Legal rights at 18 in the UK

What can you do at 18?

At 18, teenagers can:

• Stand for election as an MP, local councillor or mayor
• Serve on a jury
• Be tried in a magistrate's court, and go to prison if found guilty of a criminal offence
• Make a will
• Pawn stuff in a pawn shop

18 is also the age when you have the legal right to vote in local and general elections.

Relationships at 18 years old

At 18, it's legal to:

• Get married without parental permission
• If adopted, see the original birth certificate (and have their name added to the birth contact register)

Medical treatment at 18

At 18, teens can:

• Consent to their body being used in a medical study
• Carry an organ donor card

Leisure

18 is the legal age in the UK to:

• Buy cigarettes, rolling tobacco and cigarette papers
• Buy alcoholic drinks in a pub or a bar
• Buy fireworks
• View, rent or buy an 18-rated film
• View, rent or buy pornographic material that does not contravene UK obscenity laws
• Place a bet in a betting shop or casino
• Get a tattoo
• Get body piercings

Driving

Petrolheads can now:

• Ride a motorbike above 125cc with a licence
• Drive lorries between 3,500kg and 7,500kg (with the appropriate licence)
• Drive a bus, under some specific circumstances – such as if you're learning to take your Passenger Carrying Vehicle (PCV) test

Things an 18-year-old still can't do legally

• Adopt a child
• Supervise a learner driver

For both of these, you'd need to be 21.

And as parents of an 18-year-old, you need to remember to check…

• Whether or not your teen is still covered by family medical or travel insurance policies
• With the local council that the extra adult in your household is on the electoral roll and will receive a polling card if an election is called
• That any child savings accounts now have to change to adult accounts (at which point they can be taxed)