Age of majority

The age of majority is the threshold of adulthood as recognized or declared in law. It is the moment when minors cease to be considered such and assume legal control over their persons, actions, and decisions, thus terminating the control and legal responsibilities of their parents or guardian over them. Most countries set the age of majority at 18, but some jurisdictions have a higher age and others lower. The word majority here refers to having greater years and being of full age as opposed to minority, the state of being a minor. The law in a given jurisdiction may not actually use the term "age of majority". The term typically refers to a collection of laws bestowing the status of adulthood.

Age of majority should not be confused with the age of maturity, age of sexual consent, marriageable age, school-leaving age, drinking age, driving age, voting age, smoking age, gambling age, etc., which each may be independent of and set at a different age from the age of majority.

Explanation

Age of majority can be confused with the similar concept of the age of license,[1] which also pertains to the threshold of adulthood but in a much broader and more abstract way. As a legal term of art, "license" means "permission", and it can implicate a legally enforceable right or privilege. Thus, an age of license is an age at which one has legal permission from government to do something. The age of majority, on the other hand, is legal recognition that one has grown into an adult.[2]

Age of majority pertains solely to the acquisition of legal control over one's person, decisions and actions, and the correlative termination of the legal authority of the parents (or guardian(s), in lieu of parent(s)) over the child's person and affairs generally.

Many ages of license are correlated to the age of majority, but they are nonetheless legally distinct concepts. One need not have attained the age of majority to have permission to exercise certain rights and responsibilities. Some ages of license are actually higher than the age of majority. For example, to purchase alcoholic beverages, the age of license is 21 in all U.S. states. Another example is the voting age, which prior to the 1970s was 21 in the US, as was the age of majority in all or most states.[3] In the Republic of Ireland the age of majority is 18, but one must be over 21 years of age to stand for election to the Houses of the Oireachtas.[4] Also, in Portugal the age of majority is 18, but one must be at least 25 years of age to run for public office and 35 years of age to run for president.[5] A child who is legally emancipated by a court of competent jurisdiction automatically attains to their maturity upon the signing of the court order. Only emancipation confers the status of maturity before a person has actually reached the age of majority.

In almost all places, minors who are married are automatically emancipated. Some places also do the same for minors who are in the armed forces or who have a certain degree or diploma.[6]

The age 18 is identified as the age of adulthood in the Jewish Talmud relative to having sound judgement to make monetary decisions as a judge.[7] Here, the Talmud says that every judgment Josiah, the sixteenth king of Judah (c. 640–609) issued from the age of eight, when he was crowned, until the age of eighteen was reversed and he returned the money to the parties whom he judged liable, due to concern that in his youth he may not have judged the cases correctly. Other Jewish commentators have discussed whether age 13 or 18 is the age to make decisions in a Jewish Court.[8]

Civil law

In many countries minors can be emancipated: depending on jurisdiction, this may happen through acts such as marriage, attaining economic self-sufficiency, obtaining an educational degree or diploma, or participating in a form of military service. In the United States, all states have some form of emancipation of minors.[9]

The following list the age of majority in countries (or administrative divisions) in the order of lowest to highest:

Up to age 14

• Saudi Arabia[10] – age of majority is based on physical signs of puberty (bulugh), with age 15 as the upper limit.
• Iran[11] – 9 lunar years (female only), 15 lunar years (male only)

Age 15

Indonesia[12]

Myanmar[13]

Yemen[14][note 1]

Age 16

Cambodia[15] Cuba[16] Kyrgyzstan[17] Kuwait[18]

Palestine Pakistan[19] (female only) Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

United Kingdom Scotland[20][note 2] Vietnam[23]

Age 17

North Korea[24]

Tajikistan[25]

Timor-Leste[26]

Age 18

Afghanistan Albania[27] Andorra[28] Antigua and Barbuda[29] Argentina[30][note 3] Angola[31][note 4] Armenia Australia[32] Austria[33] Azerbaijan Bahamas[34] Bangladesh Barbados[35] Belarus[36] Belgium[37] Belize[38] Bhutan Bolivia Bosnia and Herzegovina[39] Botswana Brazil [note 5] Brunei Bulgaria Burundi Canada[40] Alberta Manitoba Ontario Prince Edward Island Quebec Saskatchewan Chile China[41] Mainland China Hong Kong[42] Macau Colombia Costa Rica Croatia [note 6] Cyprus Czech Republic[43][note 7] Denmark (incl. Faroe Islands and Greenland)[44] Djibouti[45] Dominica Dominican Republic[46] Ecuador

