Minimum legal ages in Belgium explained

The following legal minimum ages apply in Belgium:

• Legal age to purchase beer and wine: 16
• Legal age to purchase spirits: 18
• Legal age to buy tobacco products: 18
• Legal age to enter a dance without parental guardian: 16
• Legal age to fly an airplane: 16
• Legal age to drive a car: 18
• Legal age to have sex: 16 (there is a close-in-age exemption of 2 years if at least one of the partners is 14 or 15 years old)
• Legal age to prostitute yourself: 18 (pimping is illegal)
• Legal age to marry: 18
• Compulsory education until the age of 18
• Voting is mandatory for all Belgians 18 and above.^[1] (For the election of the European Parliament it is 16 and above)
• Age of criminal responsibility: 18 (those 16 or 17 years of age can be dealt with under adult criminal law and can be judged as adults under exceptional circumstances and strict conditions)
• Legal age to enter a casino to gamble: 21
• Legal age to get an amateur radio license: 13^{[2] [3]}
• Overall age of majority: 18

Notes and References

1. Code Electoral, Coordination officieuse jusqu'au 1er avril 2007/ Algemeen Kieswetboek, officieuze coördinatie tot 1 april Web site: Archived copy . 2007-09-22 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110719163103/http://www.ibz.rrn.fgov.be/fileadmin/user_upload/Elections/fr/Laws/CODE%20ELECTORAL%20-1%20AVRIL%202007.pdf . 2011-07-19 .
2. BIPT: Reglementering bestemd voor Radioamateurs 2006 http://www.bipt.be
3. IBPT: Règlement à l’usage des Radioamateurs édition 2006 http://www.ibpt.be