Article 399 of the Criminal Code

TÍTULO XVIII — De las falsedades

Full text

Text in force since 23 December 2010.

The text below is the official Spanish wording of this provision; the summary and guidance above are in English.

1. El particular que falsificare una certificación de las designadas en los artículos anteriores será castigado con la pena de multa de tres a seis meses. 2. La misma pena se impondrá al que hiciere uso, a sabiendas, de la certificación, así como al que, sin haber intervenido en su falsificación, traficare con ella de cualquier modo. 3. Esta disposición es aplicable aun cuando el certificado aparezca como perteneciente a otro Estado de la Unión Europea o a un tercer Estado o haya sido falsificado o adquirido en otro Estado de la Unión Europea o en un tercer Estado si es utilizado en España.

Previous versions

History of reforms to this article, from oldest to most recent, as recorded in the BOE’s consolidated legislation.

Ley Orgánica 10/1995, de 23 de noviembre, del Código Penal.

In force from 24/05/1996 to 22/12/2010

1. El particular que falsificare una certificación de las designadas en los artículos anteriores será castigado con la pena de multa de tres a seis meses. 2. La misma pena se aplicará al que hiciere uso, a sabiendas, de la certificación falsa.

Explanation and defense

What Article 399 of the Criminal Code punishes

Article 399 punishes the forgery of certifications by a private individual, among the offences of forgery. It applies to anyone who, without being an authority or public official, forges one of the certifications referred to in the preceding articles of the chapter, as well as to anyone who knowingly uses that false certification or, without having taken part in the forgery, trades in it in any way. The provision applies even where the certificate appears to belong to another EU Member State or a third State, or was forged or obtained outside Spain, if it is used within Spanish territory.

Penalty

The penalty is a fine of three to six months, both for whoever forges the certification and for whoever knowingly uses or trades in it. It is therefore a less serious offence within the forgery offences, the legislator reserving prison sentences for the forgery of public, official or commercial documents and for certifications issued by an authority or official.

Defense strategy

The defense should verify that the disputed document genuinely falls within the "certification" category the offence requires, rather than that of an official or public document, whose forgery carries much heavier penalties under the preceding articles. The subjective element of knowledge is equally essential: someone who uses a certification without knowing it is false does not commit the offence, since the provision requires acting "knowingly".

Quick reference

Orientative data computed from the highest prison term mentioned in this article. Aggravated or mitigated subtypes, non-custodial penalties and concurrence rules may alter the outcome in each specific case.

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