Age of majority
862311
225893988
2008-07-15T22:10:08Z
JulieADriver
68199
/* Explanation */
{{refimprove|article|date=September 2007}}
The '''age of majority''' is the threshold of [[adulthood]] as it is conceptualized in [[law]]. It is the chronological moment when children legally cease to be [[minor (law)|minors]] and assume control over their persons, actions and decisions, thereby terminating the legal control and legal responsibilities of their parents over and for them. The word ''majority'' here refers to having greater years and being of full age; it is opposed to ''minority'', the state of being a minor.
In practical terms, there are certain specific actions which a person who attains the age of majority is permitted to take, which they could not do before. These may include entering into a binding [[contract]], [[voting]], buying and/or consuming [[alcoholic beverage]]s, driving [[motor vehicle]]s on public roads, and [[marriage|marrying]] without obtaining consent of others. The ages at which these various rights or powers may be exercised vary as between the various rights and as between different jurisdictions. For example, the ages at which a person may obtain a license to drive a car or consume alcoholic beverages vary considerably between and also within jurisdictions.
==Explanation==
Age of majority is frequently confused with similar concept, the '''age of license''', 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. One does not need legal permission to grow up; it just happens.
For example, in any jurisdiction, the age at which an individual is allowed to exercise the franchise (vote), leave school without taking a diploma, enter into legally binding contracts (other than for necessaries, to which no age of license applies), operate a motor vehicle, purchase and consume alcoholic beverages, and so on – these are all ages of license, at which the law permits an individual to perform certain acts and exercise certain rights, with or without any restrictions.
Age of majority pertains solely to the acquisition of control over one's person, decisions and actions, and the correlative termination of the legal authority and responsibility of the parents (or guardian(s), in lieu of parents) over the child’s persons 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, the age of license to purchase alcoholic beverages is 21 in all U.S. states. For most other purposes, the age of majority in the U.S. is 18, except for 2 states with the age of 19 ([[Nebraska]] and [[Alabama]]) and one state with the age of 21 ([[Mississippi]]) and two ([[American Samoa]] and [[Puerto Rico]]) that retain 14 as the age of majority. [http://alisdb.legislature.state.al.us/acas/searchableinstruments/2006rs/bills/sb198.htm The Bill] Also, the age of majority in the [[Republic of Ireland]] is 18, but one must be over 21 years of age to stand for election.
A child who is legally [[emancipation of minors|emancipated]] by a court of competent jurisdiction automatically attains to his or her majority upon the signing of the court order. This is distinct from the legal process by which a child might be taken into foster care and/or made a ward of the court. Foster care and court wardship do not confer majority upon the child so separated from his or her parents (or guardians). Only emancipation confers the status of majority before a person has actually reached the age of majority.
Almost all jurisdictions automatically confer emancipation (and with it, the status of majority) upon otherwise minor individuals who are married. Some do likewise for minors who are on active duty in the armed forces.<ref>[http://www.bostoncoop.net/lcd/emancipation/emancipation_deliverable.pdf Statutory and Judicial Emancipation of Minors in the United States], 2001-2002 analysis by law students of [[Northeastern University]]</ref>
==Countries and subdivisions==
<!-- Please add your country in alphabetical order in the list below-->
* [[Afghanistan]] - 18
* [[Albania]] - 18
* [[Argentina]] - 21
* [[Armenia]] - 18
* [[Angola]] - 18
* [[Australia]] - 18
* [[Austria]] - 18
* [[Azerbaijan]] - 18
* [[Bahamas]] - 18
* [[Bahrain]] - 21
* [[Barbados]] - 18
* [[Belarus]] - 18
* [[Belgium]] - 18
* [[Bhutan]] - 18
* [[Bolivia]] - 18
* [[Bosnia & Herzegovina]] - 18
* [[Brazil]] - 18
* [[Brunei]] - 18
* [[Bulgaria]] - 18
* [[Burundi]] - 18
* [[Cambodia]] - 18
* [[Cameroon]] - 21
* [[Canada]] - Age of majority is per provincial and territorial jurisdiction[http://canadaonline.about.com/od/canadianlaw/g/ageofmajority.htm]
