What can a young person do before the age of 18?
Verified 02 March 2022 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)
Only the young adult or emancipated minor full independence. Before age 18, the young person must obtain, in the vast majority of cases, the agreement or authorization of his parents (who have parental authority) or of his guardian if he has one.
General case
What can a young person do? | From what age? | Alone or with the agreement of the parents (or guardian)? |
|---|---|---|
Have personal papers: - Certificate of French nationality - Passport | At any age | Agreement of a parent (or guardian) |
At any age | Agreement of a parent (or guardian) | |
Recognizing your child and exercise parental authority | At any age | Alone |
Accept or decline your simple or plenary adoption | 13 years | Alone |
Accept or reject sound change first name or sound name | 13 years | Alone |
If he is born in France to foreigners parents, consent to the acquisition of French nationality | 13 years | Alone |
Perform the citizen census | 16 yrs | Alone |
Request a certificate of french nationality | 16 yrs | Alone |
Get your emancipation | 16 yrs | Agreement of a parent (or guardian) |
Declining French nationality, if he was born in France to foreigner parents | 17 years | Alone |
Young foreigner
What can a young foreigner do? | From what age? | Alone or with the agreement of the parents (or guardian)? |
|---|---|---|
Ask For asylum in France | At any age | Alone |
At any age | Agreement of a parent (or guardian) | |
Request the reintegration into french nationality | At any age | Agreement of a parent (or guardian) |
Request a residence permit to work | 16 yrs | Alone |
Applying for French nationality | 16 yrs | Alone |
Request the reintegration into french nationality | 16 yrs | Alone |
At any age and alone, young people can:
- File a complaint
- Inquire about your rights in a house of justice and law or a departmental center for access to law (CDAD)
- Benefit from legal aid
- To be heard by a judge in civil proceedings (e.g. family judge if his parents divorce, judge children if he is in danger, guardianship judge)
- Testify or be heard, tried and eventually convicted in criminal proceedings
- Enter the Defender of Rights of a claim
- Exercise its rights of access, rectification and opposition to computer files containing information about him
Who shall I contact
What can a young person do? | From what age? | Alone or with the agreement? |
|---|---|---|
Be authorized to leave high school or college | At any age | Agreement of parents (or guardian) |
Prepare your educational guidance | At any age | Only (decisions may require parental consent) |
Be class delegate and to organize meetings in its college or secondary school | At any age | Alone |
Participate in the management of a high school students' house | 16 yrs | Alone |
What can a young person do? | From what age? | Alone or with the agreement? |
|---|---|---|
Join a association | At any age | Alone |
Be temporarily self-sufficient if they have scouting | At any age | Agreement of parents (or guardian) |
Participate in the creation of a association and be responsible for its administration | At any age | Agreement of a parent (or guardian) |
Participate in the setting up an association and being responsible for its administration | 16 yrs | Only (however, the association concerned must inform the parents without delay). |
Enter, without an adult, into a bar or a café that does not sell alcohol | 13 years | Alone |
Enter, without an adult, into a bar (however, it can neither buy nor be offered alcohol) | 16 yrs | Alone |
Getting used to tattoos and piercings by a professional | At any age | Agreement of a parent (or guardian) |
Get the hunting permit | 15 years | Agreement of a parent (or guardian) |
What can a young person do? | From what age? | Alone or with the agreement? |
|---|---|---|
If he is dropping out of school, apply for a pathway to professional integration | 13 years | Agreement of parents (or guardian) |
Working during school holidaysunder certain conditions | 14 years | Agreement of parents (or guardian) |
Integrate a alternance training scheme (Dima) | 15 years | Agreement of parents (or guardian) |
15 years | Agreement of a parent or guardian | |
Engage in a civic service (ESC) | 16 yrs | Agreement of parents (or guardian) |
16 yrs | Agreement of a parent or guardian | |
Leave the school system and starting integration steps to work | 16 yrs | Agreement of parents (or guardian) |
Engage in a European Voluntary Service (EVS) | 17 years (under certain conditions) | Agreement of parents (or guardian) |
17 years | Agreement of parents (or guardian) | |
17 years | Agreement of parents (or guardian) | |
Engage in the citizens' reserve | 17 years | Agreement of parents (or guardian) |
Pass the Bafa certificate | 17 years | Agreement of parents (or guardian) |
Leave work at a par abroad (in some countries only) | 17 years | Agreement of parents (or guardian) |
Subscribe to the National Universal Service (SNU) | 15 years | Agreement of parents (or guardian) |
In France
In principle, children can travel alone in France as long as they have an identity document.
