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Youth rights |
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Legislation controlling tattooing varies among countries in Europe. In many countries there is no particular legislation. In countries that do have legal controls, they relate mainly to the minimum age of clients. Greece and Denmark impose further stipulations.
Country | Age (with authorisation) | Age (without authorisation) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Armenia | No legislation | [1] | |
Austria | 16 | 18 | Parental consent can be written. [2] |
Belgium | 16 | 18 | Parents must be present to give consent for children.[ citation needed ] |
Bulgaria | No legislation | [3] | |
Croatia | 16 | 18 | Parents must be present to give consent for children.[ citation needed ] |
Cyprus | 16 | 18 | [ citation needed ] |
Czech Republic | No legislation | [ citation needed ] | |
Denmark | 18 | The Danish tattoo law was valid from 15 June 1966. It is unlawful to tattoo someone under the age of 18. In addition to this it is unlawful to tattoo someone on the head, neck and hands. [3] [4] | |
Estonia | 18 | [ citation needed ] | |
Finland | Unspecified age | 18 | Permit required for anyone under 18.[ citation needed ] |
France | 16 | 18 | Parental consent required for anyone under 18.[ citation needed ] |
Germany | No legislation | [5] | |
Greece | 16 | 18 | Greek tattoo law only covers tattoos and not permanent make-up. Other key provisions, in a non-exhaustive summary: [3]
|
Guernsey | 18 | As in the UK, a person under 18 may not be tattooed except for medical reasons, per the Tattooing, Piercing, Acupuncture and Electrolysis (Guernsey and Alderney) Law, 2000. In practise the law is rarely enforced. [6] [7] | |
Hungary | No legislation | [ citation needed ] | |
Republic of Ireland | No legislation | 16 is de facto with parents present throughout Ireland, but there is no legislation. From the age of 18 without parental authorisation. [8] | |
Isle of Man | 18 | As in the UK, a person under 18 may not be tattooed except for medical reasons, per the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1984. [9] | |
Italy | No legislation | You must be over 18 years of age to get a tattoo freely without parental consent. Those over the age of 16 must have parental consent.[ citation needed ] | |
Jersey | 16 | 18 | Unlike in the UK, the Isle of Man or Guernsey, the minimum age to obtain a tattoo in Jersey is set at 16 (with parental consent), under the Piercing and Tattooing (Jersey) Law 2002. [10] |
Latvia | 18 | [ citation needed ] | |
Lithuania | 16 | 18 | In Lithuania you can get a tattoo from the age of 16, or in the presence of a guardian or a parent who has given the required written consent if you are under this age.[ citation needed ] |
Luxembourg | 18 | [ citation needed ] | |
Malta | 16 | 18 | [11] |
Netherlands | 16 | In the Netherlands, the age at which persons may decide for themselves to have a tattoo and piercing is 16 years. This age limit is suspended for earlobe piercing but pertains to all other areas. Informed consent forms, with information concerning health (including allergies) must be available and must be signed by the client. In the case of young adults under 16 years, a parent or guardian must sign. If they have signed but are not present with the client, the tattooist or piercer must verify their consent by telephone. Signed consent forms must be kept by the studio in a locked file for ten years. [12] | |
Norway | No legislation | [ citation needed ] | |
Poland | 16 | 18 | [ citation needed ] |
Portugal | 16 | 18 | [ citation needed ] |
Romania | 18 | [ citation needed ] | |
Slovakia | 16 | 18 | [ citation needed ] |
Slovenia | No legislation | [ citation needed ] | |
Spain | 14–17 | 18 | Age varies by region. |
Sweden | No legislation | [ citation needed ] | |
United Kingdom | 18 | In the United Kingdom, tattoos are regulated by both the Tattooing of Minors Act 1969 [13] and the Tattooing of Minors (Northern Ireland) Order 1979 [14] . The former applying to Great Britain and the latter applying to Northern Ireland. Both acts in principle define a minor (in relation to obtaining a tattoo) as any person under the age of 18. However both acts do allow for exceptions in which any person below the minimum age may obtain a tattoo for medical reasons, when performed by a duly qualified medical practitioner or by a person working under their direction. [15] |
In law, a minor is someone under a certain age, usually the age of majority, which demarcates an underage individual from legal adulthood. The age of majority depends upon jurisdiction and application, but it is commonly 18. Minor may also be used in contexts that are unconnected to the overall age of majority. For example, the smoking and drinking age in the United States is 21, and younger people below this age are sometimes called minors in the context of tobacco and alcohol law, even if they are at least 18. The terms underage or minor often refer to those under the age of majority, but may also refer to a person under other legal age limits, such as the age of consent, marriageable age, driving age, voting age, working age, etc. Such age limits are often different from the age of majority.
