Identity document forgery is the process by which identity documents issued by governing bodies are copied and/or modified by persons not authorized to create such documents or engage in such modifications, for the purpose of deceiving those who would view the documents about the identity or status of the bearer. German identity document sample An identity document is a piece of documentation designed to prove the identity of the person carrying it. ...

Documents that have been forged in this way include driver's licenses (which historically have been forged or altered to conceal the fact that persons desiring to consume alcohol are under the legal drinking age), birth certificates, social security cards, (likely used in identity theft schemes, or to defraud the government) and passports (used to evade restrictions on entry into a particular country). Driving licences within the European Union are subdivided in different categories. ... In most forms of government, a birth certificate is an official legal document usually describing Name at Birth Date of Birth Sex (Gender) Place of Birth (City, Region, Country) Birth Registration Number Legal Parent(s) Time of Birth (if known) The certificate is issued shortly after a persons birth... Identity theft is the deliberate assumption of another persons identity, usually to gain access to their finances or frame them for a crime. ... In the broadest sense, a fraud is a deception made for personal gain, although it has a more specific legal meaning, the exact details varying between jurisdictions. ... The title page of European Union passports bears the name European Union, then the name of the issuing country, in the languages of all EU countries. ...

Such falsified documents are used for identity theft, age deception, and organized crime. With the advent of photo editing computer programs, the process of forgery of idenitity documents has become easier. Identity theft is the deliberate assumption of another persons identity, usually to gain access to their finances or frame them for a crime. ... Organized crime is crime carried out systematically by formal criminal organizations. ... Forgery is the process of making or adapting objects or documents (see false document), with the intention to deceive (fraud is the use of objects obtained through forgery). ...