ARGENTINA |
| Administered by Comisión Asesora de Exhibición Cinematográfica branch of Instituto de Cine y Artes Audiovisuales |
| [none] |
suitable for children |
| ATP |
suitable for all ages |
| 13 |
suitable for 13-year-olds and over |
| 16 |
suitable for 16-year-olds and over |
| 18 |
suitable for 18-year-olds and over |
| X |
sexually explicit |
|
| AUSTRALIA |
| Ratings system is administered by the Office of Film and Literature Classification
and established under the Classification (Publications, Films and Computer Games) Act 1995. |
| G |
general, suitable for all ages [green] |
| PG |
parental guidance recommended for persons under 15 years [yellow] |
| M |
mature, recommended for mature audiences 15 years and over [blue] |
| MA 15+ |
mature accompanied (restrictions apply to persons under the age of 15) [red] |
| R 18+, X18+ |
restricted to adults 18 years and over [black] |
The same classifications apply to videos and computer games.
The consistent design of classification markings and colour coding were added by the OFLC in July 2005. |
BELGIUM |
| |
| KT |
suitable for all audiences |
| KNT |
unsuitable for children |
BRAZIL |
| System administered by the Departamento de Justiça, Classificação, Títulos e
Qualificação (DJCTQ) |
| Livre |
suitable for all audiences |
| 12 anos |
recommended for persons 12 years old or over; mild swearing or violence, sexual references |
| 14 anos |
recommended for persons 14 years old or over; swearing, sexual references |
| 16 anos |
recommended for persons 16 years old or over; strong language, mild non-explicit sex (some nudity possible), drug use |
| 18 anos |
recommended for persons 18 years old or over; strong language, graphic violence or drug use, porn |
| Children of any age may watch any film other than porn is accompanying adults |
CANADA |
Each province has its own film ratings scheme.
Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Maritimes (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and
Prince Edward Island), Ontario, North-West Territories, Saskatchewan and Yukon: |
| G |
general, suitable for all ages (not Ontario) |
| F |
Ontario only: family, suitable for all ages |
| PG |
parental guidance; Manitoba only: recommended for 12 and over |
| 14A |
under 14s must be accompanied by an adult (not Manitoba or Maritimes) |
| AA |
Maritimes only: adult accompaniment required for children under 14 |
| PA |
Manitoba only: parental accompaniment required for children under 15 |
| 18A |
under 18s must be accompanied by an adult (Manitoba, Maritimes and Ontario only:
recommended but introduction pending) |
| R |
restricted: no viewing by under 18s (not Maritimes) |
| 18 |
Maritimes only: under 18s must be accompanied by an adult |
Adult
18+
XXX |
Alberta and Ontario only: no viewing by under 18s
Manitoba only: no viewing by under 18s
Maritimes only: no viewing by under 18s |
| E |
Maritimes only: exempt |
| Quebec |
| G |
general, 'unlikely to disturb an average viewer' |
| 13+ |
under 13s must be accompanied by an adult |
| 16+ |
restricted to persons aged 16 and over |
| 18+ |
restricted to persons aged 18 and over |
CHILE |
| System administered by Consejo de Calificación Cinematográfica |
| TE |
suitable for all audiences |
| 7 |
unsuitable for children under 7 |
| 14 |
unsuitable for children under 14 |
18
18/S
18/V |
suitable for only adults aged 18 or over
sexually explicit
contains extreme violence |
COLOMBIA |
|
Ministerio de Cultura introduced a new scheme on 22 June 2005 |
| T |
suitable for general audiences |
| 7 |
suitable for audiences aged 7 and over |
| 12 |
suitable for audiences aged 12 and over |
| 15 |
suitable for audiences aged 15 and over |
| 18 |
suitable for audiences aged 18 and over |
| X |
pornographic |
DENMARK |
| System administered by Medierådet (Media Council for Children and Young People) |
| A |
approved for general admittance |
| 7 |
approved for general admittance but not recommended for children under 7 |
| 11 |
approved for children aged 11 and over |
| 15 |
approved for children aged 15 and over |
| Children aged seven and over may be admitted to any film if accompanied
by an adult. Classification is not mandatory but unrated films must carry a 15 certificate. |
FINLAND |
| System administered by Valtion elokuvatarkastamo (Board of Film
Classification), a department of the Ministry of Education |
| S |
suitable for all audiences |
| K-7 |
suitable for audiences aged 7 years and above |
| K-11 |
suitable for audiences aged 11 years and above |
| K-15 |
suitable for audiences aged 15 years and above |
| K-18 |
suitable for audiences aged 18 years and above |
| KK |
banned because of criminal content (eg, child pornography or actual violence presented
as entertainment) |
| Children aged two years below the classification may be admitted to K-7, K-11
and K-15 films when accompanied by an adult. |
FRANCE |
| Statutory scheme administered by the Centre Nationale de la Cinématographie (CNC). |
| U |
suitable for all audiences |
| 10 |
unsuitable for children under 10 |
| 12 |
suitable for audiences aged 12 and over |
| 16 |
suitable for audiences aged 16 and over |
| 18 |
suitable for adult audiences aged 18 and over |
