Legal ages in the United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom: age of majority 18, voting age 18, minimum age to marry 18, age of consent 16, age of criminal responsibility 10, alcohol purchase age 18.
Updated October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Age of majority
18 years
Scotland sets 16 for many purposes.
The age at which a person becomes an adult in civil law: able to sign contracts, own and manage property in their own name, and leave parental authority.
Minimum age to marry
18 years
England and Wales: 18 since 2023. Scotland: 16.
The lowest age at which the law allows a marriage, in the general rule.
Age of consent
16 years
The age at which the law treats a person as able to consent to sexual activity.
Age of criminal responsibility
10 years
England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Scotland: 12.
The lowest age at which a child can be held criminally responsible.
Voting age
18 years
16 in Scotland and Wales for their own parliaments.
The age at which a citizen may vote in national elections.
Alcohol purchase age
18 years
16 for beer, wine or cider with a meal in a licensed place, with an adult.
The lowest age at which a person may legally buy alcohol, in the general rule.
More about the United Kingdom
Sources
- Inter-Parliamentary Union: Parline, the global data hub on parliaments
- UNICEF: child marriage data and legal minimum ages
- UN Committee on the Rights of the Child: minimum ages of criminal responsibility
- WHO Global Information System on Alcohol and Health
For the exact rule and its text, use the United Kingdom’s own legislation, which is the authority.
Take it further
- Child Travel Consent Form template$5
Permission for a child to travel with one parent or another adult.
- Family Law course$15
Marriage, divorce, custody and support, step by step.
- Criminal Law pocket guide$12
A short PDF reference book with self-check questions.
- One-page rule sheets for law students$3
A whole chapter of black-letter law on one printable page. Free sample.
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TheLawToKnow Tools’s legal ages guide is an educational overview of general rules. It is not legal advice, and it does not replace the country’s own law or a lawyer in the country. Report a mistake.
