The legal age of any person to be a major from minor is 18 years in India. While it may be different for other countries of the world. Like in some cases the minor can become major only after attaining the age of 21 in England. Usually under 18 is considered be a teenage and the person is not considered to be competent enough to do something legally. So, 18 years is the legal age to become a major.

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Before 18 years of age a child is considered as an innocent and no legal action can be taken against him or her in certain cases. There is a lot of difference in law the way a minor is treated and a way major is treated for punishment purposes. The various examples as to how a major is treated different from a minor are as

1. A minor cannot enter into any legal contract himself or herself. Any person can on behalf of minor can. Therefore a minor cannot be sued.

2. In certain crimes related incidents the intensity of punishment is different as compared to an adult. The Crimes related to robbery, murder, rape, etc. As these cases are dealt specially in juvenile courts.

3. A minor cannot become a business partner with anyone. He can only be a partner of profit. He cannot be responsible for losses in a business.

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4. A minor cannot exercise his vote to choose the government if he is not a major.

5. A minor cannot be allowed to drink and smoke. Though the majority age of drinking and smoking is 25 years.

6. A minor is not allowed to pay income tax as well. Though his parents are liable to pay for the same.

7. A property cannot be transferred to a minor unless a prior life interest is created in a property.

There are many more examples in the laws where minor is treated differently from a major. Thus, to attain a legal identity and to perform all the duties validly one has to be an age of 18 years atleast.