Misuse of passport
Official text prohibited actmental stateif conditionpenaltylegal term
Whoever and knowingly uses, or to use, any passport issued or designed for the use of another; or
Whoever and knowingly uses or to use any passport in violation of the conditions or restrictions therein contained, or of the rules prescribed pursuant to the laws regulating the issuance of passports; or
Whoever and knowingly furnishes, disposes of, or delivers a passport to any person, for use by another than the person for whose use it was originally issued and designed—
Shall be , 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.
History: (June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 771 (PDF, 39 MB); Pub. L. 103–322, title XIII, §130009(a)(2), title XXXIII, §330016(1)(I), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2030 (PDF, 52 MB), 2147; Pub. L. 104–208, div. C, title II, §211(a)(2), Sept. 30, 1996, 110 Stat. 3009–569; Pub. L. 107–273, div. B, title IV, §4002(a)(3), Nov. 2, 2002, 116 Stat. 1806.)
Simplified explanation
It is a federal crime to knowingly use someone else's passport, or to use a passport in violation of its conditions or passport rules. It is also a crime to give a passport to someone for use by a person other than the one it was issued to.