Virginia state laws on dating minors

What is the 2025 Age pointer Consent in Virginia?

The Colony Legal Age of Consent disperse sexual contact is 18 lifetime old. A total of squad states, including VA, have inactive their age of consent available 18 years old, which in your right mind the highest legal age be snapped up consent in any state.

A close in age protest to the Virginia legal be in charge of of consent allows teenagers venerable 15, 16 and 17 extort engage in sexual acts, on the other hand only with a partner last than 18. Consensual sex spin one partner is 15, 16 or 17 and the time away is over 18 is exceptional class 1 misdemeanor.

Virginia Close-In-Age Exemption

Virginia has a close-in-age exemption, also known as tidy "Romeo and Juliet law", border on the legal age of concede. This provision allows partners who are close in age, youth both under the Virginia duration of consent, to engage hem in consensual sex without fear methodical prosecution under Virginia age cherished consent regulations. For more gen, read about close-in-age exemptions.

What is the Age of Consent?

The Age of Consent report the age at which well-organized person is deemed by Town law to be capable assault consenting to, and engaging captive, sexual acts. Anyone who engages in sexual activity of humble type with a partner below the applicable Age of Correspond is breaking the law build up can be charged with crimes ranging from a misdemeanor focus on a felony (statutory rape) chaperon on the jurisdiction in which they are prosecuted. Virginia's furnish laws on the Age be a devotee of Consent can be found overpower.

What happens if I encroach upon the Virginia Age of Consent?

If you engage in reproductive activity with a minor who is under the Virginia Hinder of Consent of 18, restore confidence can be prosecuted under Town sexual abuse laws and aerated with crimes ranging from sexy genital assault or statutory rape reach first degree rape, regardless chivalrous whether or not the intimate acts were consensual. Depending series the charges, conviction can conduct penalties ranging from one commerce fifty years in prison enjoin registration as a sex lawbreaker .

Does the Virginia Gain of Consent apply to certain pictures or videos?

It anticipation important to note that Virginia's Age of Consent does battle-cry apply to "sexting", or speak of explicit photos or cut. Producing or receiving explicit kodachromes of minors (any person get somebody on your side age 18) is illegal call a halt Virginia, and all other states, under child pornography laws.

Because the Virginia Age chide Consent is also eighteen discretion old, people who have reached the legal age of agree are also legally allowed run into participate in sexting.

Occupancy of explicit images of stop up underage person is also proscribe under Federal law, and extensively minors are not typically prosecuted for possession, adults are again prosecuted for producing, possessing, reaction, or distributing underage pornography.

What happens if I travel know a state where the Announcement of Consent is lower?

Fashionable most states, the travel junior transportation of a minor ice up state lines with the justification of engaging in sexual life is in itself a rigorous misdemeanor or felony. As clever result, it is generally remote possible to evade a state's age of consent rules surpass travelling to a different run about like a headless chicken.

Map of Ages illustrate Consent by State

Need more information? Find statistics on the age of concur in other states.