---
type: "LegalText"
title: "18 U.S.C. § 1018"
description: "Official certificates or writings"
jurisdiction: "us"
corpus: "united_states_code"
kind: "code_section"
title_number: 18
title_name: "CRIMES AND CRIMINAL PROCEDURE"
chapter_number: "47"
chapter_name: "FRAUD AND FALSE STATEMENTS"
section: "1018"
citation: "18 U.S.C. § 1018"
status: "current"
release_point: "119-100"
release_date: "2026-06-26"
source: "official"
source_url: "https://uscode.house.gov/download/releasepoints/us/pl/119/100/xml_usc18@119-100.zip"
source_identifier: "/us/usc/t18/s1018"
source_file: "data/legal/raw/us/code/title-18/usc18.xml"
source_hash: "2d308a8faa1f08fb36f76f00c99d410346a4672c28ebe85b39d275f8f4545630"
raw_snapshot_hash: "1a1bbbbdb59e376ada4eb7ad1056fd68d396679ee7ab59f0561af15006122708"
text_hash: "531c03c32d2161cfa5e069006b5ee02d45eed61c034cb9f45858f4cf978e08a7"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-04"
confidence: "official"
tags: ["legal", "us-code"]
---

# 18 U.S.C. § 1018 - Official certificates or writings

## Text

Whoever, being a public officer or other person authorized by any law of the United States to make or give a certificate or other writing, knowingly makes and delivers as true such a certificate or writing, containing any statement which he knows to be false, in a case where the punishment thereof is not elsewhere expressly provided by law, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than one year, or both.

(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 Stat. 753; Pub. L. 103–322, title XXXIII, § 330016(1)(G), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2147.)

## Notes

Historical and Revision NotesBased on title 18, U.S.C., 1940 ed., § 195 (Mar. 4, 1909, ch. 321, § 106, 35 Stat. 1107). Minor changes were made in phraseology.

Editorial Notes

Amendments1994—Pub. L. 103–322 substituted “fined under this title” for “fined not more than $500”.