It’s one of those big moments in life, a real milestone. You turn 18, and suddenly people start throwing around the word “legal adult.”
An 18th birthday is a big one; it may be the biggest one. It comes with a long list of new freedoms and many new responsibilities. Turning eighteen is the legal gateway to adulthood.
Here is a list of the many legal rights and responsibilities that 18-year-olds are granted and some of the restrictions that will still be in place until they turn 21.
What teens can legally do when they turn 18
Civic and Legal Rights and Responsibilities at 18
1. Vote (you probably knew that one) In most states teens can “pre-register” to vote as early as 16 or 17 (in many states they must be 18 by the next election) and in some places this can be done through the state Department of Motor Vehicles.
2. Enlist in the Military, though with parents’ permission, this can be done at 17. You must also have a high school diploma or GED equivalent.
3. Register in the Selective Service system (this is still mandatory for males age 18-25). Failure to register can make a person ineligible for federal student loans and grants, certain federal job training, federal jobs or security clearance.
4. Sign a legal contract. Although in Alabama and Nebraska, the age is 19.
5. Change their legal birth name without the consent of either parent. Prior to 18, parental consent is required.
6. Become eligible for Jury Duty. In many courts you must also be a citizen of the United States and reside in the judicial jurisdiction for at least a year.
7. File a lawsuit. Up until the age of 18 your parents can sue on your behalf after that, you can do so yourself.
8. Create a will. For young adults, with few financial assets this can be done with online will making software but you must be over 18 to sign a will.
Financial
9. Open a brokerage account and buy stocks in your own name. Learning to save and invest is an important skill that will help a teen throughout their lives. Parents can do this for their children before they are 18 and allow them to take responsibility and make transactions in the account afterwards.
10. Open a bank account. Children can have joint accounts with an adult, but upon turning 18, young people can have their own accounts in their own names.
11. Apply for credit cards without parental help. Minors can be authorized users on their parent’s credit cards before they are 18 and it is an excellent way to begin learning to monitor purchases and pay off the account balance in a timely manner.
12. Buy real estate or apply for a mortgage.
13. Rent an apartment.
14. Undertake pawnshop transactions.
15. Take out a loan in your own name. For most 18 year olds this becomes important when borrowing for college or taking a car loan.
16. File for bankruptcy.
Health and Medical
17 Consent to their own medical care. There are many exceptions to this including authorizing testing and teens who are married or pregnant where a young person can consent to their own treatment before 18. But in most cases parents cannot access their child’s medical records or speak to the medical professional treating their child without that child’s consent after they are 18 even if they are financially dependent upon the parent and the parent pays their medical expenses.
18. Give consent for their own vaccines. Again there are exceptions for certain vaccines in many states.
19. Register to give blood or be an organ donor. In some states this is allowed for 17 year olds.
20. Go to the ER alone and get treatment. Like consenting to medical care, this has some exceptions.
21. Purchase cough suppressants. The purchase of dextromethorphan by minors is on a state-by-state basis, but under the age of 18 it is banned in many states.
Employment
22. Use a meat slicer working at the deli in a grocery store.
23. Become a realtor.
25. Work in a bar and serve alcoholic drinks. Despite the drinking age being 21, at age 18 a teen can work in a bar and serve drinks.
26. Drive a taxi.
27. Get a license to drive a truck. Although in many states teens can drive a car at 16 or 17, to drive a truck you must be an adult.
28. Many states allow young people to drop out of high school and join the workforce at 16 or 17, but about half require that you reach 18 before leaving school.
For Fun
29. Body modifications, like a piercing or tattoo, without parental consent. Parents can certainly take their children to do these things earlier, but only after 18 can you do this on your own.
30. Get a passport. After 18 you do not need your parents to apply for a passport and that passport will be good for 10 years, rather than the 5 year passports that minors are issued.
31. Purchase a lottery ticket.
32. Buy an alcoholic drink in most places outside of the United States. Most countries around the world have 18 as the legal drinking age.
33. Buy a pet.
34. Access an adults-only store and content.
35. Skydive.
36. Book a hotel room; in some places. This does vary with location, but many hotel chains require the person signing the register to be over 18. This varies by hotel and some major chains like Hyatt and Best Western have rules in many locations that require guests be at least 21.
37. Legal consensual intimacy with someone over 18. There is some variation in this by state as about two-thirds of states have what is known as “Romeo and Juliet” Laws allowing for underage consent when the partners are very close in age (eg a 17 and 18 year old)
38. Buy fireworks.
39. Bet on a horse race. This does vary by state.
40. Rent Airbnb. You must be 18 to even create an account to host or rent.
41. Use a ride-sharing scooter like Bird or Lime.
42. Be free of any curfew restrictions.
43. Buy spray paint.
44. Be the only one at home when a service repair person needs to enter the home. Delivery people or those making service repairs will often confirm first that someone who will be at the home who is over 18.
45. Buy a car.
46. Pawn something. You must be 18 because this is considered a contract.
Change in family status
47 Get married without parental permission. In many states teens can marry younger with their parent’s consent.
48. Apply to find their biological parents if they are adopted.
49. Adopt a child; in some states. This can become relevant when becoming a guardian for a sibling and many state require an adopting parent be at least 21.
50. Move out of their parent’s home.
Certain things happen only at 21 or older
But 18 isn’t the gateway to all legal rights and responsibilities. In the United Sates, the legal drinking age for young adults is still 21 for alcohol; the same is true with buying tobacco products, cigarettes or cannabis, in the states where it is legal.
Many states also have a minimum age of 20 or higher for renting a car. Casinos do not allow gambling until age 21.
Many states issue a new driving license to those over 21 (the new ID may have a photo with a different orientation or no longer be marked “under 21”).
In many places, renting a hotel room until you are 21 is difficult, though Airbnb allows rentals at 18 (individual Airbnb hosts can set higher age restrictions such as 21 or even 25).
To all those turning 18 this year, enjoy the new freedoms, but please understand that those freedoms also come with new responsibilities.
And to all the parents of those kids, don’t forget our motto here at Grown and Flown, “Parenting never ends.”
One item that families may need once their teens are 18 and a medical issue arises is legal forms to allow parents to be involved in the decision-making. A quick and easy way to get the documents you need at a reasonable price is through Mama Bear Legal Forms. I used Mama Bear for my son, who attends school out-of-state, and the process was seamless. Use our link to get 20% off the documents you need. (We receive compensation from purchases made through the Mama Bear link, but our opinions are our own.)
More Great Reads:
