False Vanuatu travel documents
A person commits an offence if he or she:
(a) makes a false Vanuatu travel document; or
(b) knowing a document to be a false Vanuatu travel document, without reasonable excuse:
(i) uses, deals with, or acts upon it as if it were genuine; or
(ii) causes another person to use, deal with, or act upon it as if it were genuine; or
(c) without reasonable excuse:
(i) has in his or her possession or under his or her control a document that he or she knows or has reason to suspect is a false Vanuatu travel document; or
(ii) sells, hires, lends, gives, or otherwise disposes of a document that he or she knows or has reason to suspect is a false Vanuatu travel document; or
(d) without lawful authority or reasonable excuse, makes or uses or has in his or her possession or disposes of any paper or other material that he or she knows is specially provided for any purpose relating to Vanuatu passport, certificate of identity or travel documents.
Making false or misleading statements
A person commits an offence if:
a) the person makes a statement (whether orally, in writing or any other way) to another person that he or she knows to be false or misleading; and
b) the statement is made in, or in connection with, an application for a Vanuatu travel document.
Improper use or possession of Vanuatu passport, certificate of identity or travel document
A person commits an offence if he or she:
(a) for purposes of travel and without reasonable excuse, uses a Vanuatu travel document, that he or she knows or has reasonable cause to suspect has expired or has been cancelled; or
(b) for purposes of travel or identification and without reasonable excuse, uses a Vanuatu travel document that he or she knows or has reasonable cause to suspect was issued to, or in respect of, another person; or
(c) being a person to whom a Vanuatu travel document has been issued, without reasonable excuse permits another person to have possession of that document in circumstances where he or she knows or has reasonable cause to suspect that the person intends to use it for purposes of travel or identification; or
(d) without lawful authority or reasonable excuse, takes or retains in his or her possession or under his or her control a Vanuatu travel document, against the will of the holder; or
(e) without reasonable excuse, has in his or her possession or under his or her control within Vanuatu:
(i) a passport issued by or on behalf of the Government of any country other than Vanuatu, being a passport that he or she knows or has reason to suspect has been falsified or has been obtained by false representation; or
(ii) a document purporting to be a passport issued by or on behalf of the Government of any country other than Vanuatu that he or she knows or has reason to suspect is not such a passport.
Unauthorised alteration, destruction or sale of Vanuatu travel document
A person commits an offence if he or she intentionally and without lawful authority:
a) makes any alteration, addition, deletion or endorsement to a Vanuatu travel document; or
b) destroys a Vanuatu travel document; or
c) sells a Vanuatu travel document.
Offences relating to document information and material
Improper issue of documents
A person commits an offence if he or she, without lawful authority or reasonable excuse, issues a Vanuatu passport, certificate of identity or travel document (whethe or not to the person to whom it relates) knowing that the person to whom it relates is not entitled to be issued it.
Failure to surrender document
A person commits an offence if he or she knowingly fails, without reasonable excuse, to comply with a demand to surrender a Vanuatu passport, certificate of identity or travel document to the Principal passport officer in accordance with subsections 9(2), 10(2) or 11(2).
Penalties
A person who commits any offence specified in sections 14 to 20 is liable on conviction to a term of imprisonment not exceeding 5 years or to a fine not exceeding VT5,000,000 or both.