Penalties for a fake ID in Connecticut range from a small fine for borrowing someone else’s real license to a Class D felony carrying up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine for carrying a forged one. Which end of that range you land on depends almost entirely on whether the document is counterfeit or simply someone else’s.
Forged ID Versus Borrowed ID
Connecticut treats these as two different offenses with very different consequences.
A forged ID is any document that pretends to be an official government-issued credential: a counterfeit license made from scratch, a real license with the birth date altered, or a fake purchased online. Knowingly possessing one is a felony under the state’s forgery statute.1Justia. Connecticut Code 53a-139 – Forgery in the Second Degree: Class D Felony
A borrowed ID is a real license that belongs to someone else, used as if it were yours. Connecticut’s motor vehicle code prohibits using an operator’s license that was not issued to you, and classifies that as an infraction rather than a crime.2Justia. Connecticut Code 14-147 – Improper Use of Number Plate or Marker, Registration or License. Penalty. The penalty is far lower, but a license suspension and additional alcohol-related charges can still follow.
Forgery in the Second Degree
Most fake ID cases involving a counterfeit or altered document are charged as forgery in the second degree, a Class D felony.1Justia. Connecticut Code 53a-139 – Forgery in the Second Degree: Class D Felony People often assume a fake ID is a ticket or a misdemeanor. In Connecticut, it is not.
A Class D felony carries a maximum of five years in prison.3Justia. Connecticut Code 53a-35a – Imprisonment for Felony Committed on or After July 1, 1981 Fines can reach $5,000.4Justia. Connecticut Code 53a-41 – Fines for Felonies Whether you receive anything close to the maximum depends on your record, the circumstances, and the judge. First-time offenders without aggravating facts rarely see prison time on a simple fake-ID case, but the felony classification itself is the lasting damage. It appears on background checks and must be disclosed on job and housing applications until it is erased.
The statute reaches beyond driver’s licenses. It covers any forged document that appears to be issued by a government office or public servant, which includes state ID cards, counterfeit professional credentials, and altered public records.1Justia. Connecticut Code 53a-139 – Forgery in the Second Degree: Class D Felony Fake driver’s licenses remain the most commonly prosecuted type.
The Alcohol-Purchase Charge That Stacks On Top
When a fake or borrowed ID is used specifically to buy alcohol, a separate statute applies on top of any forgery charge. Connecticut law makes it illegal to misrepresent your age or use another person’s license to obtain alcoholic beverages. The penalty is a fine between $200 and $500, up to 30 days in jail, or both.5Justia. Connecticut Code 30-88a – Operator’s License as Proof of Age. Misrepresentation of Age to Procure Liquor.
This charge often lands alongside a felony forgery count rather than instead of it. A single incident at a liquor store can produce the felony, the alcohol-purchase charge, and a DMV suspension all at once.
License Suspension if You Are Under 21
The DMV imposes its own penalties that run independently of the court case. Once a qualifying conviction is reported, the suspension is automatic. For anyone under 21, the suspension length depends on the specific offense:
- 150 days for a conviction involving misuse of an operator’s license to procure alcohol
- 60 days for purchasing or attempting to purchase alcohol, or possessing alcohol in public
- 30 days for possessing alcohol on private property while underage
These are set by a dedicated enforcement statute that ties license consequences to alcohol-related offenses by people under 21.6Justia. Connecticut Code 14-111e – Suspension or Delay in Issuance of Operator’s License for Person Under Twenty-One Years of Age Convicted of Certain Violations The 150-day suspension is the one most relevant to fake ID cases.
It does not matter whether you were anywhere near a car. The DMV applies the suspension to a fake-ID case at a bar or liquor store exactly as it would to one tied to driving. Reinstating your license after the suspension period typically requires an administrative fee to the state.
When Federal Charges Come Into Play
Most fake ID cases stay in state court. Federal law can apply, though, when the facts fit a broader fraud scheme. Producing or transferring a fraudulent document that is or appears to be a driver’s license or ID card carries up to 15 years in federal prison, and simple possession tied to broader fraud can bring up to five years.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1028 – Fraud and Related Activity in Connection with Identification Documents
Federal prosecutors do not usually pick up a college student using a fake at a bar. The statute becomes relevant when fake IDs are tied to identity theft, immigration fraud, or drug trafficking. Identity fraud used to facilitate drug trafficking or violent crime raises the maximum to 20 years, and terrorism-related cases reach 30.7Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1028 – Fraud and Related Activity in Connection with Identification Documents People who manufacture or sell fakes in volume draw federal attention far more often than people who carry one.
Immigration Consequences for Non-Citizens
A forgery conviction can be devastating for anyone who is not a U.S. citizen. Federal immigration authorities treat forgery as a crime involving moral turpitude, a category that can block naturalization and trigger removal.8U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 5 – Conditional Bars for Acts in Statutory Period
A conviction for a crime involving moral turpitude during the statutory period before a naturalization application prevents the applicant from establishing the “good moral character” the law requires. USCIS policy lists forgery among the property crimes to which moral turpitude attaches.8U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Chapter 5 – Conditional Bars for Acts in Statutory Period A single forgery conviction with a maximum sentence over one year does not qualify for the “petty offense” exception, and Connecticut’s Class D felony carries a five-year maximum, well above the threshold.
Students on F visas, workers on employment visas, and lawful permanent residents should treat a forgery charge as an immigration emergency. What may be a manageable case for a citizen can become a deportation case for someone without citizenship. Talk to an immigration attorney before accepting any plea.
Jobs, Licensing, and Other Collateral Fallout
The statutory penalties are only part of the picture. A felony involving dishonesty is especially damaging on background checks, because forgery is a fraud crime. That hits hardest when a job touches money, sensitive records, or government security clearance. Connecticut’s ban-the-box law delays the background check until after a conditional offer, but nothing stops an employer from rescinding the offer once the conviction surfaces.
Professional licensing boards in health care, education, law, finance, and other fields take fraud-related convictions seriously. A single forgery conviction rarely means automatic disqualification, but expect additional scrutiny, hearings, and delays. Housing applications and some college admissions processes also factor it in.
Getting a Fake ID Conviction Off Your Record
Connecticut’s Clean Slate law allows automatic erasure of Class D felony convictions 10 years after the date of the most recent conviction, as long as the offense happened on or after January 1, 2000, and the sentence (including probation or parole) has been fully completed.9Connecticut General Assembly. Chapter 961a – Criminal Records
Forgery in the second degree is not on the exclusion list, which is limited to specific offenses including certain assaults, sexual offenses, weapons violations, and family violence crimes.9Connecticut General Assembly. Chapter 961a – Criminal Records For older offenses that predate January 1, 2000, erasure requires filing a petition rather than waiting.
Ten years is a long time to carry a felony. The conviction will show up on background checks and must be disclosed when the law requires it. The clock also restarts if you pick up any new conviction during the waiting period. Stay conviction-free and the record eventually clears on its own.