Having celebrated the 18th anniversary, we rightly call ourselves adults, realizing that most of what was banned from the legal point of view yesterday is available today, and without any special restrictions. The law, with the onset of "adult" age, allows citizens of the country to enjoy many life privileges. But at the same time imposes certain responsibilities on them.
Want. Can. Must
According to the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, the ability of a person to carry out all legal actions is defined as “citizens' legal capacity”. It can be complete, as well as limited or partial. In some cases, if a person is not able to independently assess and exercise his civil rights and obligations, he may be declared incompetent. You can determine it as such only with a court decision. As a rule, disability is established due to mental illness. But inadequate behavior due to addiction to alcohol and drugs or gambling can also cause a person to be recognized as incompetent if, because of his addiction, it poses a threat to family and friends or to society as a whole.
In many ways, the distribution of the types of legal capacity of citizens, full or limited, depends on age. If we take as a basis that the full occurs when a person reaches the 18th birthday, then before this period in most cases it is considered limited or partial. Naturally, there are exceptions to any rule. And at 16 you can be recognized as an absolutely competent citizen. But for this it is necessary to meet a number of conditions. In any case, realizing your “I want” and “I can”, it is necessary to clearly realize how much they are consistent with the letter of the law and whether certain restrictions on the citizen’s legal capacity due to his age do not apply to some of them. Otherwise, he will have to bear legal responsibility for unseemly actions, which is often related to the Criminal Code.
Grow right
The first six years from the date of birth, the child is legally incompetent. He has no legal rights before the law that he can exercise, nor responsibility for any of his actions, even those that led to the tragedy. It should be noted right away that we are not talking about constitutional rights. Only those that each of us endows with the Civil Code of the Russian Federation. Article 28 of the document gives clear explanations at what age a child is entitled to carry out certain actions related to the concept of “legal capacity”. The first, concerning some transactions of a material nature, come from the age of six. For the most part, these are insignificant independent purchases of office or grocery goods.
Partial civil legal capacity of citizens from six years of age and older, up to the age of 14, allows you to use some other legal rights, except for small purchases, which is also spelled out in article 28 of the Civil Code. For example, donated by relatives or friends for a birthday or for no specific reason, the minor has the right to dispose of at his own discretion. To take them away from him and spend at his choice, even in the case of acquiring the necessary things for the child himself, means to cross the law. Parents often commit such acts without implying that they restrict the civil rights of their son or daughter. In the case of a minor contacting the father and mother with the police, the legal authorities will be required to respond. Since the legal capacity and legal capacity of citizens, even partial, are protected by law.
Empowerment
It is rather difficult to imagine how a six-year-old child freely buys a tablet or phone in a store, although it is possible by law. There are no strict restrictions on the amount that a minor can dispose of when exercising his civil legal capacity. But to see how the 13-year-old performs the same actions is quite possible. They have the same rights, but often the opportunities are different. The line between the following age groups endowed with the same civic advantages is not so striking. We are talking about minors 14-17 years old, up to their 18th birthday. Everything that they are allowed to do during this period of their life is prescribed in article 26 of the Civil Code. In addition to transactions with property, for example, donation or sale of an apartment inherited by a minor. These issues are regulated by article 59 of the Civil Code. The ability to commit them is permissible only with the written consent of the parents, guardians or other legal representatives.
The legal capacity of citizens, even minors, upon reaching them 14 years old gives them the right to carry out a number of more serious transactions than they were allowed before this age. For example:
- to receive material income in a legal way: a scholarship, earnings, state benefits, pensions, alimony, and personally dispose of them;
- make deposits in banking or credit institutions;
- Become a member of a cooperative upon reaching the age of 16.
The rights and obligations of minors, which lie behind the concept of “the capacity of a citizen of the Russian Federation,” allow us to show independence in some actions, but in a limited way. Partly, teens are still dependent on their parents or legal representatives.
“They don’t know what they are doing”
We give an example of partial legal capacity and the degree of responsibility of minors. From the age of 14 they can freely dispose of their own funds without the control of elders. However, when they make purchases or transactions on their part that their legal representatives consider inappropriate, dangerous, harmful, and that do not comply with the norms of law or morality, adolescents may be deprived of even the citizens' partial legal capacity acquired by them. For example, if you are addicted to gambling, alcohol or drugs, which will be spent on all their income, parents or guardians have the right to demand through the court to deprive minors of some of their civil rights. When the relevant episodes of children's behavior are proved, the court takes the side of the applicants, and all funds belonging to adolescents come under the control of parents or guardians.
