human-rights ownership civil-legal-system passport
Is it illegal for a family member to withhold/hide the passport of a legal adult, from the rightful owner - in the UK?
<p><em>If yes</em>, what action should be taken and on what grounds is it classed as illegal?</p>

<p>Considering that both individuals are UK citizens, with a passport registered respectively, does it go against the law to do the aforementioned. </p>

<p>Providing that, the true owner explicitly asks for it to be returned to them nor asks for the passport to be held be the individual, in the first place. </p>

<p>It is almost certainly illegal.</p>

<p>I was unable to find UK provisions but the penalties for stealing an Australian passport are 10 years imprisonment or a fine of up to 1,000 penalty units (at time of writing a penalty unit was $170 so, $170,000) (<a href="https://www.comlaw.gov.au/Details/C2015C00523/Html/Text#_Toc432143513" rel="nofollow">Section 32(4)</a> of the Australian Passports Act 2005). Under this law, the crime is knowingly having it in your possession when you know it isn't yours. Obviously, normal familial relationships would not be prosecuted (i.e. one member of the family carrying all the family's passports). Certainly, if the true owner asked for it and the possessor refused, that would trigger the crime.</p>

<p>Furthermore, it is completely pointless - all the original owner has to do is report it stolen and apply for another one.</p>
