Can I Move In With My Boyfriend at 16?

[ccsmod13]

Hi there,

Thank you for reaching out to us at the National Runaway Safeline. It sounds like you are in a difficult situation, and we understand it takes courage to reach out for help. The National Runaway Safeline is located in the United States of America (USA). Our knowledge of helpful community based resources and our understanding of youth in crisis related laws is limited to the USA. If you are located in a country outside of the USA, you can use this link to find a youth helpline in or around your country: https://www.childhelplineinternation...pline-network/.

We hope that by reaching out to a local resource, you are able to get the support you need from an organization that understands the laws and circumstances that affect youth in your country.

We wish you the best,
NRS

Hi guys im a male and im 17 years old and I left my parents house and I just droped out of school due to my parents strugling with paying my school and my girlfriend is 16 years old and she left school also due same reasons as my perants.So her father kicked her out of the house so she wants to come and live with me but she does not want to get me locked in jail if its not right so I need advice.She has voicerecordings when her father told her that.What can happen and will I be in jail if she comes and lives with me.Im working and get a salary of R10 000 monthly and I have my own transport.Im from South Africa. Please help me as soon as possible

[ccsmod15]

Hi there,

Thank you for writing to us here at National Runaway Safeline (NRS). We understand it takes great courage to reach out, and we appreciate you sharing a little bit about what’s going on. It seems there is a lot that you are faced with right now and you’re feeling like leaving is one of your only options. It seems you want to know some information on runaway laws.

While we are not experts on the law, 18 is generally the age that an individual may leave home without parent permission. If you are under 18 and leave home, your parent/guardian may file you as a runaway and you may be returned home. Also, those you stay with may run the risk of being charged with harboring a runaway. For more specifics on the law, the local non-emergency police or legal aid may better answer legal questions.

We are here as support to help through this challenging time. We can best help by phone or chat as NRS is unable to respond more than twice by forum to assist you. If you would like to talk more in detail please call or chat soon.

Our contact information is 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929); www.1800runaway.org (click on the chat button).

If you are at risk of any danger or feeling unsafe, we encourage you to reach out to 911 or seek emergency assistance immediately.

Be safe,

NRS

If I'm the age of 15 and my boyfriend is 16 can I move out with him?

I'm not in the place with my family and i want to move in with my boyfriend but I don't know if i can. i love him a lot and i want to stay with him for the rest of my life.

[ccsmod13]

Hi there,

Thank you for taking the time to react out to us here at NRS and we appreciate you sharing a bit about your situation. It sounds like you are not feeling supported at home and you are thinking about leaving. While we are not legal experts, we can speak generally about the consequences of leaving home.

18 is generally the age you are legally able to choose where you live. If you leave without permission before then, your parents can report you as a runaway to the police. Running away is not illegal, but it is a status offense. This means your parents can ask police to return you home if they know where you are staying. Your boyfriend's parents could be at risk of harboring charges, but from what we know this is not very common.

We are available 24/7 for immediate support by phone at 1-800-786-2929 and through live chat at 1800runaway.org. Please do not hesitate to reach out again if you would like to talk more in depth about your situation and explore your options.

Stay strong,
NRS

I am 16 and I want to go live with my boyfriend but I don’t want his family to get in trouble, but I’m tired of fighting with my parents it’s mentally draining

[ccsmod8]

Hello there –

Thank you so much for taking the time out of your day to reach out to us here at the National Runaway Safeline on our public forum. We are always here to listen and here to help in any way that we can.

Now we aren't legal experts here and you might have already read on this forum thread about what could happen if you were to leave home before the age of majority. So we won’t get into that since you can find it fairly easily.

Your parent(s) may give you permission to live with another family or relative, but without getting an official document from the court they would still be legally responsible for you. Which means that they can also take away that permission at any given moment and take you back home to live with them once again. So that can be an option for you if you feel like your parent(s) might respond well to you living someplace else or won’t go back on their word when they told you that you could leave home. Maybe coming up with a solid plan about what you’re planning on doing, how everything is going to work, and any miscellaneous things could be helpful in them seeing how much work you have put into this plan and presenting the ideas to both sides (ie. your parents and boyfriend’s parents).

Hope this was helpful and best of luck to you.