A similar outcome awaits minors with inappropriate, even legal spending. For example, clothing, food, or entertainment that would not match their income level. Often, receiving a certain amount of money, say, a pension or child support, a child spends it in the coming days on expensive food or branded clothing, and until the next receipt of money is left without a livelihood. In this case, care rests with the legal representatives, who can not always financially provide them with everything necessary, and extremely counted on material support for the family budget from the same pension or alimony. In this case, they can use the right to judicially limit the legal capacity of a citizen, which is their child, as they bear full responsibility for him. Including provide basic necessities. If the court considers their arguments justified, adolescents may be either partially or completely deprived of their civil legal capacity to dispose of their own funds for a specified period or indefinitely until they reach the age of 18.
Deserved
As already mentioned, adolescents have the right to manage their own earnings or money received by other legal means. This privilege also passes to those who, due to their characteristics, provided part of the family income before. It's about copyright. The law supports talented children endowed with exceptional abilities in literature, science, the visual arts, music, invention, etc. In this case, adolescents can use some privileges, which are given only with the full capacity of a citizen. In particular, the right to independently decide the fate of their works passes to them. Minors can themselves conclude contracts for the publication of their creations, apply for a patent in their own name and manage the income from their use. They have the right to use this privilege when they reach the age of 14.
Exclusive rights in this particular case apply only to those related to their intellectual property. All other actions inherent to those over 18 years of age do not apply to talented children. In addition, the legal capacity of minors obtained by them due to their special creative abilities may also be limited. That is, they may be deprived of certain privileges in terms of disposing of their own funds or the right to conclude contracts for the use of works if parents or guardians consider that other contractual terms or another publishing house will be more acceptable. And also in case of improper spending of own funds. The law gives children some rights, but it can also deprive them.
Early development
By virtue of their personality characteristics, children and adolescents do not develop in the same way. Some 11 years old are already able to take care of themselves, others are deprived of this even at 20. Those who are endowed with entrepreneurial or outstanding organizational skills can achieve the full legal capacity of a citizen through the process two years before their 18th birthday. Article 27 of the Civil Code provides for the recognition of adolescents as emancipated by a decision of the guardianship or guardianship authorities or the court, if minors prove that they deserve this right. The reasons for the successful completion of the procedure may be:
- contract job;
- entrepreneurial activity.
If for some reason the guardianship authorities do not give their nod to recognition of adolescents as emancipated, for example, because of objections from the legal representatives of minors, who believe that their rights are violated prejudice, a young man or girl can go to court. Along the way, they have the right to appeal the decision of the guardianship authorities, referring to the fact that their verdict is not based on personal achievements of a person, but his age as a citizen. The amount of legal capacity that, in their opinion, they deserve, in case of going to court, should be comprehensively weighed by the staff of this instance. The advantages for an affirmative decision can be the amount of earnings, the direction of spending of own funds, the duration of labor obligations, the stability of entrepreneurial activity. However, here it should be remembered that emancipation will not only give the full rights of a capable citizen to a 16-year-old undergrowth, but will also obligate him to personal punishment in case of violation of the law.
Become an adult despite
If the recognition of minors as emancipated is a relatively new legal right to achieve full civil legal capacity, then officially concluded marriage has been used in our country for this purpose for a long time. According to article 21 of the Civil Code, there are several ways to obtain permission to register. Among them: joint actual residence of young people as spouses with the permission of their legal representatives, pregnancy, as well as sincere feelings of lovers. The latter circumstance is also worthy of becoming the reason for permission for marriage of teenagers from 16 years of age and older. The full legal capacity of a citizen arises immediately upon completion of registration.
The stamp in the passport automatically secures to minors all the rights of an adult. They remain with them even in the event of a divorce until they reach the age of 18. But recognition of their marriage as invalid for certain reasons deprives recent spouses of their full legal capacity and legal capacity acquired through the registry office. However, when applying to the court, this status can be preserved for them. If, by law, legal capacity is limited due to the recognition of marriage as invalid, adolescents will be given only those rights that correspond to their age. In this case, again, all responsibility for their actions will fall on the parents, adoptive parents or other legal representatives.
We say “right”, mean “responsibility”
For whatever reasons a minor citizen has acquired full legal capacity, responsibility to the law is also assigned to him to the same extent. One is inseparable from the other. The latest reform of the Civil Code carried out in 2008 somewhat expanded the legal capacity of a minor. Previously, children and adolescents were considered to be young until they reached the age of 15, and from 15 to 18 they were considered to be minors. The new edition of the Civil Code endowed the latter with this status with the onset of 14 years. And, of course, a certain amount of responsibility. So, if they violate the rules for holding deposits in credit institutions, minor citizens are responsible to banks with all their property. And only in case of its shortage, the rest of the coverage of the damage to the institution lies with the legal representatives. This liability method is called subsidiary.