Egypt[47] El Salvador[48] Estonia Fiji Finland[49] France[50][note 8] Germany[51] Georgia Ghana Greece[52] Guatemala Guinea Guinea-Bissau[53] Guyana Haiti Hungary Iceland India[54] Iraq[55][note 9]  Ireland[56] Israel Italy Jamaica Japan (1 April 2022–)[57] Jordan Kazakhstan[58] Kenya[59][60][note 10] Laos Latvia Lebanon Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malawi[61] Malaysia[62] Malta[63] Mauritania Mauritius Mexico[64] Moldova Monaco Mongolia Montenegro Namibia[65] Nepal Netherlands[66][note 11] Nigeria North Macedonia Norway[67] Oman[68] Pakistan (male only)[69]

Palau[70] Panama Paraguay[71] Peru Philippines[72] Poland[73] [note 12] Portugal Qatar Romania ("Minimum legal age in Romania") Russia [note 13][74] Rwanda Saint Kitts and Nevis[75] Seychelles Singapore[76] Slovakia Slovenia Somalia South Africa[77][78][note 14] Spain[79][80][note 15] Sri Lanka[81] Sudan[82] Sweden[83] Switzerland[84] Syria Serbia Tanzania Trinidad and Tobago Tunisia[85] Turkey[86] Uganda[87] Ukraine[88]  United Kingdom[89] England[20] Wales[89][20] Northern Ireland[90][20] Crown dependencies Isle of Man[91] Jersey[92] Guernsey[93] British Overseas Territories Gibraltar[94]  United States:[95] all states and territories except for those listed below Uruguay Uzbekistan[96] Vatican City Venezuela Zimbabwe

Age 19

Algeria[97] Canada Nova Scotia New Brunswick British Columbia Newfoundland and Labrador Northwest Territories Yukon Nunavut

South Korea[98] United States Alabama[99] Nebraska[100]

Age 20

Japan (– 31 March 2022)[57] New Zealand (de facto 18)[101]

Taiwan (amendments to the Civil Code of the Republic of China proposed in 2020 lowering the age of majority to 18 must be approved by the Executive Yuan and Legislative Yuan prior to taking effect in 2023)[102] Thailand

Coming of Age Day in Japan

Age 21

Bahrain[103] Cameroon[104] Côte d'Ivoire[105] Eswatini[103] Gabon[106] Grenada[107]

Honduras[103][note 16] Lesotho[103] Madagascar[109] Samoa

United Arab Emirates United States Mississippi[110] Puerto Rico Zambia[61]

Religious law

Religions have their own rules as to the age of maturity, when a child is regarded to be an adult, at least for ritual purposes:

• Islam: a person having reached the age of 15 or having entered puberty before that age is considered bulugh (adult).
• Judaism: the age of majority is 13 years for boys (bar mitzvah) and 12 years for girls (bat mitzvah) for religious purposes.[111] However, Jewish law follows the law of the land if there is a difference, such as in marriage age.
• Christianity (only Roman Catholic Church): 18 years of age.[112]

See also

• Adolescence
• Age of candidacy
• Age of consent
• Age of criminal responsibility
• Emancipation of minors
• Legal drinking age
• Legal smoking age
• Marriageable age
• Mature minor doctrine
• Secular coming-of-age ceremony
• Voting age
• Youth rights
• Youth suffrage
• Youth

