Full question:
What is the legal age for a child to leave home? If the circumstances are grave for the child, can another parent go and take the child if there were never any custody arrangement between the two parents, and one of the parents took the child out of state without the other parent’s consent years ago?
- Category: Divorce
- Subcategory: Child Custody
- Date:
- State: Virginia
Answer:
In Virginia, a person is considered an adult at eighteen years of age (Title 1, Chapter 2.1, Article 2, § 1-203). This means that the legal age for a child to leave home is eighteen.
If the parents are divorced, it is unlikely that there is no custody agreement as part of the divorce decree. If there are serious circumstances affecting the child, the non-custodial parent should seek full legal custody. The court must be informed of any immediate grave circumstances the child is facing.
This content is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Legal statutes mentioned reflect the law at the time the content was written and may no longer be current. Always verify the latest version of the law before relying on it.