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BBFC 15 category symbol used since 2019

15A certificate (cinema) symbol (Irish Film Classification Office)

15 certificate symbol used by the IFCO for home media

The 15 certificate is issued by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), to state that in its opinion, a film, video recording, or game is suitable only for persons aged 15 years and over. It recommends that no one below that age should be admitted to view a film with an 15 certificate in a cinema, and that 15-rated video recordings should not be sold or rented to anyone below that age.

As with other British film certificates, the 15 certificate theoretically only has advisory power for films shown in public cinemas, with the ultimate say being held by local authorities. In practice, the local authorities tend to follow BBFC rulings in all but a few exceptional cases.

For video and game sales, the BBFC rulings have statutory power, as under the terms of the 1984 Video Recordings Act all videos sold or distributed within the UK must be classified by the BBFC, unless they fall into one of a number of exempt categories. Unclassified recordings which are not exempt cannot legally be sold, regardless of content.

The 15 certificate is also issued by the Irish Film Classification Office.

History

15 certificate icon used by the BBFC from 2002 until 2019

The 15 certificate was created in 1982 as the successor of the previous AA certificate (although AA was for 14 and up). See History of British Film Certificates for more details.