Notes

1. Amendments to existing laws have been drafted to raise majority age to 18.
2. Even though children acquire legal capacity at the age of 16, National Guidance for Child Protection generally defines a child as someone under the age of 18.[21][22]
3. Article 25. Minor and adolescent: minor is the person who has not turned eighteen. This Code refers to the adolescent as the minor who turned thirteen years of age.
4. Article 24. The age of majority shall be 18.
5. Those aged 16 or older can be emancipated upon marriage, by being approved for civil service, by graduating in college or for being economically independent
6. If minor becomes a parent or marries – a judicial act is passed with prior hearing of minors parents and getting an opinion of the Social Care centre
7. §30 Majority. An individual acquires full legal capacity upon reaching the age of majority. The age of majority is reached upon reaching eighteen years of age.Before reaching the age of majority, full legal capacity is acquired by being granted legal capacity or by entering into marriage. Legal capacity acquired by entering into marriage is not terminated upon termination or invalidation of marriage.
8. Article 388. The minor is the individual of either sex who is not yet eighteen years old.
9. Iraq's Civil Code defines the age of majority as 18; however, due to the Iraqi constitution and instability, Note 1 (above) may apply as courts choose between Shari'ah law and the Civil Code
10. Constitution of Kenya. Article 260. "Adult" means an individual who has attained the age of eighteen years, "child" means an individual who has not attained the age of eighteen years.Age of Majority Act, 1977. Section 2 Age of majority. A person shall be of full age and cease to be under any disability by reason of age on attaining the age of eighteen years.
11. (Netherlands) Or earlier upon marriage
12. (Poland) Or upon marriage which for women can happen at 16 the earliest, voting age is 18 always
13. Minors are emancipated upon marriage or in case of working on a labour agreement or being engaged in business activities.
14. Children's Act, 2005 Article 1. "child" means a person under the age of 18 years, article 17. Age of majority – A child, whether male or female, becomes a major upon reaching the age of 18 years.
15. Constitution article 12. Spaniards come legally of age at eighteen years. Civil Code article 315. Legal age begins upon turning eighteen. The date of birth shall be included in full for the calculation of legal age.
16. In the light of article 16 of the Family Code, which provides that majority is attained at the age of 21 years, it may be inferred that the status of minor is retained in Honduras until the age of 21 years. According, however, to article 36 of the Constitution of Honduras, all Hondurans over 18 years of age are citizens. This means that the quality of citizen is attained while a person is still a minor, thus involving the assumption of the status of minor adult. The latter contracts all the obligations of persons of full age and acquires the specific rights that are reserved for such persons, with a few exceptions.[108]

