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.

Reasons for underage marriage

Article 13 of the Family Code indicates that in the presence of certain valid reasons (in certain cases), local government bodies (usually district or city administrations) have the right to allow persons who have reached the age of incomplete legal capacity, that is, sixteen years, to marry.

But the legislation does not provide a list of such reasons, so they can be identified based on already established practice:

• pregnancy;
• actual relationship (civil marriage);
• presence of common children;
• threat to life;
• the groom's conscription for military service.

Parental permission is not required for such a marriage.

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?

How long does the marriage procedure take?

Another important criterion is the duration of the ceremony. Planning the entire day for the newlyweds, ordering a photographer, a cafe and other important moments depends on her. The indicator strongly depends on the rules of the selected registry office branch, workload, type of registration, etc.

Non-ceremonial painting

Usually registration without the holiday part costs more. The newlyweds arrive on the appointed day and time, sign the documents, and exchange rings. This takes very little time, in the standard case up to 15 minutes.

Marriage ceremony

If registration takes place in, then the time spent on it is 30 minutes or more. Even more will be required for an outdoor ceremony in the European style, providing for beautiful exits of the newlyweds, a reception, a buffet, etc.

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 2022 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.

Let's sum it up

The establishment of a minimum marriageable age was not made for fun, but in order to protect those getting married themselves from wrong decisions and their consequences. As is known, hormones that are in an unstable state in young people do not contribute to their sanity. As a result, a love that will cool down in a month may be mistaken for one true and final love, and in the meantime the girl may already be pregnant, and then divorce will become impractical. It is the responsibility of parents to explain to their children that waiting until adulthood without marriage is an important process necessary in order to live their lives most effectively.

After marriage, a woman, according to the legislation of the Russian Federation, can change her last name. However, she will also have to replace her own passport. Read more about this procedure in a special article.

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.

How long after submitting documents is marriage registered when the bride is pregnant?

The special position of the future spouse is one of the options for reducing the waiting period.

In this case, registration will take place shortly.

The final waiting period depends on the duration of pregnancy, the health of the newlyweds, and the workload of the registry office.

Registration is definitely possible at the time of application or within a few days.

Statistics on the age of marriage in Russia

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

When can you get a divorce?

There must be a reason for a divorce to be registered. Circumstances vary, but generally fall into one of the following categories:

• The desire to dissolve the marriage is demonstrated by one of the spouses, or both members of the couple want it.
• The demand to dissolve the marriage is expressed by the guardian of the incapacitated spouse (if this marriage can harm the ward).
• One of the spouses died.

In any case, the procedure is quite simple and takes a minimum of time.

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.

At what age did people get married in Rus'?

If we take an excursion into the distant past, we will see that the age of marriage, according to the traditions of that time, was much lower. In Rus' before Peter the Great, girls were married off at the age of 12-13. Historical documents and works of literature mention many cases of early marriages . For example, in Pushkin’s “Eugene Onegin,” Tatyana Larina’s nanny talks about how she was married off at the age of 13. It is known that Prince Yuri Dolgoruky married an eleven-year-old girl. Suzdal Prince Vsevolod Yuryevich the Big Nest married his daughter at the age of 8.

Blessing

Early marriages in ancient times were not only desirable, but also necessary.

Why did people get married early?

There are several reasons, and they are all related to the living conditions of the people and religious norms:

• The decision about marriage was made by the parents and they tried to do it early, while the children were obedient. There was a saying: “If you marry, as long as you are obedient, you will not get married.”
• Marriages in noble families were concluded for political purposes; the age of the bride and groom was unimportant.

Boyar wedding

• Frequent wars led to the death of young men, and therefore, in order to continue the family line, it was desirable to marry them as early as possible.
• Life expectancy was much lower than today.
• The young people began their family life in the parental home with an established household.
• In those days, families had many children, therefore, the earlier a woman began to give birth, the more numerous her offspring were.
• Poor families tried to get their daughter married as quickly as possible in order to get rid of the extra mouth.

Despite the fact that ancient Russian families were built at the insistence of parents, without the consent of the young, sincere love and respect reigned in them

Divorces were extremely rare. According to church rules, only two marriages were allowed. Even if one of the spouses in the second marriage died, a third marriage was prohibited. Sons remained under the care of their parents while they were alive, and daughters until marriage.

Russian wedding

There is a saying: “It’s not a bad thing to get married, as long as you don’t get married.” If you are sure that you have met your one and only man , then no matter how old you are, feel free to walk down the aisle. After all, you have the main thing that is necessary to create a strong family. The rest is a matter of profit. Advice to you, yes love!

Family life is not a formality...

If we omit the legal issues of marriage, then we mean that you have already reached the age of majority, you can decide for yourself whether you want a wedding now or are not ready yet. After all, family life is not just a formal part, but also a responsibility that you assume towards your spouse, as well as the children who will later appear in your marriage.

Many psychologists advise not to rush into this, since, while still at a young age, many want to be taken care of and are not ready to give care to someone else. For everyone, the realization that they are ready for married life comes in different ways. Some people may already be ready for a family at the age of 20, but some still don’t decide at 30. There is no need to rush in this matter, but it is better to listen to the advice of those who have already been married for more than one year.

However, you only need to make a decision yourself, relying on your feelings and sensations. If you are ready to see this person next to you every day, you are sure that this is the one chosen one for life, then start a family and enjoy your marriage.