Article 28 of the Criminal Code lists the obligations of parents, adoptive parents or guardians before the law for their children or wards who are not endowed with the full legal capacity of a citizen. Adults are responsible not only for their behavior or actions, but also for their own inaccuracies in the education of minors and minors, as well as for inadequate supervision of them. Article 28 at the same time gives educational institutions some responsibility. So, for theft of products from the store at inopportune times, all the blame for the actions of adolescents lies with the parents. And an unintentionally damaged computer in an informatics lesson - at an educational institution. In accordance with the appointment of the person responsible for the offense committed, the loss cover also falls on him.
The milestone passed
The concept of citizens' full legal capacity comes to most of us after the 18th birthday. All statutory rights and obligations, which until this period were partially assigned to parents, adoptive parents or guardians, automatically pass to an adult. All aspects of a person’s life are in the full will of a legally responsible person: all financial transactions, signing of agreements, issuance of powers of attorney, removal of restrictions on property rights, as well as the organization of entrepreneurial activity. The right to exercise the latter until the age of 18 could be obtained only with the recognition of a minor as emancipated. Full legal capacity by virtue of age gives this prerogative to almost everyone. Except in cases when the court has found it incapable of understanding the person’s adequacy of his actions and reporting on them.
Recognition of a citizen's legal capacity to carry out entrepreneurial activity occupies a special place in the Civil Code by virtue of its combination with a certain degree of risk. The basic norms that determine the possibilities in this area of exercising their age privileges are laid down in article 23 of the Civil Code. In it you can find many different nuances of entrepreneurship. In which cases a citizen carrying out this activity is equated with a legal entity; under what circumstances he can maintain his status as an ordinary citizen, etc. It is important to clearly realize this when deciding on entrepreneurship. Since in the case of criminal or other liability, the measure of punishment in relation to it will largely depend on whether the offender is a legal or natural person at the time the crime was committed.
No choice
The full legal capacity of a citizen, obtained by virtue of coming of age, does not give the right to automatically save it until the end of life. In some cases, a person may lose it either partially or permanently. The reasons and procedure for establishing incapacity is regulated by article 22 of the Civil Code. In most cases, they resort to the procedure because of the inability of an adult to fully exercise their civil rights. Due to a mental illness or physical defect, which became the basis for the appointment of disability. Of course, not everyone can be deprived of civil legal capacity. – . – .
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An independently ill person rarely goes to court with a statement depriving himself of civil rights. Even the good intentions of relatives or guardianship authorities can be perceived as an act of hostility towards him. Therefore, the law provides for safety reasons to resort to the procedure for recognizing a citizen as legally incompetent without the consent of an addict or an alcoholic. Legal capacity can be returned to him over time. And while he is under guardianship, he has the right to make small purchases, small household transactions in the form of payment of utility bills and the like. This is in the case of maintaining partial legal capacity. Complete deprivation prohibits even minor operations, they are possible only with the written consent of the trustee.
Uneasy fate
The application to the court for recognition of incapacity is regulated by article 281 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation. It may be filed by family members or other close relatives who do not necessarily live nearby. This right is also vested with employees of guardianship authorities and representatives of psychiatric or neuropsychiatric institutions, if a citizen is registered with them, or it becomes necessary to take him under medical supervision. The citizen’s legal capacity may be limited on the basis of the application of each of the above persons, if the court accepts their arguments. The case is considered at the nearest authority at the patient's place of residence. And if he is being treated in a clinic, then on the territory of the municipality where this medical institution is registered or is located.
The statement should indicate the degree of kinship with a mentally ill person or the presence of appropriate powers of unauthorized persons, but who have the right to such actions. The court should be informed as fully as possible of the identity of the citizen whom must be declared legally incompetent: all known passport data, some biographical information, an established diagnosis or recently identified medical conditions for the implementation of the procedure for depriving him of his civil rights, the results of a psychiatric examination. Indicate facts known to the applicant about the inability of a person to be aware of their actions, or to control behavior and emotions.
During the trial, the applicant must be present in the hall, the prosecutor, representatives of the guardianship service. There should also be a citizen himself, whose fate will be decided. And in the case of his acute mental disorder or the prescription of doctors not to leave the medical institution, an off-site court session is held.