Marriage age in Russia: at what age can you get married (get married) in the Russian Federation

Last modified: January 2021

Everyone has their own age threshold for entering adulthood, but following the general norms of Russian legislation, a person becomes an adult upon reaching 18 years of age. When planning to tie the knot in their lives, young people should study the legal age for marriage in Russia, because situations may arise when registering a new family is required before the newlyweds reach their 18th birthday.

Basic provisions of the law

The age limits for how old you can get married in Russia are set by the RF IC.

Article 13 states that the general age of marriage is established by law at 18 years of age. More often, the question of at what age you can get married in Russia arises among couples who have not yet received complete freedom of action and legal independence.

The second paragraph of Article 13 of family law states that young people have the right to legalize their relationship after their 16th birthday, if there are good reasons for this.

What is the age limit

The generally accepted age of marriage in the Russian Federation starts at 18 years. However, since Russia unites many nationalities with their own rules and traditions, regional legislation provides for a lower limit. For example, in Kazan, legislators do not set any lower thresholds, suggesting the possibility of early marriage. This norm is limited only to obtaining a passport, i.e. 14th birthday, since this document will be required for registration.

Thus, in Russian laws and local regulations there are two lower age limits for how old you can get married: 16 years for all subjects of the Federation and 14 years for certain regions where a lower threshold applies.

At what age is it better to get married?

Many men wonder at what age is the best time to get married. After all, life goes on, and sooner or later every young person begins to have such thoughts. But before you answer this question, you should ask yourself another: “Do I really want to get married? What will this bring me? After all, a significant part of guys get married because the girl wants it, or because relatives put pressure on them. In general, anything can happen, but not your own desire.

After all, oddly enough, marriage is practically useless for a man. It does not provide any benefits, except for one thing: in the event of the death of one of the spouses, the other receives the property. Otherwise, if the couple is not officially married, the property goes to the closest relatives of the deceased. A man has the same rights and responsibilities towards his children, regardless of whether he is married to a woman or not. The same situation applies to everything else. Roughly speaking, you can live with a woman, have children, and it will be no different for a man compared to when he has a stamp in his passport.

Women need marriage, because they get much more benefits from it compared to men. But this is a topic for another article.

Position of the regions

To understand when you can get married in a particular Russian city, you should proceed from the legal norms in the constituent entity of the Russian Federation, since it is thanks to them that the age of marriage can be lowered to below 16 years. About 2 dozen constituent entities of the Federation have decided to lower the age limit for marriage in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation. In special cases, you can get married at 14-15 years old:

From the age of 14, marriages can be registered in the Oryol, Moscow, Tula regions, Kaluga, Tyumen, Vologda, Sakhalin and Adygea.
For 15-year-old citizens, early registration of family ties is provided in Chelyabinsk, Murmansk, Ryazan and other constituent entities of the Russian Federation.

Allowing a minimum period does not negate the need for serious justification. In order for a local registration authority to help a couple get married before their 16th birthday, permission and certain situations will be required.

At what age is it better for a man to get married?

Men don't dream about marriage as much as girls. Believe me, many guys don’t care how their wedding goes, the main thing for them is the result and their future married life. Men don't run to the registry office with the first girl they come across. They carefully think through their decisions, down to the smallest detail, unlike many women. A man will always find someone who can cook borscht and wash his socks, even without a fancy wedding. A man will be able to get married at the age of 40, but a woman at 40 and 50 years old will be too old for a wedding, so girls want to quickly get married before the age of 30, because they understand that no one will need them, because there are so many young and young ladies.

It’s easier for men, women will say. But no, it is much more difficult for the male sex, because a man must be protection and support, and he must also be the head of the family, provide for his family and earn good money. This is why many men do not strive to get married, because they understand that this is a great responsibility that falls on them after the wedding. As statistics show, men mostly get married at the age of 25-30; by this time they have already graduated from university, joined the army and got a well-paid job. And only when a man is truly wealthy will he offer his hand and heart to his beloved.

Of course, there are cases when very young guys at 18-20 years old get married. Well, what do they have behind them? Finished school, college? And what can he give to his family? After all, the guys themselves are still practically children.

But as statistics show, early marriages at the age of 18-20 quickly break up, since young people are not yet ready for this. And the guys are not ready and do not want to take on greater responsibility to their family.

The most suitable age for marriage is 30 years old; by this age a man is already ripe for starting a family. At the age of 30, he will be able to provide for his family and give a lot to his wife and children. He will become a support and protection for the whole family. Of course, a wedding and all its ceremonies are not as important for men as they are for a woman who worries about everything. The main thing for men is their future life with a woman whom he will call his wife and who will become a mother for his children. He is looking for the one who will sit at home and cook borscht. Any man loves coziness and comfort in his home, which will be made by his beloved woman. Men do not rush to the registry office, because they understand that this is a great responsibility that will rest on his male shoulders.

Reasons for early registration

Registrars, guided by the provisions of federal and local legislation, will not refuse to make a marriage record if the spouses expect:

the imminent arrival of a child;
the fact of the birth of a baby;
upcoming emergency call;
forced long-term absence for work reasons;
death of the parents of one or both newlyweds who have reached their 16th birthday.

The basis for marriage will be a permitting document from the city administration. The opinion of the parents in this situation will not be decisive, but they have the right, simultaneously with their children, to submit documents applying for a reduction in age.