** 18 in [[Alberta]], [[Saskatchewan]], [[Manitoba]], [[Ontario]], [[Quebec]] and [[Prince Edward Island]]
** 19 in [[British Columbia]], [[Nova Scotia]], [[New Brunswick]], [[Newfoundland and Labrador]], [[Yukon]], [[Northwest Territories]] and [[Nunavut]]
* [[Chad]] - 21
* [[Chile]] - 18
* [[China]] - 18
* [[Colombia]] - 18
* [[Costa Rica]] - 18
* [[Cote d'Ivoire]] - 21
* [[Croatia]] - 18
* [[Cuba]] - 18
* [[Cyprus]] - 18
* [[Czech republic]] - 18
* [[Democratic People's Republic of Korea]] - 17
* [[Denmark]] - 18
** [[Faroe Islands]] - 18
** [[Greenland]] - 18
* [[Djibouti]] - 18
* [[Dominican Republic]] - 18
* [[Dominica]] - 18
* [[Ecuador]] - 18
* [[Egypt]] - 21
* [[El Salvador]] - 18
* [[Estonia]] - 18
* [[Fiji]] - 18
* [[Finland]] - 18
* [[France]] - 18
* [[Gabon]] - 18
* [[Germany]] - 18
* [[Gibraltar]] - 18
* [[Greece]] - 18
* [[Guatemala]] - 18
* [[Guernsey]] - 18
* [[Guinea]] - 21 (minors are emancipated upon marriage)
* [[Guyana]] - 18
* [[Honduras]] - 21
* [[Hong Kong]] - 18
* [[Hungary]] - 18
* [[Iceland]] - 18
* [[India]] - 18
* [[Indonesia]] - 18
* [[Iran]] - 18
* [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]] - 18 (majority is also assumed upon marriage, which can be done at 16, or younger in extremely exceptional circumstances)
* [[Italy]] - 18
* [[Israel]] - 18
* [[Jamaica]] - 18
* [[Japan]] - 20 (debate started to lower it to 18)<ref>[http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20080214a3.html The Japan Times (Kyodo News) 2/14/2008]</ref>
* [[Jersey]] - 18
* [[Kenya]] - 18
* [[Kyrgyzstan]] - 16
* [[Laos]] - 18
* [[Latvia]] - 18
* [[Lebanon]] - 18
* [[Lesotho]] - 21
* [[Liechtenstein]] - 18
* [[Lithuania]] - 18
* [[Luxembourg]] - 18
* [[Macau]] - 18
* [[Republic of Macedonia|Macedonia]] - 18
* [[Madagascar]] - 21 <ref>[http://droit.francophonie.org/df-web/publication.do?publicationId=2329 Ordonnance 62-041 du 19 septembre 1962 relative aux dispositions générales de droit interne et de droit international privé]</ref> (minors are emancipated upon marriage)
* [[Malaysia]] - 18
* [[Malta]] - 18
* [[Isle of Man]] - 18
* [[Mauritania]] - 18
* [[Mexico]] - 18
* [[Moldova]] - 18
* [[Monaco]] - 21
* [[Montenegro]] - 18
* [[Mozambique]] - 18
* [[Namibia]] - 21
* [[Nepal]] - 16
* [[Netherlands]] - 18 (all adult rights granted at 16)
* [[New Zealand]] - 18
* [[Norway]] - 18
* [[Oman]] - 18
* [[Pakistan]] - 18 for males, 16 for females.
* [[Panama]] - 18
* [[Paraguay]] - 18 (minors are emancipated upon marriage)
* [[Peru]] - 18
* [[Philippines]] - 18 (all adult rights are also granted)
** 16 in [[Luzon]] and [[Visayas]]
** 17 in [[Mindanao]]
* [[Poland]] - 18 (minors are emancipated upon marriage)
* [[Portugal]] - 18
* [[Qatar]] - 18
* [[Republic of Korea]] - 20
* [[Romania]] - 18
* [[Russia]] - 18
* [[Rwanda]] - 18
* [[Saudi Arabia]] - 18
* [[St Kitts & Nevis]] - 18
* [[Senegal]] - 18
* [[Serbia]] - 18
* [[Singapore]] - 21
* [[Seychelles]] - 18
* [[Slovakia]] - 18
* [[Slovenia]] - 18
* [[South Africa]] - 18
* [[Spain]] - 18
* [[Sudan]] - 18
* [[Swaziland]] - 21
* [[Sweden]] - 18
* [[Switzerland]] - 18
* [[Syria]] - 18
* [[Republic of China|Taiwan]] - 20
* [[Tajikistan]] - 17
* [[Tanzania]] - 18
* [[Thailand]] - 20
* [[Trinidad & Tobago]] - 18
* [[Tunisia]] - 20
* [[Turkey]] - 18
* [[Turkmenistan]] - 16
* [[Ukraine]] - 18
* [[UK]]
** [[England]] - 18
** [[Northern Ireland]] - 18
** [[Wales]] - 18
** [[Scotland]] - 16
* [[United States]] - Age of majority is state, territorial, and commonwealth jurisdiction, except for purposes of U.S. federal law and the District of Columbia (which is subject to the supervisory jurisdiction of the federal government).
** 18 at the state and territory level except:
*** 21 in [[Mississippi]]
*** 19 in [[Alabama]] and [[Nebraska]]
*** 17 in [[Louisiana]]
*** 14 in [[American Samoa]] and [[Puerto Rico]]
* [[Uruguay]] - 18
* [[Uzbekistan]] - 14
* [[Venezuela]] - 18
* [[Yemen]] - 18
* [[Zimbabwe]] - 18
==References==
{{Reflist}}
==See also==
* [[Age of consent]]
* [[Age of criminal responsibility]]
* [[Emancipation of minors]]
* [[Legal drinking age]]
* [[Marriageable age]]
* [[Voting age]]
* [[List of the youngest mayors in the United States]]
[[Category:Aging]]
[[Category:Legal terms]]
[[Category:Legal fictions]]
[[Category:Statutory law]]
[[Category:Ageism]]
[[Category:Youth rights]]
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[[it:Maggiore età]]
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[[pt:Maioridade]]
[[ru:Совершеннолетие]]
[[fi:Täysi-ikäisyys]]
[[sv:Myndig]]
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