However, even if the young person has the capacity to travel alone, some carriers (airline, railway, marine) will require the minor to be accompanied by a major third party. This service is most often charged.
Abroad
In principle, a minor cannot leave France without his or her documents and authorization to leave the territory at least one of his parents in his possession.
These provisions are valid for any departure from French territory within the European Union.
For travel outside the European Union, the minor will have to present, depending on the country, a passport, an authorization to leave the territory and the documents requested by the host country to which he is going (example: visa, reservation on the spot, return ticket,...).
However, when a parent fears that his minor child will leave France alone (terrorism, holidays, fugue,...), he can ask for a opposition to exit from the territory (OST) in case of emergency or travel ban. Once the decision is made, the child can no longer leave the territory.
What can a young person do? | From what age? | Alone or with the agreement? |
|---|---|---|
Pass the road safety certificate (category AM of driving license) and drive a moped up to 50 cm³ or a light quadricycle like a cart | 14 years | Agreement of parents (or guardian) |
Learning in advance to driving while driving. To finance the costs of driving, he can be helped by the €1 permit scheme | 15 years | Agreement of a parent or guardian |
Prepare the light motorcycle license (A1 permit) | 16 yrs | Agreement of a parent or guardian |
Subscribe to the examination of the driving license | 17 years | Agreement of a parent or guardian |
What can a young person do? | From what age? | Alone or with the agreement? |
|---|---|---|
Hold a bank account or savings book | At any age | Agreement of a parent or guardian |
Have a withdrawal card | At any age | Agreement of a parent or guardian |
Hold a life insurance contract in his name | At any age | Agreement of parents (or guardian) |
Acquire and use traveler's checks | At any age | Agreement of a parent or guardian |
Entering a Retirement Savings Plan (PER) | At any age | Agreement of a parent or guardian |
Ask For opening a young booklet and having a withdrawal card | 12 years | Agreement of a parent or guardian |
What can a young person do? | From what age? | Alone or with the agreement? |
|---|---|---|
Controlling the risk of unintended pregnancy: | At any age | Alone |
Dealing with health issues: | 16 yrs | Alone |
Have your own accommodation (get a lease by his parents and receive a housing allowance) | At any age | Agreement of a parent or guardian |
A minor can obtain a Vital Card at age 16 (or 12 if they are attached to their parents' account).
Concerning the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)He can apply for it as soon as he gets his social security number.
Under 15
Any relationship with an adult, whatever it may be, is prohibited and considered non-consensual.
On the other hand, minors can have sexual relations with each other as soon as they are consented to (that is to say, without violence, coercion, surprise, threat, etc.).
From 15 years
Sexual relations between a minor and an adult, apart from family relations (parent, grandparent,...) and persons who care for him (instructor, animator,...), are accepted by law.
On the other hand, sexual relations between minors less than 5 years apart are considered to be consensual (i.e. without violence, coercion, surprise, threat, etc.).
What can a young person do? | From what age? | Alone or with the agreement? |
|---|---|---|
To oppose the subscription by a third party of a life insurance guaranteeing the payment of capital or an annuity following his death | 12 years | Alone |
Oppose the removal of his organs upon his death by registering the national register of refusals | 13 years | Alone |
Make a will (within certain constraints) | 16 yrs | Alone |
Who can help me?
Find who can answer your questions in your region
- Youth Information
- Young Health Threads
Intelligence service for young people (12-25 years) in the field of health: sexuality, nutrition, contraception, drugs, sickness...
By telephone
0800,235,236 free call and service from landline or mobile phone
+33 (0)1 44 93 30 74 (from a mobile phone, at the cost of a local call)
Open Monday to Sunday from 9am to 11pm
Online
https://www.filsantejeunes.com/contact
FAQ
- Empowerment of a minorService-Public.fr
- Sexual offenses against minorsService-Public.fr
- Ten tips for staying clean on the webNational Commission for Informatics and Freedoms (Cnil)
- Site jeunes.gouv.frMinistry responsible for youth
- The youth area of the Cnil websiteNational Commission for Informatics and Freedoms (Cnil)
- National universal serviceMinistry of Education