Hey i am 16. can i move in with my boyfriend and his parents with my and his parents permission. i also don’t want to get emancipation

[ccsmod15]

Hi there,
18 years old is generally the age that an individual may leave home without permission from their parent or legal guardian. We are not legal experts here but we can speak in general terms. If you are under 18 and leave home without permission, your parent/guardian may file a runaway report with the police. What actions the police take once you are filed as a runaway can vary a lot from state to state and even city to city so we cannot predict exactly what would happen in your case. Generally speaking, if you encounter a police officer while reported as a runaway, you will likely be returned home. However, in that case there may be services (family counseling, etc.) available to you as a youth in crisis/runaway but again, police procedures related to offering those services can be different based on your location or the details of your situation. Another thing to consider is that while running away is not a crime, a legal adult who allows you to stay with them may be putting themselves at risk for being charged with harboring a runaway. One way to find out the laws in your area is to call your local police and ask what their policies are regarding runaway youth.
If you would like to talk more in detail please call or chat soon. Our contact information is 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929); www.1800runaway.org (click on the chat button).
We hope to hear from you soon.
Be safe and stay strong,
NRS

Hi I’m wondering if I can move in with my boyfriend I’m 16 and he’s 16 he lives with his grandparents because his mom and dad gave him up they didn’t want him and he talks about it all the time to me and he cry’s and I feel bad Bc he tells me I’m the only person he has left and no one cares about him like I do he has abandonment issues and I’m here for him I have an absent father but anyway we have so much in common we feel like we don’t get to see each other enough that’s why he wants me to move in I would love to move in also and his grandparents would love to have me as well but I have a crazy mother she’s very controlling and rude has bad energy all the time is an alcoholic drinker and it’s very upsetting I hate living with her and my siblings are always rude to me and I’m pretty much a slave when I’m home I’m always cleaning my moms house and everyone’s mess or they will be mad at me I’m only happy when I’m hanging out with my boyfriend and his family it’s pretty sad to say but when I’m not with my boyfriend and I’m at work I love working Bc I’m away from home I hate being home.is there something or anything we can do bc I’m suffering here and I hate it here please I hope u read this and help me out

[ccsmod15]

Hi there,
Thank you for writing to us here at National Runaway Safeline (NRS). We understand it takes great courage to reach out, and we appreciate you sharing a little bit about what’s going on. It seems there is a lot that you are faced with right now and you’re feeling like leaving is one of your only options. It seems you want to know some information on runaway laws.
While we are not experts on the law, 18 is generally the age that an individual may leave home without parent permission. If you are under 18 and leave home, your parent/guardian may file you as a runaway and you may be returned home. Also, those you stay with may run the risk of being charged with harboring a runaway. For more specifics on the law, the local non-emergency police or legal aid may better answer legal questions.
We are here as support to help through this challenging time. We can best help by phone or chat as NRS is unable to respond more than twice by forum to assist you. If you would like to talk more in detail please call or chat soon.
Our contact information is 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929); www.1800runaway.org (click on the chat button).
If you are at risk of any danger or feeling unsafe, we encourage you to reach out to 911 or seek emergency assistance immediately.
Be safe,
NRS

Hello I am reaching out because I am living with both my parents but my mom is really toxic I am 15 but will be turning 16 in exactly a month from today my boyfriend is 17 and will be turning 18 on November 23rd and my parents do not support us being together at all they threatened to call the police on him because he is about to be 18 but there is nothing wrong about it because the legal age of concept is 16 which I will be very soon. But anyways what will happen if I move in with my boyfriend as soon as he turns 18? Will we get in trouble because we would be doing it without my parents permission. Will he get sent to jail? Will I be forced to go back home? I need answers I want to know??

[ccsmod13]

Hello there,

Thank you for reaching out to the National Runaway Safeline. We are here for you through these tough times we are facing, and are happy to answer any questions you may have regarding runaway or homeless youth. You mentioned that you are 14 years old, and in most states the age of majority is 18 years old. This means that someone under 18 is the responsibility of their parent or guardian. If you were to move out of your grandma’s house without her permission they could possibly file a runaway report. This is a report filed with your local police office that would allow the police to return you to your grandma’s custody if you were to come in contact with them. We are not legal experts here at NRS but we would like to make you aware of possible outcomes. You may want to consider talking with your grandma to arrange an alternative housing agreement. This means that your grandma gives her permission for you to live with your boyfriend’s family. This is something your grandma would have to agree to considering you are 14. If your grandma is in agreement with your move, then there would be no legal issue with you staying with your boyfriend’s family.

If you would like more information regarding your situation we urge you to reach out to us on our 24/7 toll-free number at 1(800)-RUNAWAY. We can give you case specific information as well as resources to help you navigate this decision. Thank you again for reaching out and stay safe!

Good luck,
NRS

I’m 14 and my boyfriend is 16 if I got my grandma who is my legal guardian to agree with moving in with him and his parents would they be any legal issues

[ccsmod16]

Hi, Thank you for reaching out to us; we are glad that you did. It sounds like you are in a really tough situation at home, and it is understandable to want to stay with another family to get a break from it.

If your parents give their permission for you to go, then there isn’t a problem, but they are the only ones who can give that permission. If you go on your own, they have the right to have you return home. But it is hard to be in an environment with a lot of fighting. We hope that you can reach out to us so that we can talk about it because that is the best way for us to help.

You can reach us by phone at 1800-786-2929 (1800-runaway) or via live chat at www.1800runaway.org We are here for you 24/7 and all of our services are confidential. We hope to hear from you soon.
Sincerely,
NRS