Senate Approves Lowering Puerto Rico's Age of Majority to 18; Measure Now Heads to the House

Puerto Rico's Senate approved Senate Bill 1245 on Monday, September 21, establishing 18 as the age of civil and administrative majority on the island, replacing the age of 21 that has been in effect since 2001 ¹². The measure, sponsored by Sen. Angel Toledo Lopez, passed 24 votes in favor to 4 against, and now heads to the House of Representatives, where it must pass another vote before reaching Governor Jenniffer Gonzalez Colon's desk ²³.

Background

This is not the first time Puerto Rico has tried this change. Law 289 of 2000 set the age of majority at 18, but the Legislature reversed it just a year later through Law 59 of 2001, returning it to 21 ¹². With SB 1245, Toledo Lopez is seeking to align Puerto Rico's Civil Code with the practice in the mainland United States and most jurisdictions, where 18 is the standard age of majority ².

The Administration for Child Support (ASUME, its Spanish acronym) had publicly warned that any reduction of the age of majority should not mean the automatic termination of child support payments at 18, because it would force thousands of college students who depend on their parents to abandon their studies to cover housing, health and food expenses they could not afford on their own ⁴. The agency stressed that most university students on the island are between 18 and 21 and remain economically dependent on their households ⁴.

The measure, in numbers

• 24 to 4: the Senate vote result on September 21, 2026 ².
• 18 years old: the new age for exercising full civil acts, including marrying, consenting to medical treatment, engaging in commerce, and executing a holographic will ¹²³.
• 21 years old: the age until which child support automatically continues under ASUME's jurisdiction, regardless of a person's new civil majority status ³⁴.
• 25 years old: the limit to which child support can be extended if the young person continues postsecondary studies under specific academic circumstances ³⁴.
• 2 prior laws: Law 289-2000 (which set majority at 18) and Law 59-2001 (which reversed it to 21), the legislative back-and-forth SB 1245 seeks to resolve permanently ¹².

The bill also amends provisions on adoption, emancipation and guardianship, and explicitly states that turning 18 cannot be used as the sole basis for cancelling medical coverage, health treatments, special education, substitute care, housing, social assistance, or transition programs a minor was already receiving ¹³.

What this means for you

If you have a child about to turn 18, or if you yourself are about to turn 18, this measure — if it becomes law — would immediately change your legal capacity to sign contracts, marry without parental consent, consent to your own medical treatment, and run a business in your own name. But, per the approved text, it would not change your right to keep receiving child support until 21 (or 25 if you're studying), nor your access to medical coverage, special education, or housing you already had guaranteed as a minor. For separated or divorced parents paying or receiving child support, ASUME's current system would keep operating the same way until the child turns 21, regardless of this change.

How to handle it / Checklist

1. If you have an active ASUME case, don't assume support payments stop automatically at 18 even if the law changes; confirm your case's specific status directly with the agency (asume.pr.gov).
2. If you're 17 or 18 and in college, keep proof of active enrollment each semester, since extending support to age 25 depends on demonstrating continuous academic progress.
3. If you're a parent of a minor with special needs, verify with the Department of Education and your health plan that special education services and medical coverage won't be interrupted by the change in civil majority age.
4. Track the bill in the House of Representatives through the Sistema Unico de Tramite Legislativo (sutra.oslpr.org), searching for the House companion measure to SB 1245, to see if and when it goes to public hearings.
5. If you're planning to marry, sign a lease, or start a business at 18, wait until the bill becomes law and is published in the Boletin Administrativo before assuming you already have that legal capacity.

What's next

SB 1245 now heads to the House of Representatives, where it must clear the public hearing and voting process before reaching Governor Jenniffer Gonzalez Colon for her signature or veto ²³. Given that the Legislature already reversed this same change in 2001 after just one year in effect, the House debate is likely to include closer scrutiny of the economic and social impact ASUME has flagged, particularly on the college-age population that relies on family support between ages 18 and 21 ⁴. CoquiList will track the bill's progress in the House and confirm whether public hearings are scheduled ahead of any final approval.