Title 18, Crimes and Criminal ProcedureRelease 119-102
§1424 Personation or Misuse of Papers in Naturalization Proceedings
Title 18 › PART I — CRIMES › CHAPTER 69 — NATIONALITY AND CITIZENSHIP › § 1424
Summary
It is a crime in a naturalization or citizenship case to knowingly pretend to be someone else, use a dead person’s identity, use a made-up name, or use another person’s or fake naturalization/citizenship papers. The penalty can be a fine, up to five years in prison, or both.
Full Legal Text
Title 18, §1424
Crimes and Criminal Procedure, Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Whoever, whether as applicant, declarant, petitioner, witness or otherwise, in any naturalization or citizenship proceeding, knowingly personates another or appears falsely in the name of a deceased person or in an assumed or fictitious name; or Whoever knowingly and unlawfully uses or attempts to use, as showing naturalization or citizenship of any person, any order, certificate, certificate of naturalization, certificate of citizenship, judgment, decree, or exemplification, or copies or duplicates thereof, issued to another person, or in a fictitious name or in the name of a deceased person— Shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Historical and Revision Notes
Based on subsection (a) pars. (6)(a), (b), (15), (b), (d) of section 746 of title 8, U.S.C., 1940 ed., Aliens and Nationality (Oct. 14, 1940, ch. 876, § 346(a), pars. (6), (15), (b), (d), 54 Stat. 1164, 1165, 1167). Section consolidates, with minor verbal changes, subsections (a), pars. (6)(a), (b), (15), (b), (d), and the general punishment provision of section 746 of title 8, U.S.C., 1940 ed., Aliens and Nationality.
Editorial Notes
Amendments
1994—Pub. L. 103–322 substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $5,000” in last par.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
18 U.S.C. § 1424
Title 18, Crimes and Criminal Procedure
Last Updated
Aug 21, 2026
Release point: 119-102