Section 255: Importing counterfeit seals, the Royal Signature or government stamps

Firm annotation

Section 255 makes importation an offence in its own right, so that a counterfeit article produced abroad can be dealt with without proving who made it or where. The elements are (1) bringing into the Kingdom (2) an article that is counterfeit or altered, being the State Seal, an impression of the State Seal, the Royal Signature, a seal or seal impression of a government department, of a public organisation or of an official, or a stamp specified in Section 250, Section 251 or Section 254. Nothing turns on the importer having made the article, and no use of it after importation is required. The penalty is a single range of one to ten years and a fine from 20,000 to 200,000 baht, applied whichever article is involved. That has a practical consequence: forging a departmental seal under Section 251 carries one to seven years, so importing a counterfeit of the same seal is punished more heavily than making it here. Making these articles is Section 250, Section 251 and Section 254; using them is Section 252 and Section 257. The current rates were set by Section 4 of the Penal Code Amendment Act (No. 26) B.E. 2560.