this title, imprisoned not more than 25 years (if the offense was committed to facilitate an act of international terrorism (as defined in section 2331 of this title)), 20 years (if the offense was committed to facilitate a drug trafficking crime (as defined in section 929(a) of this title)), 10 years (in the case of the first or second such offense, if the offense was not committed to facilitate such an act of international terrorism or a drug trafficking crime), or 15 years (in the case of any other offense), or both.

For purposes of this section, the term "State" means a State of the United States, the District of Columbia, and any commonwealth, territory, or possession of the United States.

(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 771; Pub. L. 103–322, title XIII, §130009(a)(1), title XXXIII, §330016(1)(G), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2030 , 2147; Pub. L. 104–208, div. C, title II, §211(a)(2), Sept. 30, 1996, 110 Stat. 3009–569 ; Pub. L. 104–294, title VI, §607(n), Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3512 ; Pub. L. 107–273, div. B, title IV, §4002(a)(3), Nov. 2, 2002, 116 Stat. 1806 .)

AMENDMENTS

2002-Pub. L. 107–273 substituted "to facilitate" for "to facility" in third par.

1996 - Pub. L. 104-294, §607(n )(1), struck out "or possession" after "or a State" in first paragraph

Pub. L. 104-294, §607(n )(2), added last paragraph defining "State" for purposes of this section.

Pub. L. 104-208 substituted "imprisoned not more than 25 years (if the offense was committed to facilitate an act of international terrorism (as defined in section 2331 of this title)), 20 years (if the offense was committed to facilitate a drug trafficking crime (as defined in section 929(a) of this title)), 10 years (in the case of the first or second such offense, if the offense was not committed to facility such an act of international terrorism or a drug trafficking crime), or 15 years (in the case of any other offense)" for "imprisoned not more than 10 years" in third paragraph

1994 - Pub. L. 103-322, §330016(1)(G), which directed the amendment of this section by substituting "under this title" for "not more than $500", could not be executed because the words "not more than $500" did not appear in text subsequent to amendment by Pub. L. 103-322, §130009(a )(1). See below.

Pub. L. 103-322, §130009(a)(1), substituted "under this title, imprisoned not more than 10 years" for "not more than $500 or imprisoned not more than one year" in last paragraph