At what age can you get married in Russia?

Marriage age in Russia

Full legal capacity appears in a person only upon reaching adulthood. Guided by this, it was established that a man and a woman can register an official marriage relationship only after 18 years of age, but there are exceptions.

According to statistics, 14% of all parents were minors at the time of the birth of the child. And since the mother and father are obliged to protect their children and defend their interests in state and municipal organizations, when married at the age of 16, partners receive full legal capacity as part of emancipation. Emancipation is confirmed by documents and does not require additional permission from self-government bodies or parents.

The established rules are relevant only for Russian citizens. Foreign nationals registering marriages in the Russian Federation can marry, guided by the age restrictions of their state.

What age do marriages take place on average?

Throughout the 20th century, changes on a global scale and two world wars at once should have affected the statistics of marriage rates.

But if you look at the numbers, the average age at marriage has remained virtually unchanged over time. At the end of the 20th century, men and women married at 23 and 20 years old, respectively.

According to statistics, since 1979, the average age of marriage in Russia has been 24.5 years for men and 22.5 for women. Until the early nineties, these figures remained virtually unchanged.

In the period from 1990 to 1993, the age of young people getting married decreased by 2–3 years. Many girls at that time got married at 18 and 19 years old. Most of the female population of Russia was already married by the age of 21.

This is due to government policy to strengthen the family. Cohabitation without registration was not only not welcomed, but also condemned and brought a lot of inconvenience in life.

An unregistered couple was not placed in the same hotel room. A woman living without registration with a man was considered frivolous and promiscuous by public opinion. She rarely managed to make a career out of her work.

At the same time, young families aged 21-22 years old, as a rule, completed their studies at universities and went on assignment together. The family enjoyed an advantage in obtaining an apartment; it was easier for a married man to advance in his career, since he was considered more reliable and serious.

Minimum age for marriage

On the territory of Russia, it is allowed to reduce the age limit by 2 years, i.e. up to 16 years old. There is no list of reasons for making such a decision, but participants wishing to formalize a union must comply with the following requirements:

• personal request from a girl and a guy to register a relationship;
• reaching 16 years of age;
• written consent of the LGU (local government bodies) to register the relationship;
• having valid reasons for getting married;
• emancipation, that is, obtaining full legal capacity (full-time employment, registration of individual entrepreneurs).

Legal basis:

• Federal Law No. 140 of November 15, 1997 “On introducing amendments to the Investigative Committee of Russia”;
• Family Code of the Russian Federation;
• United Nations Convention.

Permission to register marriage under 18 years of age

After reaching the age of majority, a man and a woman can register a marriage by mutual consent, regardless of the wishes of parents, relatives, and third parties. Reducing the age limit to 16 years is allowed only in the presence of special circumstances, as well as after obtaining permission from the municipality.

Regional authorities have the authority to reduce age restrictions, which they successfully use. At the age of 14, residents of the following regions can register a marriage:

• Tambovskaya;
• Kaluzhskaya;
• Tula;
• Sakhalinskaya;
• Chechen;
• Moscow;
• Vologda;
• Orlovskaya;
• EAO.

From the age of 15, persons registered on the territory of the constituent entities of the Federation can register a marriage:

• Murmanskaya;
• Kabardino-Balkaria;
• Ryazan;
• Chelyabinskaya.

How to find out if a person is married?

How to pay the state fee for registering a marriage?

In what cases can the maturity threshold be lowered?

For a number of circumstances, it is sometimes necessary to lower the minimum age set by the state for marriage.

The reasons allowing this are spelled out in the Family Code of the Russian Federation. So Article 13 of the RF IC:

• the reduction in the minimum threshold for marriage cannot be more than two years;
• to register a marriage before reaching the age of majority, those wishing to do so must provide a number of compelling reasons;
• the decision on permission to marry before the required age is considered at the place of registration of the young people;
• the relevant authorities make decisions without parental consent.

The issue of a marriage license is considered within a month. To do this, you must provide a package of documents and medical indications for early marriage.

Since the law does not clearly state the reasons for permission, local government considers each such application individually and makes a decision.

But, as a rule, a number of such reasons include:

1. pregnancy,
2. birth of a child,
3. conscription of a young man for military service,
4. going on a long business trip,
5. de facto established family life.

Reasons for lowering the age of marriage

To reduce the age of marriage, it is necessary to confirm the existence of special conditions, guided by the provisions of the Family Code. These include:

• bride's pregnancy;
• military service (conscription of men, assignment to serve in another region);
• presence of a threat to life (medical documents confirming a serious illness);
• departure on a long business trip (confirmation by a certificate from the place of work);
• the birth of a child to a couple;
• emancipation (certificate from the place of work confirming official employment, a copy of the work record book, registration in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities as an individual entrepreneur).

Pregnancy must be confirmed by a gynecologist's certificate; the duration does not matter. Establishing paternity is not required if the guy independently recognizes the child.

When a child is born before 16 years of age, an entry is made in the birth certificate about the mother and father of the child from the words of the minor parents on the basis of a handwritten statement. But it will be possible to register a marriage union only after the 16th birthday of each participant and after providing a birth certificate of the joint child.

The law prohibits registration of marriage between close relatives, regardless of age.