| Films rated 18 may additionally be rated as 'pornographic or inciting to
violence'. |
HONG KONG |
| System adminsitered by the Film Censorship Authority. |
| I |
suitable for all audiences |
| IIA |
unsuitable for children (advisory) |
| IIB |
unsuitable for children and young people (advisory) |
| III |
for audiences aged 18 and over (mandatory) |
ICELAND |
| System administered by Kvikmyndaskoðun Íslands |
| L |
suitable for all audiences |
| 10 |
passed for audiences aged 10 and above |
| 12 |
passed for audiences aged 12 and above |
| 14 |
passed for audiences aged 14 and above |
| 16 |
passed for audiences aged 16 and above |
| AB |
banned |
INDIA |
| System administered by the Indian Film Censor Board |
| U |
universal: suitable for all audiences |
| U/A |
universal with adult/parental guidance; unsuitable for children under 12 |
| A |
adult: may only be watchedby audiences ages 18 and over |
IRELAND |
| A new, more relaxed, set of classifications came into force on 1 January 2005,
following consultation by survey with parents. The system is administered by the Office of the Films Examiner
(Oifig Scrúdóir na Scannán). |
| G |
general, suitable for all ages |
| PG |
parental guidance; suitable for all ages but parental guidance advised |
| 12A |
suitable for audiences aged 12 and over; younger children may be admitted if accompanied by
an adult [formerly 12PG] |
| 15A |
suitable for audiences aged 15 and over; younger children may be admitted if
accompanied by an adult [formerly 15PG] |
| 16 |
restricted to audiences aged 16 and over (a new category) |
| 18 |
restricted to audiences aged 18 and over |
| Films can also be banned. |
ITALY |
| |
| T (tutti) |
suitable for all audiences |
| VM14 |
children under the age of 14 not admitted |
| VM18 |
children under the age of 18 not admitted |
JAPAN |
| System administered by Eirin (Motion Picture Ethics Committee) |
| General |
suitable for all audiences |
| PG-12 |
not recommended for children under 12 without parental/adult company |
| R-15 |
children under 15 not admitted |
| R-18 |
children under 18 not admitted |
KENYA |
| System administered by the Film Censorship Board |
MALAYSIA |
| System administered by the Ministry of Information |
| U (Umum) |
= general in Malay; suitable for all audiences |
| 18SG |
for audiences aged 18 or over only (non-excessive violent/horrifying scenes) |
| 18SX |
for audiences aged 18 or over only (non-excessive sex scenes or drug use) |
| 18PA |
for audiences aged 18 or over only (religious/political/counter-culture/mature themes) |
| 18PL |
for audiences aged 18 or over only (combination of above elements) |
| Films can also be cut or banned outright |
MAURITIUS |
| Scheme administered by the Ministry of Arts and Culture's Board of Film Censors. |
| U |
universal, suitable for all ages |
| PG |
parental guidance compulsory for children under 15 (some scenes may be unsuitable
for children under 12) |
| 15 |
suitable for audiences aged 15 and over |
| 18 |
suitable for adult audiences aged 18 and over |
| R18 |
restricted to adult audiences only, subject to specified conditions |
| Films can also be rejected. |
MEXICO |
| System, administered by Dirección General de Radio, Televisión y Cinematografía,
was last revised in April 2002 with the addition of B15 and D ratings. |
| A |
general |
| AA |
suitable for children |
| B |
suitable for teens |
| B15 |
over 15s accompanied by adults |
| C |
suitable for adults only |
| D |
high sex, violence and/or bad language content |
NETHERLANDS |
| The 9 rating was introduced in 2004 for Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban |
| AL |
suitable for all audiences |
| MG6 |
parental guidance recommended for children less than six years old |
| 6 |
not recommended for children less than six years old |
| 9 |
not recommended for children less than nine years old |
| 12 |
not recommended for children less than 12 years old |
| 16 |
children under 16 not admitted |
NEW ZEALAND |
| Administered by the Labelling Body under the Films, Video & Publications Classification Act 1993 |
| G |
general, suitable for all ages |
| PG |
parental guidance: some scenes may be unsuitable for young children |
| M |
mature, unrestricted but recommended for mature audiences 16 years and over |
| R16 |
restricted: children under 16 not admitted |
| R18 |
restricted: children under 18 not admitted |
NORWAY |
| System administered by
Medietilsynet (Media Authority). |
| Alle |
suitable for all audiences |
| 7 |
suitable for children aged seven or over |
| 11 |
suitable for children aged 11 or over |
| 15 |
suitable for children aged 15 or over |
| 18 |
suitable for children aged 18 or over |
| An additional indication may show suitability for children, youths,
families or adults.Children accompanied by an adult may be admitted to films when three years
below the classification age. Classifications may be designated 'hard' to indicate that films may not be suitable
for the exercise of this dispensation. |
PHILIPPINES |
| System administered by the Movie and Television Review and
Classification Board (MTRCB), established by presidential decree on 5 October 1985 |
| G |
general audiences |
| PG-13 |
parental guidance for children under 13 |
| R-13 |
