Mapping minimum age requirements concerning the rights of the child in the EU

FRA collected data and identified key findings in the areas listed below. More variables for each area can be found in the data explorer.

1. Defining different age groups
   • Age of majority
2. Age for marriage and sexual consent
   • Marriage with consent of a public authority and/or public figure
   • Consent for sexual activity with an adult
3. Children and citizenship
   • Applying for birth registration
   • Applying for an identity card
   • Applying for a passport
   • Applying for citizenship
   • Renouncing citizenship
4. Age for political participation
   • Children's right to vote
   • Standing as candidates
   • Participating in youth or children’s councils
5. Children and religion
   • Changing religion without parental consent
   • Withdrawing from religious education at school
6. Age requirements and health
   • Consenting to medical treatment without parental consent
   • Requesting euthanasia
   • Seeking medical advice without parental involvement
   • Accessing reproductive or sexual health services
   • Accessing abortion services
   • Purchasing and consuming alcohol
   • Purchasing and consuming tobacco
7. Asylum and migration procedures
   • Asylum applications for unaccompanied children
   • Asylum applications for accompanied children
   • Specialised facilities
   • Consent to medical tests for age assessment
   • Family reunification procedures
   • Fingerprinting under migration and asylum law
8. Children in the digital world
   • Consent to disclose data on children
   • Consent to use data on children
9. Social rights
   • Child benefits for children living with their families
10. Employment and finance
    • Entering full-time work
    • Entitlement to a minimum wage
    • Issuance of a credit card
11. Education
    • Accessing vocational training
    • Obligation to enrol in early childhood education and care services
    • Right to enrol in early childhood education and care services
    • Compulsory schooling
12. Alternative care
    • Institutional residential care
    • Consent to adoption
    • Accessing adoption files and information on the biological family
13. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) children's rights
    • Entering a same-sex civil partnership
    • Entering into a same-sex marriage
    • Entering into a same-sex marriage or civil partnership
    • Access to transgender hormone therapy
    • Access to sex reassignment surgery
14. Mobility
    • Driving a moped

The maps and tables presented on the following web pages show the national legislative provisions on age requirements in various policy areas and domains for protection and participation rights of children. A summary of key findings for each area is provided under the maps and tables.

For further details about how minimum ages affect the rights of children, the FRA research and related work by the European Commission, see the background information.

Research – The information was collected through Franet, FRA’s multidisciplinary research network. The information was shared in September 2017 with all EU Member States through the European Commission’s informal group of experts of rights of the child, with the request to check the accuracy of the data or update any data if relevant.

Timeline – The reference period was until April 2016. Any legislative developments since then have been included whenever relevant or if known.