Procedure for lowering the marriageable age

The legislation provides for the procedure for marriage before the age of majority:

• collection of documents necessary to confirm special conditions;
• applying to the guardianship and trusteeship authorities for permission to register the relationship;
• submitting an application to the civil registry office (in person, through the State Services website, through the MFC);
• payment of state duty (in 2021 the cost is 350 rubles);
• setting a wedding date.

Thus, you must first contact the guardianship and trusteeship authorities. After receiving permission, the couple applies to the registry office located at the place of registration of one of the future spouses.

In practice, situations occur when neither the guardianship authorities nor the parents categorically agree to give consent to register a marriage. In this case, it is necessary to apply to the court with a statement of claim. You can file a claim at the age of 14; during the meeting, the minor participant enjoys all the rights and responsibilities available to adults.

If an appropriate court decision is received, the couple can apply to the territorial registry office with an application to register the marriage.

Sample application for lowering the marriageable age

Each applicant prepares a handwritten application indicating:

• personal data;
• request to register the relationship;
• the reason for early marriage;
• the period for which the marriageable age has been reduced;
• Civil passport details.

To the head of the guardianship authorities

and guardianship of Arkhangelsk

Kletskin P. T.

Danilov Anton Romanovich, born March 14, 2002,

Resident: Arkhangelsk, st. Pavlova 14/7

Statement

I ask you to allow me to register an official marriage with Kalinova Yulia Vasilievna born on July 28, 2002. before reaching marriageable age, reducing it by 13 months. The decision is due to Yu. V. Kalinova’s pregnancy.

Copies of the attached documents: 1. Passport of Anton Romanovich Danilov 2. Passport of Yulia Vasilievna Kalinova 3. Parents’ consent to register the marriage 4. Permission from the guardianship authorities

02/14/2019A. R. Danilov

Required documents

The list of documents depends on the circumstances and reasons for registering the marriage. The list includes:

• applicant's passport;
• passport of the second partner;
• handwritten statement;
• written consent of the mother and father of the candidate for marriage registration;
• permission from guardianship and trusteeship authorities;
• certificates that confirm the basis for early marriage.

Obtaining parental permission is optional.

Is it possible to register a marriage between an adult and a teenager?

A minor can marry before the age of 18 if there are good reasons for doing so. If one party has not yet reached the age of majority, you can be guided by the general rules on the age of marriage. For example, if a pregnant girl is 16 years old and the guy is 19 years old, they can apply to the administration for permission. Pregnancy is a valid reason; the likelihood of your application being approved is quite high. Or, for example, a girl is 17 years old and a guy is 20 years old, they live an “adult” life, but their parents are against the relationship. To reassure their parents, young people decide to get married. There is a good reason - actual life together.

Most often, in such “unequal” couples, obstacles are created by the parents. But if a situation arises that an adult and a minor actually live together, the future bride can contact the guardianship and trusteeship authorities. It is necessary to explain the situation, and specialists from the guardianship service will be able to reassure parents and provide advisory assistance. The guardianship authorities can also assist in the issue of permission.

It is in the interests of the adult to register the relationship, otherwise he risks being prosecuted for seducing a minor

Divorce and annulment of marriage

Article 27 of the Family Code states that the marriage union of minor spouses may be declared invalid. Reasons:

• violation of the procedure for obtaining consent to marriage;
• forced registration of relationships;
• the absence of a law on the registration of relationships at a specific age on the territory of a constituent entity of the Federation;
• the presence of a previous marriage that has not been dissolved;
• establishing that the wife and husband are close relatives;
• partners treat each other as an adopted child and an adoptive parent;
• marriage to an incapacitated person;
• establishing the presence of a sexually transmitted disorder that was known before the wedding;
• fictitious marriage (without the purpose of formalizing family relations).

Only a court can declare a marriage invalid on the basis of a statement of claim:

• husband;
• wives;
• parents of spouses;
• partner trustees;
• adoptive parents of participants;
• board of trustees;
• prosecutor's office.

Statistics on the age of marriage in Russia

Table No. 1 “Basic statistical data in the Russian Federation”

Lawyer's answers to frequently asked questions

At what age can you get married if you have children?

The birth of a child is the basis for reducing the age limit to 16 years. Regardless of when the couple had children. To register a marriage relationship you will need:

• passports of applicants;
• the child’s birth certificate, which contains information about the future spouses.

In some regions of the Federation, the minimum age has been reduced to 14/15 years.

Is it possible to get married if the guy is 23 and the girl is 16?

Yes, the age difference does not affect the possibility of registering a relationship. If each of the candidates is over 16, you can begin the procedure for applying for marriage.

Minimum number of years for marriage

In the Russian state there are no specific norms for lowering the marriageable age. The reasons are not clearly stated, so the regional subjects of the federation themselves set the minimum threshold.

In the regions, such a common reason as pregnancy is either limited to 12 to 22 weeks for marriage permission, or is prescribed without specifying the timing at all.

Practice shows that in emergency cases, marriages are signed at the age of 14. Such laws have been passed in some regional areas.

The presence of compelling reasons exempts minors from parental consent. But in some cases, permission to marry minors from legal representatives has weight when it comes to lowering the minimum age threshold.

If there are no grounds for early marriage, parents have the right to prevent their children from making such a decision and appeal the decision in court.

Minors who have been denied permission to marry have the same right. Any appeals and disagreements are resolved only through the court within the established time frame.