Issuance of a credit card

For children to be issued a credit card, a certain minimum age and parental consent is often required, although this is usually regulated by banks and policy rather than by law.


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Key aspects

  • In eleven EU Member States (Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Greece, Ireland, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Sweden and the United Kingdom), if the parents approve, there is no minimum requirement for children to be issued a credit card.
  • In Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Cyprus, Finland, Italy, Luxembourg, Romania and Spain, the age requirement is set at 18 years.
  • In Bulgaria and France, the age requirement is 16 years, in Hungary and Lithuania 14 years, in Latvia 7 years and in Slovakia 6 years of age.
  • However, in all EU Member States, practices may differ, depending on bank policies. Different rules may apply for emancipated children, or children who receive an income their own.

The data explorer also provides information on the minimum age at which children are allowed to open a bank account, which is usually younger or the same as the age at which they can be issued a credit card. There are no limits on the age at which children can inherit financial assets, land or property.