Minimum age to marry, by country
What each statute says about marrying below adulthood. France, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Austria and Japan all name adulthood or 18 as the line; Spain refers to unemancipated minors instead of a number. France and Germany address exceptions and void marriages directly, while Sweden treats a marriage entered under 18 as a ground for divorce without a waiting period.
| Country | Minimum age | Exception or consequence stated |
|---|---|---|
| Austria | Adulthood (volljährig) and capacity to decide | |
| Germany | Adulthood (Volljährigkeit) | No valid marriage under 16 |
| Spain | Adult, or an emancipated minor | |
| France | 18 | Age dispensation by the public prosecutor for serious reasons |
| Japan | 18 | |
| Norway | 18 | Foreign marriage of a 16- or 17-year-old may still be recognised in some cases |
| Sweden | 18 | Marriage entered under 18 gives a right to divorce without the reflection period |
Country by country
Austria
- Rule
- Ehegesetz § 1
- The section ties capacity to marry to being an adult and able to make decisions. The age of majority itself is not in the ingested text, and no exception is stated in this section.
Ehefähig ist, wer volljährig und entscheidungsfähig ist. Germany
- Rule
- BGB § 1303
- Marriage before adulthood is prohibited. A marriage with someone under 16 cannot be validly entered into at all. The age of majority itself is not in the ingested text.
Eine Ehe darf nicht vor Eintritt der Volljährigkeit eingegangen werden.Mit einer Person, die das 16. Lebensjahr nicht vollendet hat, kann eine Ehe nicht wirksam eingegangen werden. Spain
- Rule
- Código Civil art. 46
- Unemancipated minors cannot marry. The ingested text does not give the age of majority or the rules on emancipation.
Los menores de edad no emancipados. France
- Rule
- Code civil art. 144 and 145
- The public prosecutor of the place of the wedding may grant an age dispensation; the section states only "motifs graves", not a lower limit.
Le mariage ne peut être contracté avant dix-huit ans révolus. d'accorder des dispenses d'âge pour des motifs graves Japan
- Rule
- 民法 第七百三十一条
- The section states one age for marriage and no exception.
婚姻は、十八歳にならなければ、することができない。 Norway
- Rule
- Ekteskapsloven § 1 a
- The recognition rule in § 18 c concerns marriages valid under foreign law between parties with no Norwegian link; it does not allow a marriage to be entered in Norway under 18.
Den som er under 18 år, kan ikke inngå ekteskap. Statsforvalteren kan likevel anerkjenne ekteskapet dersom partene er over 18 år, var over 16 år på vigselstidspunktet Sweden
- Rule
- Äktenskapsbalken 2 kap. 1 §
- A marriage entered into before the age of 18 entitles the spouse to a divorce without the usual reflection period (5 kap. 5 §).
Den som är under 18 år får inte ingå äktenskap. om maken har ingått äktenskapet före 18 års ålder Countries not in this table yet
The United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and the Netherlands are not shown: their marriage-formation statutes (state marriage laws, Marriage Act 1949, Civil Marriage Act, Marriage Act 1961, Burgerlijk Wetboek Boek 1) are not among the ingested laws.
How this table was built
Every row is taken from the official, consolidated text of the statute, which LawAsked loads from each government’s legislation service.
Each figure is tied to a passage quoted word for word from that text. When the page is served, it checks that every quoted passage is still in the current text of a law that is in force; if a law is amended and its wording changes, that row is hidden until a person reviews it again.
The table shows the statutory minimum only. Collective agreements, awards and individual contracts often give more than the statute, and some countries let a collective agreement set different terms.
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LawAsked, “Minimum age to marry, by country”, https://lawasked.com/guides/minimum-marriage-age (reviewed October 25, 2026).
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