References

1. David R. Senn; Richard A. Weems (2013). Manual of Forensic Odontology. CRC Press. p. 212. ISBN 978-1-4398-5133-3.
2. Cornick (1995). A Practical Guide to Family Law. Cengage Learning. p. 229. ISBN 978-0-314-04451-8.
3. http://www.calbar.ca.gov/Portals/0/documents/publications/Turn-18.pdf
4. "At what age can I?". Dublin: Citizens Information Board (Bord um Fhaisnéis do Shaoránaigh / BFS). Archived from the original on 28 December 2010. Retrieved 12 January 2011.
5. "CONSTITUTION OF THE PORTUGUESE REPUBLIC" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 October 2014.
6. "Statutory and Judicial Emancipation of Minors in the United States, 2001–2002 analysis by law students of Northeastern University".
7. https://www.sefaria.org/Shabbat.56b?lang=bi
8. https://www.dafdigest.org/masechtos/Shabbos/Shabbos%20056.pdf
9. Emancipation of minors, Cornell.
10. "Adults Before Their Time: Children in Saudi Arabia's Criminal Justice System" (PDF). Human Rights Watch. March 2008. p. 14. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
11. "Iran", Youth policy (country fact sheet).
12. "Indonesia | Factsheets | Youthpolicy.org". www.youthpolicy.org.
13. "Myanmar | Factsheets | Youthpolicy.org". www.youthpolicy.org.
14. "Yemen", Youth policy (country fact sheet).
15. "Cambodia | Factsheets | Youthpolicy.org". www.youthpolicy.org.
16. "Cuba | Factsheets | Youthpolicy.org". www.youthpolicy.org.
17. "Kyrgyzstan | Factsheets | Youthpolicy.org". www.youthpolicy.org.
18. تشريع جديد بالكويت يخفض سن الرشد إلى 16 عاما". aljazeera.net.
19. "Pakistan -- Age of Consent". AgeOfConsent.com. Archived from the original on 12 May 2017. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
20. "Age of majority". Hmrc.gov.uk. 28 June 2011. Archived from the original on 17 August 2011. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
21. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 February 2020. Retrieved 24 February 2019.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
22. NSPCC,. "Legal definitions". NSPCC.
23. "Vietnamese lawmakers vote to keep age of majority at 16". Thanh Nien Daily. 5 April 2016.
24. "North Korea | Factsheets | Youthpolicy.org". www.youthpolicy.org.
25. "Fillon installe sa campagne sur le terrain de la sécurité". FIGARO. 15 February 2017.
26. "Timor-Leste | Factsheets | Youthpolicy.org". www.youthpolicy.org.
27. Archived 12 March 2014 at the Wayback Machine Civil Code of the Republic of Albania
28. "Legislation of Interpol member states on sexual offences against children" (PDF). arquivo.pt. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 February 2008. Retrieved 29 February 2008.
29. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 August 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2018.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
30. http://www.saij.gob.ar/docs-f/codigo/Codigo_Civil_y_Comercial_de_la_Nacion.pdf
31. http://biblioteka.sejm.gov.pl/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Angola_ang_010116.pdf
32. "Children's Rights: Australia". U.S. Library of congress. Section: Who is a Child?.
33. http://www.youthpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/library/Austria_2001_Civil_Code_Excerpt.pdf
34. "Interpol report on Bahamas". Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 9 June 2009.
35. "Interpol report on Barbados". Archived from the original on 27 September 2001. Retrieved 27 September 2001.
36. "Interpol report on Belarus". Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 9 June 2009.
37. Article 476 Civil code of Belgium.
38. "Belize: Minimum age at which an individual is legally entitled to vote; consume alcohol; engage in sexual activity; obtain a passport without parental consent; leave the country without parental consent; contract marriage without parental consent; age at which individuals become eligible for conscription; punishment for statutory rape (1997–2000)". Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. 20 March 2002. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
39. "Interpol report on Bosnia and Herzegovina". Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 9 June 2009.
40. Stephen Clarke, “Canada” in: U.S. Law Library of Congress, Children’s Rights (Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress, 2007), LL File № 2007‑04112, pp. 51–60.
41. "Children's Rights: China". Library of Congress. Retrieved 18 November 2013.
42. "Hong Kong e-Legislation". www.elegislation.gov.hk.
43. http://obcanskyzakonik.justice.cz/images/pdf/Civil-Code.pdf
44. "Interpol report on Denmark". Archived from the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 16 June 2009.
45. Interpol report on Djibouti(in French) Archived 29 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
46. "Code for the Protection of the Rights of Children and Adolescents".
47. "Egyptian cabinet approves amendment to lower age of legal adulthood to 18 - Politics - Egypt - Ahram Online". english.ahram.org.eg.
48. "El Salvador". U.S. Department of State. 23 February 2000. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
49. "Powered by Google Docs". Docs.google.com. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
50. https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/affichCode.do?idArticle=LEGIARTI000006427142&idSectionTA=LEGISCTA000006136228&cidTexte=LEGITEXT000006070721&dateTexte=20131204
51. § 2 Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch (BGB)
52. "Greek Civil Code". MinistryOfJustice.gr. Archived from the original on 13 October 2014. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
53. "Guinea-Bissau | Africa". Archived from the original on 8 January 2016. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
54. Indian Majority Act
55. Iraqi Civil Law: Its Sources, Substance, and Sundering Archived 10 June 2014 at the Wayback Machine
56. "Age of Majority Act, 1985". Irish Statute Book. Oireachtas. Retrieved 3 August 2010.
57. Jozuka, Emiko (15 June 2018). "Japan lowers its age of adulthood to 18". CNN. Retrieved 14 September 2019.
58. "Гражданский кодекс Республики Казахстан (Общая часть), принят Верховным Советом Республики Казахстан 27 декабря 1994 года (с изменениями и дополнениями по состоянию на 02.04.2019 г.)". Информационная система ПАРАГРАФ. Archived from the original on 28 March 2020. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
