How old do you have to be in Russia to have sex? (Age of Consent)

Every country has its own laws and rules. Any foreigner coming to another state should be aware of them not to get into a trouble. Let’s fancy a situation when you get acquainted with a hot Russian girl on the site. You come to see her in Russia. There is chemistry between you two. As a result, one morning you wake up in one bed and she strikes you with words that she is only 17 years old. Your hair stands on end because in your country the age of consent is 18. So, how old do you have to be to have sex in Russia? And what is the age of consent Russia?

What is the age of consent in Russia?

In criminal law, the age of sexual consent (age of consent in Russia) is the notion to describe the age, from which a person is considered to be able to give informed agreement to sex with another person. In most cases, an adult is legally responsible if he / she has sexual relations with a person under this age.

The penalties for this offence vary depending on the law of the country. Also it depends on the age of the senior participant and the age difference between the partners. Marriage before the age of consent cannot be declared by the Registry Office. It is simply because this kind of marriage is punishable by law.

How old do you have to be to have sex in Russia?

According to Article 134 of the Criminal Law of Russia, sexual intercourse or other actions of sexual nature with a person under the age of 16 years is prohibited by the Law. But you have to know something!

Source: Wikipedia

The Criminal Code also envisages criminal liability for de facto marriage with a person under the minimum legal age of marriage. Also it punishes for forcing such person into marriage and kidnapping a person under 16 years of age with the purpose of establishing a de facto marriage.

Only 18+ years old can be charged. And it’s super low (up to 4 years of prison) – regardless of gender.

If the victim is being under 12 or under mental disabilities), it will be considered as a rape. It will be up to 15 years of prison (or 20 if the victim is under 14).

The Russian teenage sex statistics

But it does not mean that teenagers wait until they turn 16. Unfortunately, in Russia about 10% of underage girls begin their sex life at the age of 14 -15 years. Experts are sure: when entering into an early sexual relationship, such children subconsciously seek compensation for lack of love and affection that they cannot get in a family. In other cases children agree to have intimacy because of boredom and curiosity, without thinking about contraception.

Chief specialist in reproductive health Oleg Apolikhin said that today most Russians are becoming sexually active at the age of 16-17 years. His interview was reported by RIA Novosti.

Apolikhin warns that such statistics may affect fertility. The earlier young people start having sex, the more sexually transmitted diseases they accumulate by the time they decide to have children.

Also for comparison, he said that the average age of marriage among women is 24-26 years, and among men — 26-29. It means that if you are going to get a wife from Russia, it is better to concentrate on the age group mentioned above as such women are mature enough to get married.

What Russians Think About This?

In 2015, the Russian Public Opinion Research Center (VCIOM) conducted a public survey. They found out the opinion of Russian citizens about premarital sexual relations has changed over the past 25 years.

If 30 years ago, 29% considered sex before marriage unacceptable for boys and 37% of the country’s population for girls, in 2014 the figures fell to 21% and 26%, respectively. Older people in this matter were more conservative. Sex before marriage was considered unacceptable by 45% of respondents over 60 years and only 12% of 18-24-year-olds respondents.

At the same time 13% of boys and 9% of girls said that sexual relations before marriage is not only acceptable, but also necessary.

It is noteworthy that the reason for such a wide spread of premarital relationships, 52% of respondents considered the decline of morality and lack of sex education of young people. In general, sexual relations before marriage are increasingly perceived as something natural, but more than 20% of Russians still believe that it is impossible to have sex without entering into a marriage.

What does it mean? It shows that most of Russians agree on having sex before marriage. It is kinda good news for those who want to check sexual compatibility before wedding. Some of them are very clear about this even on Russian Dating Sites.

But still, there are girls who want to be virgin until they marry. Anyway, it is better to be on the safe side. That’s why always check documents of your partner before moving to a more intimate stage of your relations and ask her opinion on premarital sex.

Make sure to also check the article: How to make a Russian woman fall in love with you.