Age assessment is a formal process by which authorities seek to establish the age, or range of age, of a person or determine whether an individual is an adult or a child.^[1]

The age of a person may be unclear where a child has not been registered at birth, has lost their identity documents due to migration or flight, or is for other reasons not in a position to provide documentary evidence of their age. In these cases, age assessment procedures might be initiated to determine if a person is an adult or a child and, in consequence, to decide about specific entitlements and rights of the person, in accordance with the person’s age.