restricted to audiences aged 13 and over |
| R-18 |
restricted to audiences aged 18 and over |
| X |
banned for public viewing |
PORTUGAL |
| System administered by the Comissão de Classificação de Espectáculos,
a department of the Ministry of Culture, which is also responsible for rating video and live performances. |
| M/4 |
suitable for children aged four and above |
| M/6 |
suitable for children aged six and above |
| M/12 |
suitable for children aged 12 and above; children under 12 may be admitted if
accompanied by an adult |
| M/16 |
suitable for audiences aged 16 and above; children under 16 may be admitted if
accompanied by an adult |
| M/18 |
suitable for audiences aged 16 and above; children under 18 may accompany an adult but
admission can be refused by the exhibitor |
| Films may also be graded as being of quality (addition of -Q to
classification) or pornographic (M-18-P) |
SINGAPORE |
| A revised scheme was introduced by the Media Development Authority on 29
March 2004. |
| G |
suitable for general audiences |
| PG |
parental guidance |
| NC16 |
no one under 16 admitted |
| M18 |
mature: no one under 18 admitted |
| R21 |
restricted: no one under 21 admitted |
| Presentation of ID card is required for admission to NC16, M18 and R21 films |
SOUTH AFRICA |
| System administered by the Film and Publications Board (FPB), established 1 June 1998 |
| A |
suitable for all audiences |
| G |
parental guidance |
| 10 |
unsuitable for children under 10 |
| 13 |
unsuitable for children under 13 |
| 16 |
unsuitable for children under 16 |
| 18 |
unsuitable for children under 18 |
SOUTH KOREA |
| System administerd by the Media Ratings Board |
| General |
suitable for all audiences |
| 12+ |
only people aged 12 and over are admitted |
| 15+ |
only people aged 15 and over are admitted; this rating was briefly suspended in 1999/2000 |
| 18+ |
only people aged 18 and over are admitted |
| There is no discretion about younger children being admitted if
accompanied by an adult |
SPAIN |
| System administered by Instituto de la Cinematografía y de las Artes
Audiovisuales for the Ministry of Culture. Each of 17 autonomous regions has its own ratings authority that
generally follow the ICAA ratings. |
| TP |
suitable for all audiences |
| 7 |
suitable for children aged seven and over |
| 13 |
suitable for children aged 13 and over |
15
16 |
suitable for children aged 15 and over (some autonomous regions only)
suitable for children aged 16 and over (some autonomous regions only) |
| 18 |
suitable for adults aged 18 and over |
| X |
pornography |
SWEDEN |
| System administerd by Statens biografbyrå (SBB, National Board of Film
Censors, established 1911) under the Examination and Control of Films and Videograms Act 1990 |
|
suitable for all audiences |
| 7 år |
children aged below seven must be accompanied by an adult |
| 11 år |
suitable for children aged 11 and above; children aged seven or over may be admitted
with an adult |
| 15 år |
no one under 15 admitted |
| 'Age classifications are not to be regarded as recommendations of
suitability for children but relate only to the risk of serious mental damage.' |
SWITZERLAND |
| Each of 23 cantons has its own ratings authority. These ratings are
applied in Geneva and Vaud. |
| Btl |
suitable for audiences of all ages (Geneva only) |
| 7 |
suitable for audiences aged seven and above |
| 12 |
suitable for audiences aged 12 and above |
| 16 |
suitable for audiences aged 16 and above |
| 18 |
suitable for audiences aged 18 and above |
TAIWAN |
| System administered by the Government Information Office |
| G |
General audiences: suitable for all ages |
| P |
Protected: children under six not admitted; children aged six and less than 12
must be accompanied by an adult |
| PG |
Parental guidance: children under 12 not admitted; children aged 12 and less than 18
must be accompanied by an adult |
| R |
Restricted: children under 18 not admitted |
UK |
| Voluntary cinema classifications of the British Board of Film Classification
(BBFC) were changed from 1 November 1982 |
| U |
universal, suitable for all ages |
| PG |
parental guidance: children admitted but parents are advised that some
scenes may be unsuitable for young children |
| 12A |
suitable for audiences aged 12 and over; children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult |
| 15 |
passed for audiences aged 15 and over |
| 18 |
passed for audiences aged 18 and over |
| R18 |
passed for screening only in specially licensed cinemas to which
audiences aged under 18 are not admitted. |
| Films can also be rejected. |
USA |
| Voluntary ratings scheme of the Classification and Rating Administration of
the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), of which these ratings are registered trade marks. The scheme
has been officially supported by the National Association of Theatre Owners since its inception in 1968. |
| G |
general, suitable for all ages |
| PG |
parental guidance: children admitted but parents are advised that some
material may be unsuitable for young children |
| PG-13 |
some material may be inappropriate for children under 13 |
| R |
children under 17 must be accompanied by an adult |
| NC-17 |
children aged 17 and under are not admitted |