How do you know when it's time to get married?

Unlike men, all girls understand that they have little chance of getting married after 35, and having children at this age is fraught with serious health problems. Men, on the contrary, “pull” to the last.

Girls usually set the duration of a relationship before marriage to no more than three years

If after three years the guy does not offer to legalize the relationship, the girl begins to look for another candidate . This sometimes happens subconsciously. Of course, there are exceptions when a woman waits for years for him to “ripe”, but there are not many of them.

Marriage age statistics

Entering adulthood, many determine for themselves an acceptable age for marriage based on personal beliefs and general trends. Despite the accelerated pace of life and development, the new generation does not strive for family ties, and middle age is moving further and further away.

Despite the opportunity established by law, few girls would like to get married at 16, and even the fact of early marriages indicates a negligible percentage of those who hastened to adulthood. The average age of marriage is much higher than the 18th birthday, since in addition to the desire to have a family, the couple will have to clarify issues of the future provision of the family and the personal development of a person who is far from maturity.

Considering the statistics of the last 2 decades of the 20th century, it becomes obvious that the age suitable for marriage from the point of view of those getting married remained unchanged for a long time, fluctuating from 20 to 25 years in different periods for different sexes.

Typically, for men, the age for marriage for the first time comes a couple of years later. Girls mature for family ties a little earlier. The results of the last decade testified to the rapid acceleration and early independence of young people, which led to early marriages (on average, at 18-19 years of age for a girl).

Which marriage is considered fictitious: risks and consequences of an invalid marriage

This phenomenon was partly explained by state policy and clear direction regarding the family. Civil marriages were considered cohabitation and condemned. Citizens of different sexes were not allowed to share the same hotel room unless there was proof of marital status. And during cohabitation, particular negativity was directed at female representatives. Active marriage was facilitated by the fact that after graduation, young specialists were distributed to all corners of the country. A young couple aged 21-22 was forced to sign at the registry office in order to go together to their assigned place of work.

Times have changed and after 10-15 years a new trend emerged when starting a family began to be treated with a greater degree of responsibility. By 2011, statistics indicate an increase in the age of the average newlywed who first decided to get married. The bar has been raised to 27 years and remains confidently at this level.

The general socio-economic situation did not contribute to earlier maturation for marriage and responsibility to a partner. Therefore, the fact that young people can sign at such a young age (14-16 years old) does not in any way contribute to lowering the age threshold. Cases of registration of a new marriage concluded before the spouses reach marriageable age are isolated, making further discussion of the issue of lowering the age of newlyweds at the federal level irrelevant.

Young people are more interested in careers and professional achievements than in marriage issues.

Optimal age for a man to get married

So, if you still ask the question “at what age is it better to get married?”, then the answer will be as follows.

It is better for a man to get married between 28 and 40 years old. And that's why.

At the age of 18-28, the guy is still young, the energy inside is simply boiling. Including sexy. Therefore, there is a strong craving for everything new, for experiments, for gaining experience. Getting married at this age is too reckless. After a couple of years have passed, you realize that marriage is for the rest of your life. Accordingly, you are obliged to be faithful to your woman. And due to your young age and a lot of energy, you will again have a great desire to meet and seduce other women. You can, of course, change it. But what is the point of marriage then?

Moreover, in order to start a family, a man must still get on his feet. Be able to provide for your children, too. This process takes time. Typically, a person begins to have real financial opportunities closer to the age of 30.

By this age, you will have walked around enough and gained experience. And most importantly, you will understand exactly what kind of woman you need for a stable, calm and long-term relationship. You will also understand exactly what qualities you want to see in her, and which ones you cannot put up with.

Another plus for men: if a girl has the greatest value before 25 years old. Because its main advantages are youth, health and beauty. What is of greatest value in a man is his character, life experience, ability to earn money, and ability to solve complex life issues. For him, appearance is of secondary importance. Accordingly, over the years, until the age of 40, a man only gains value for women.

Obstacles to marriage

If you plan to marry at the age of 16, in Russia you will have to obtain permission from the official authorities. If the administration does not consider the grounds for formalizing family ties sufficient, it will refuse to reduce the deadline for a particular couple.

To obtain official status before reaching marriageable age, in the absence of the consent of the administration, they apply to a judicial authority for a ruling. However, even if there are compelling reasons, in the absence of full consent of the parties, including adult representatives of minors, the court may reject the request for registration.

Early marriages are not welcomed by parents, so they often create obstacles for their minor wards to start a family. In this case, the couple has the right to ask the guardianship authorities to influence the parents and facilitate obtaining permission.

Divorce and annulment of marriage

Article 27 of the Family Code contains a list of reasons why a marriage between minors can be declared invalid:

Coercion during marriage registration.
Violation of the requirements and procedure for obtaining a permit.
Violation of local laws regarding the age of consent.
Having another marriage that was not dissolved.
The wife and husband are close relatives or the adoptive parent and the adopted child.
One of them was declared incompetent.
Determination of a sexually transmitted disease that was not known before the marriage.
Conclusion of a fictitious alliance.

Only a court can declare a marriage invalid and only upon the application of the husband, wife, their parents, trustees or adoptive parents, as well as the board of trustees and the prosecutor's office.