What can a young person do before the age of 18?
Verified 26 January 2024 - Directorate for Legal and Administrative Information (Prime Minister)
You are under the age of 18, and you want to know what your rights are? Are you wondering if you need the consent or permission of your parents or guardian (if you have one) to perform everyday acts? We present you with the information you need to know.
The information differs depending on whether you are a French national or not.
General case
Approach | From what age? | Alone or with the agreement of the parents (or guardian)? |
|---|---|---|
Have personal papers: | 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 you are 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 you were born in France to foreigner parents | 17 years | Alone |
Young foreigner
Approach | 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 on your own, you can:
- Make a simple complaint
- Learn about your rights in a justice and law center 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
Approach | 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 |
Approach | From what age? | Alone or with the agreement? |
|---|---|---|
Join a association | At any age | Alone |
Be temporarily self-sufficient if 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 you cannot buy or 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) |
Approach | From what age? | Alone or with the agreement? |
|---|---|---|
If you are 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) | |
Commit to the Citizen 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, you can travel alone in France as long as you have an ID.
However, even if you have the ability to travel alone, some carriers (airline, railway, marine) will require you to be accompanied by a major third party.
Abroad
In principle, you can't leave France without your papers and authorization to leave the territory at least one of your parents in your possession.
These provisions are valid for any exit from French territory within the European Union.
For travel outside the European Union, you will need to present, depending on the country, a passport, an exit permit and the documents requested by the host country you are traveling to (e.g. visa, on-site reservation, return ticket).
However, if your parents are afraid that you will leave France alone (holidays, fugue,...), they can ask for a opposition to exit from the territory (OST) in case of emergency or travel ban. Once the decision is made, you can no longer leave the territory.
Approach | 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 | 16 yrs | Agreement of a parent or guardian |
Approach | 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 |
Approach | From what age? | Alone or with the agreement? |
|---|---|---|
Controlling the risk of unintended pregnancy:
| At any age | Alone |
Dealing with issues affecting your health:
| 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 |
You can get a Vital Card at age 16 (or 12 if you are linked to their parents' account).
Concerning the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC)However, you can request it as soon as you get your social security number.
Under 15
Any relationship with an adult, whatever it may be, is prohibited and considered non-consensual.
On the other hand, you can have sexual relations with another minor as soon as they are consented (i.e. without violence, coercion, surprise, threat,...).
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.).
Approach | From what age? | Alone or with the agreement? |
|---|---|---|
To oppose the subscription by a third party of a life insurance guaranteeing the payment of a capital or annuity following your death | 12 years | Alone |
Oppose the removal of your organs upon your death by registering at 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
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
FAQ
Service Public
Service Public
National Commission for Informatics and Freedoms (Cnil)
Ministry responsible for youth
National Commission for Informatics and Freedoms (Cnil)
Ministry of Education