Marriageable age, marriage age, or the age of marriage is the general age, a legal age or the minimum age subject to parental, religious or other forms of social approval, at which a person is legitimately allowed for marriage. Age and other prerequisites to marriage vary between jurisdictions, but in the vast majority of jurisdictions, the marriage age as a right is set at the age of majority. Nevertheless, most jurisdictions allow marriage at a younger age with parental or judicial approval, especially if the female is pregnant. Among most indigenous cultures, people marry at fifteen, the age of sexual maturity for both the male and the female. In industrialized cultures, the age of marriage is most commonly 18 years old, but there are variations, and the marriageable age should not be confused with the age of majority or the age of consent, though they may be the same.
The age of majority is the threshold of legal adulthood as recognized or declared in law. It is the moment when a person ceases to be considered a minor and assumes legal control over their person, actions, and decisions, thus terminating the control and legal responsibilities of their parents or guardian over them. Most countries set the age of majority at 18, but some jurisdictions have a higher age and others lower. The word majority here refers to having greater years and being of full age as opposed to minority, the state of being a minor. The law in a given jurisdiction may not actually use the term "age of majority". The term typically refers to a collection of laws bestowing the status of adulthood. Those under the age of majority are referred to as minors and are legally forbidden from enjoying certain privileges or rights. There are other exceptions, however, in which also those who have reached the age of majority can be referred to as minors. For example, if a country's age of majority is 18, but the legal drinking age is 21, then a 20 year old would still be considered a "minor" in situations involving buying or consuming alcohol. Another example is the age to consent to sexual activity, that in most of the cases in the world is under the age of majority, however, in other cases it can be even above the age of majority and even in that case the younger part, despite having already reached the legal adulthood, would be still referred to as minor or underage to consent to sexual activity.
The legal drinking age is the minimum age at which a person can legally consume alcoholic beverages. The minimum age alcohol can be legally consumed can be different from the age when it can be purchased in some countries. These laws vary between countries and many laws have exemptions or special circumstances. Most laws apply only to drinking alcohol in public places with alcohol consumption in the home being mostly unregulated. Some countries also have different age limits for different types of alcohol drinks.
Pornography laws by region vary throughout the world. The production and distribution of pornographic films are both activities that are lawful in many, but by no means in all countries, so long as the pornography features performers aged above a certain age, usually 18 years. Further restrictions are often placed on such material.
Same-sex marriage has been legal in Denmark since 15 June 2012. A bill for the legalization of same-sex marriages was introduced by the Thorning-Schmidt I Cabinet, and approved by the Folketing on 7 June 2012. It received royal assent by Queen Margrethe II on 12 June and took effect three days later. Denmark was the eleventh country in the world and the eighth in Europe to legalize same-sex marriage. It was the first country in the world to enact registered partnerships, which provided same-sex couples with almost all of the rights and benefits of marriage, in 1989.
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Salvia divinorum, a psychoactive plant, is legal in most countries. Exceptions, countries where there is some form of control, include Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Norway, Poland, United Kingdom, Ukraine, Spain, Sweden, Armenia and 33 states and territories of the United States.
The school leaving age is the minimum age a person is legally allowed to cease attendance at an institute of compulsory secondary education. Most countries have their school leaving age set the same as their minimum full-time employment age, thus allowing smooth transition from education into employment, whilst a few have it set just below the age at which a person is allowed to be employed.
Laws regarding incest vary considerably between jurisdictions, and depend on the type of sexual activity and the nature of the family relationship of the parties involved, as well as the age and sex of the parties. Besides legal prohibitions, at least some forms of incest are also socially taboo or frowned upon in most cultures around the world.
The Tattooing of Minors Act 1969 is an act of Parliament of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It gained Royal Assent on 16 May 1969, and is currently in force.
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In the United States there is no federal law regulating the practice of tattooing. However, all 50 states and the District of Columbia have statutory laws requiring a person receiving a tattoo be at least 18 years old. This is partially based on the legal principle that a minor cannot enter into a legal contract or otherwise render informed consent for a procedure. Most states permit a person under the age of 18 to receive a tattoo with permission of a parent or guardian, but some states prohibit tattooing under a certain age regardless of permission, with the exception of medical necessity.
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