18 years is the age at which a citizen of the Russian Federation becomes fully capable, that is, is able to fully exercise civil and other rights, as well as be responsible for them.
Getting married
It is upon reaching the age of eighteen that young people can enter into legal marriage. However, in a number of cases, the marriageable age, in accordance with paragraph 2 of Article 13 of the Family Code of the Russian Federation, can be reduced to 16 years. Such a condition may be the pregnancy of the future spouse. Before submitting an application to the registry office, minors are required to submit an application. The application must detail the reason why the minors want to get married. It is worth noting that the legislation does not provide a detailed list of reasons for allowing marriage before the age of 18. Local governments consider each application in detail and only then make their decision.
In practice, the main valid reasons are: the girl's pregnancy and the birth of a child; a threat to the life of one of the spouses; emancipation; actually established family relations between future spouses, etc.
If there are no reasons for marriage at such an early age, the permission of the legal representatives of minor children is required for it.
When parental permission is not needed
It is worth noting that the permission of the parents (or guardians) for the marriage of their minor children is not required if there is at least one good reason for the conclusion of family ties, but the opinion of the father and mother or guardians in this situation will certainly be learned by the city administration in the decision-making process. It is this body that issues the marriage license. The permission of any other authorities in this case has no legal force.
Undoubtedly, local governments have the right to refuse minors in their request, but this can be appealed in court.
A number of constituent entities of the Russian Federation have established a special list of reasons why persons under the age of 16 are allowed to marry. For example, in the Moscow region, minors wishing to legalize their relationship must provide the local government with a package of documents, including: a written statement indicating the reason why they decided to marry; copies of passports (birth certificates); a hospital certificate confirming pregnancy; in case of a threat to the life of one of the spouses - a certificate confirming this fact; if minors are under 16, they need permission from their parents or their substitutes. The decision of the authorities is made within one month.
