Can I use a fake payslip, tenancy agreement or diploma to rent a home or get a job?
In short
No. Making a fake document and knowingly using one are both criminal offences (level 3). Even if someone else made the document, anyone who uses it knowing it is fake is responsible.
Video transcript
For a rental flat, someone offers you a payslip that shows a higher salary. Not allowed: Making a fake document and knowingly using one are both crimes: level 3. Digital documents too. The right way: Give your real documents. Ask about options such as a guarantor or a rent guarantee. Outcome (Level 3 crime): Prison: 3 – 5 years; Also: Damages may be claimed; Got with a fake document: Job, home, benefit at risk.
What is not allowed, what is required?
- Making a fake document, or altering a genuine one, in order to deceive or harm someone is a criminal offence. This is called forgery (valsheid in geschriften / faux en écritures; Criminal Code art. 451, level 3).
- Knowingly using a fake document is an offence under the same article and at the same level (gebruik van valse stukken / usage de faux).
- This covers digital documents (PDFs, email attachments, screenshots) as well as paper ones.
- Examples: a payslip showing a higher salary than you really earn, a made-up tenancy agreement for registering an address, a diploma bought for a job application.
- If the document is an official one (an authentic instrument or a document issued by a public authority), or if the offence is committed by a public official while carrying out their duties, the judge treats this as an aggravating circumstance (art. 452).
Penalty and indirect consequences
- Fine / payment
- At level 3, the main penalty is prison. Prison is a last resort; the judge can impose a lighter penalty depending on the case. The person or organisation that was harmed can also ask for compensation.
Legal basis:FOD Justitie – Hervorming Strafwetboek
What does this level mean? Criminal Code, level 3: 3 – 5 years in prison. All penalty levels →
What really matters: the indirect consequences
- It may appear on your criminal record extract (uittreksel uit het strafregister / extrait de casier judiciaire); this can cause problems when you apply for jobs
Legal basis:Sv. art. 590, 595
- You can lose the job, tenancy, loan or benefit you obtained with the fake document, and you may be asked to pay the money back
Legal basis:BW Boek 5, art. 5.36, 5.62
- Using a fake document in an application for residence can lead to the permit being refused or withdrawn
Legal basis:Vreemdelingenwet 15.12.1980, art. 43 §1, 44 §1
- For serious or repeated offences, your residence permit can be revoked and your citizenship application may be affected
Legal basis:Vreemdelingenwet 15.12.1980, art. 21, 23 §2 + WBN 28.6.1984, art. 15 §3
What do these terms mean?
- Criminal record
- The state register of convictions handed down by a court. The extract asked for a job, residence or nationality application comes from it. Municipal GAS fines are not entered in it.
Why does this rule exist?
Landlords, employers, banks and public bodies rely on documents to make decisions. A fake document undermines this trust, and honest applicants suffer too.
Where can you go?
- Free first-line legal advice and pro deo lawyerA free or low-cost lawyer if your income is low
- Justice HouseInformation and support for victims, accused people and convicted people (Justitiehuis / Maison de justice)
- Emergency112 · Police 101
- Social interpreterAt the municipality, the OCMW/CPAS, school and hospital, you can ask for an interpreter in your language; it is often free.
This site does not handle individual cases; it points you to the right service. All help addresses
Source and reliability
Official source- Source check
- 13 / 13 statements in an official source
- Checked: 02.11.2026
- Last checked
- 12.10.2026
- Rules can change
Show the 13 checked statementsopen
- Found in an official source
Sahte belge yapmak ve kullanmak suç (md. 451)
Strafwetboek Boek II (Wet 29 februari 2024), Justel, art. 451 - Found in an official source
Md. 451 §1: bedrieglijk opzet of oogmerk om te schaden; sahte belge üretmek/değiştirmek
Strafwetboek Boek II (Wet 29 februari 2024), Justel, art. 451 §1 - Found in an official source
Md. 451 seviye 3
Strafwetboek Boek II (Wet 29 februari 2024), Justel, art. 451 - Found in an official source
Sahte belgeyi kullanmak da suç, seviye 3 (md. 451 §2)
Strafwetboek Boek II (Wet 29 februari 2024), Justel, art. 451 §2 - Found in an official source
Dijital/duurzame dragers kapsamda
Strafwetboek Boek II (Wet 29 februari 2024), Justel, art. 451 §1 - Found in an official source
Kamu görevlisi veya resmî belge ağırlaştırıcı (md. 452)
Strafwetboek Boek II (Wet 29 februari 2024), Justel, art. 452 - Found in an official source
Sahte belge kullanımı oturumun reddi/geri alınması (AB vatandaşı ve aile üyeleri için md. 43-44)
Vreemdelingenwet 15.12.1980, art. 43 §1, 44 §1 - Found in an official source
Seviye 3 = 3–5 yıl hapis
Strafwetboek (W 29.2.2024) Boek I, art. 36 - Found in an official source
Hapis son çaredir; hâkim başka ceza verebilir
FOD Justitie – Hervorming Strafwetboek - Found in an official source
Mahkûmiyet Strafregister'e kaydedilir; kişi bir uittreksel alabilir ve bu belge iş başvurusunda istenebilir
Sv. art. 590, 595 - Found in an official source
Hileyle (bedrog) kurulan sözleşme iptal edilebilir; iptalde alınan edimler geri verilir
BW Boek 5, art. 5.36, 5.62 - Found in an official source
Kamu düzeni nedeniyle oturum sona erdirilebilir; suçun ağırlığı dikkate alınır; vatandaşlıkta savcı 'kişiye özgü ciddi olgular' nedeniyle olumsuz görüş verebilir
Vreemdelingenwet 15.12.1980, art. 21, 23 §2 + WBN 28.6.1984, art. 15 §3 - Found in an official source
Düzeltme (Kasım 2026 doğrulaması): Resmî belge veya kamu görevlisi ise hâkim ağırlaştırıcı neden sayar (md. 452)
Boek II art. 452 (Justel)
The checked statements are in Turkish, as in the source text. This check does not replace legal advice.
General information, not legal advice. For your own situation, ask a lawyer or free legal aid. How was this information prepared?