UK Act of Parliament 1989 United Kingdom

Official Secrets Act 1989

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At a glance

Enforced by

Home Office

What's here

8 compliance obligations, 2 practical guides · 1 journey

Penalty landscape

8 of 8 obligations carry up to 2 years imprisonment.

Who this Act binds

Business-side actors with duties under this Act, ranked by how often they appear.

  • Contractor 5
  • Any Person 3

Step-by-step journeys using this legislation

Walkthroughs that take you from a real business situation to compliance.

Relevant guidance

Practical guides for businesses affected by this Act, ordered by how closely they engage with it.

Supporting — topic alignment

2 guides

Other Acts binding the same actors

For each actor bound by this Act, the other UK Acts that bind them most often. Useful for understanding the full compliance landscape facing each role.

Contractors also bound by 56 other Acts (top 5 shown)
Any Person also bound by 749 other Acts (top 5 shown)

What this Act requires

Sections that create concrete duties on businesses or carry penalties. Procedural and definitional sections are folded into the “Browse other sections” expander at the bottom of each group. Click any section title to read the source text on legislation.gov.uk.

Schedules

Browse 2 other Schedules — structural / supplementary
s.001

Security and intelligence.

2 years imprisonment
  • Unauthorised disclosure of security or intelligence information Contractor
s.002

Defence.

2 years imprisonment
  • Make unauthorized disclosures of national defence information Contractor
s.003

International relations.

2 years imprisonment
  • Make a damaging disclosure regarding international relations Contractor
s.010

Penalties.

2 years imprisonment
  • Unauthorised disclosure or mishandling of official secrets Any Person
Browse 8 other sections — procedural / definitional / commencement
Read the full Act on legislation.gov.uk (opens in a new tab)

Official guidance

Authoritative sources published by regulators or government explaining this legislation.

Enforcement and responsible bodies

The regulators that administer or enforce this legislation.

Home Office

Government department responsible for immigration, security, and law and order. Administers UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), issues sponsor licences for employers hiring …

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Browse legislation

Find other UK business legislation with related guidance.

Regulators

Learn more about the bodies that enforce this legislation.