59. http://biblioteka.sejm.gov.pl/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/Kenia_ang_010117.pdf
60. http://www.youthpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/library/1974_Kenya_Age_of_Majority_Act_Eng.pdf
61. Chigunta, Francis; Schnurr, Jamie; James-Wilson, David; Torres, Veronica (2005). "Being "Real" about Youth Entrepreneurship in Eastern and Southern Africa: Implications for Adults, Institutions and Sector Structures" (PDF). International Labour Office. p. 3, Table 1.1. Retrieved 2 March 2012.
62. "Age of Majority Act 1971". The Commissioner of Law Revision, Malaysia. 22 April 1971. Retrieved 23 April 2018.
63. Archived 4 June 2015 at the Wayback Machine APC.org Malta Civil Code Section 157
64. "Codigo Civil Federal (Antes: Codigo Civil Para el Distrito y Territorios Federales en Materia Comun y Para Toda la Republica en Materia Federal)" [Federal Civil Code (Before: Civil Code for the District and Federal Territories in Common Matters and for All the Republic in Federal Matters)] (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
65. Tjatjara, Bernard (15 February 2019). "Namibia: Age of Majority Now 18 in Namibian Law" Archived 3 February 2020 at the Wayback Machine – via AllAfrica.
66. "Dutch Civil Law". www.dutchcivillaw.com.
67. http://www.youthpolicy.org/library/wp-content/uploads/library/1993_Child_Rights_State_Periodic_Eng.pdf
68. "Powered by Google Docs". Docs.google.com. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
69. Amendment in the majority act
70. "21 PNC § 105".
71. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 15 September 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2019.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
72. Republic Act No. 6809, 13 December 1989, Chan Robles Law library
73. "Age of Sexual Consent – Poland". Ageofconsent.com. Archived from the original on 6 August 2012. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
74. "The Citizens (Natural Persons)". Russian-civil-code.com. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
75. "Powered by Google Docs". Docs.google.com. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
76. "with exceptions, under the Civil Law Act". Singapore. Retrieved 27 April 2020.
77. carina. "Black Sash – Making Human Rights Real – You and Your Rights: Turning 18". Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
78. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 August 2018. Retrieved 26 May 2018.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
79. http://biblioteka.sejm.gov.pl/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Hiszpania_ang_300612.pdf
80. http://www.youthpolicy.org/library/wp-content/uploads/library/2009_Spanish_Civil_Code_Eng.pdf
81. "Age of Majority in Sri Lanka". Lawnet.lk. Archived from the original on 11 January 2012. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
82. "Human Rights Watch, ''Iran, Saudi Arabia, Sudan: End Juvenile Death Penalty''". Hrw.org. 8 October 2010. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
83. "Powered by Google Docs". Docs.google.com. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
84. http://www.youthpolicy.org/wp-content/uploads/library/Switzerland_1907_Civil_Code_eng.pdf
85. "Tunisie, la majorité civile est désormais de 18 ans". Retrieved 28 July 2015.
86. "Powered by Google Docs". Docs.google.com. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
87. "3. State Party Reports: Uganda". UNICEF. Retrieved 12 September 2016.
88. "Ukraine – Age of Consent to Sexual Activity". Ageofconsent.com. Archived from the original on 29 August 2012. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
89. "Family Law Reform Act 1969". gov.uk. 25 July 1969. Retrieved 9 January 2015.
90. "Age of Majority Act (Northern Ireland) 1969". Legislation.gov.uk. 26 May 2011. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
91. "Proceedings" (PDF). House of Keys Official Report. 123 (14): 694. 7 March 2006. ISSN 1742-2264. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 March 2012.
92. Age of Majority (Jersey) Law 1999 Archived 10 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine
93. The Age of Majority (Alderney) Law, 2001, guernseylegalresources.gg.
94. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 October 2016. Retrieved 26 July 2016.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
95. "Age of Majority". Minors.uslegal.com. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
96. "Uzbekistan | Factsheets | Youthpolicy.org". www.youthpolicy.org. Retrieved 27 November 2017.
97. "dgsn.dz". Archived from the original on 12 March 2012.
98. :::: 법률지식정보시스템 ::::. Likms.assembly.go.kr. Retrieved on 11 April 2012.
99. "Section 26-1-1 – :: Chapter 1 – GENERAL PROVISIONS. :: Title 26 – INFANTS AND INCOMPETENTS. :: 2006 Alabama Code :: Alabama Code :: US Codes and Statutes :: US Law :: Justia". Law.justia.com. 22 July 1975. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
100. "Nebraska Age of Majority Law – Age of Majority – Minors". Minors.uslegal.com. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
101. "Age of Majority Act 1970". Retrieved 28 July 2015.
102. Lin, Sean (14 August 2020). "Cabinet approves lowering age of majority to 18". Taipei Times. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
103. Sexual Offences Laws – Countries. Interpol.int (31 January 2011). Retrieved on 11 April 2012.
104. "Cameroon | Factsheets | Youthpolicy.org". www.youthpolicy.org.
105. "Ivory Coast | Factsheets | Youthpolicy.org". www.youthpolicy.org.
106. "Gabon | Factsheets | Youthpolicy.org". www.youthpolicy.org.
107. "Grenada | Factsheets | Youthpolicy.org". www.youthpolicy.org.
108. https://www.unicef-irc.org/portfolios/documents/390_honduras.htm#targetText=In%20the%20light%20of%20article,years%20of%20age%20are%20citizens.
109. Ordonnance 62-041 du 19 septembre 1962 relative aux dispositions générales de droit interne et de droit international privé Archived 27 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine
110. "Mississippi Age of Majority Law". Retrieved 28 July 2015.
111. "The age requirement for Bar/Bat mitzvah", My Jewish Learning.
112. "CIC can. 97 § 1", Code of Canon Law (English), "CIC can. 97 § 1", Codex Iuris Canonici (Latin) (1983).