The UAE on Thursday set out reforms to its legal system that formally establish 18 as the age of adulthood, strengthen the rights of people as young as 15 to manage their own financial affairs and give greater decision-making powers to its judiciary.
The government said the new Civil Transactions Law – established through a federal decree – will serve as a “pivotal legislative milestone” and help to further modernise the country's legal landscape.
The age of majority, when a person is legally defined as an adult, will be reduced from 21 lunar years to 18 Gregorian years, using the calendar adopted by the majority of the world.
A person aged 21 in lunar years would be aged about 20 under the Gregorian system. The government said the switch had been made to align with “prevailing comparative legal systems”.
“This change unifies the
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