Prior to their departure, each young person participating in individual or team volunteering activities supported by the European Solidarity Corps must sign a volunteering agreement using the template provided by the European Commission that includes at least the following provisions: the rights and obligations of the parties to that agreement, the duration and location of deployment and a description of the tasks involved; reference to the terms of the participants' insurance; financial contribution from the Corps; tasks to be carried out during the activity; and, where appropriate, reference to the relevant clearance requirements, in accordance with applicable national law. Volunteering in the European Solidarity Corps is a full-time unpaid activity that has a duration of up to 12 months, with at least 30 and not more than 38 hours per week. Participation in volunteering activities must be free of charge for the volunteer. Our guide on your first steps as an ESC volunteer explains what happens once the agreement is signed, and ESC volunteering from start to finish walks through every stage of a project.
Last updated: October 2026.
What must the ESC volunteering agreement include?
The volunteering agreement must be signed prior to departure using the template provided by the European Commission, and that template includes at least the following provisions.
📄 Rights, duration and tasks: the rights and obligations of the parties to that agreement, the duration and location of deployment and a description of the tasks involved.
🩺 Insurance terms: reference to the terms of the participants' insurance. Our guide on insurance for ESC volunteers explains how the cover is arranged.
💶 Financial contribution: financial contribution from the Corps. Our guide on what being fully funded means sets out which costs the programme carries.
🧰 Tasks during the activity: tasks to be carried out during the activity.
🛡️ Clearance requirements: where appropriate, reference to the relevant clearance requirements, in accordance with applicable national law.
Who has to sign the ESC volunteering agreement, and when?
Each young person participating in individual or team volunteering activities supported by the European Solidarity Corps must sign a volunteering agreement using the template provided by the European Commission that includes at least the following provisions: the rights and obligations of the parties to that agreement, the duration and location of deployment and a description of the tasks involved; reference to the terms of the participants' insurance; financial contribution from the Corps; tasks to be carried out during the activity; and, where appropriate, reference to the relevant clearance requirements, in accordance with applicable national law. Except for Solidarity Projects where young people can apply directly, the European Solidarity Corps involves young people through organisations, institutions, public or private bodies that organise solidarity activities. Young people who want to participate in the European Solidarity Corps must register on the European Solidarity Corps Portal, and organisations have to select the participants from the database of registered young people. Our guide on the supporting organisation describes the organisation that prepares you at home, how to register on the ESC Portal covers the account itself, and the full timeline from application to departure shows where the signature falls.
What should you tell the organisations before you sign in Humanitarian Aid Volunteering?
In Humanitarian Aid Volunteering, prior to your departure you should inform the organisations running the project about any circumstances that may influence your capability to carry out the tasks and provide information about any special needs, and if necessary you should also provide accurate information about any health-related issues that may affect your volunteering experience, and you must sign a volunteering agreement with the support, and possibly host, organisation when you accept an activity. In Humanitarian Aid Volunteering the volunteering agreement determines at least the dates of your departure and return, your rights and responsibilities, the responsibilities of the participating organisations, the financial and non-financial support, and the tasks to be carried out during the activity. Our guide on what Humanitarian Aid Volunteering is explains where these projects run, and inclusion support in Erasmus+ and ESC covers the extra help for young people with fewer opportunities.
What are the basic terms of European Solidarity Corps volunteering?
Participation in volunteering activities must be free of charge for the volunteer. Volunteering in the European Solidarity Corps is a full-time unpaid activity that has a duration of up to 12 months, with at least 30 and not more than 38 hours per week. In Humanitarian Aid Volunteering, you can refuse any offer for a Corps volunteering activity without affecting your chance to receive other offers in future. In Humanitarian Aid Volunteering, both before and during your deployment you should receive clear information about the tasks you will have to carry out and, if needed, suitable training. Our guide on what Youthpass is explains how your learning is recorded, and leaving a project early sets out what happens if the activity ends sooner than planned.
What principles apply to you in Humanitarian Aid Volunteering?
In Humanitarian Aid Volunteering, you must respect the rules, structure and practices of the host organisation, which may indeed be necessary to protect your own health, safety and dignity, and you must abide by the laws of the host country. In Humanitarian Aid Volunteering, as a young participant you shall act according to principles that embrace the values of solidarity, respect for human dignity and human rights, the promotion of a fair and equal society based on pluralism, non-discrimination, tolerance, justice, solidarity and equality. In Humanitarian Aid Volunteering, the principles ask you to enhance solidarity between people while respecting their cultures and traditions, to make a meaningful contribution to society showing solidarity, cooperation and mutual understanding, and not to act in any way that could put others or yourself at risk of being harmed. In Humanitarian Aid Volunteering, the principles are general, designed to cover the great variety of potential participants, organisations and environments in which activities can be performed, and they should be adapted to the specific circumstances of each activity. In Humanitarian Aid Volunteering, it is in your interest to update your personal data on the European Youth Portal, such as a change of contact details or place of residence. Our guide on how to register on the ESC Portal covers the account where that data sits.
What else should be settled before departure?
🛂 Visa: participants in European Solidarity Corps projects may need to obtain a visa for staying abroad in the EU Member States and third countries not associated to the Programme hosting the activity.
📑 Authorisations in order: it is strongly recommended that the visa or residence permit authorisations are requested from the competent authorities well in advance, since the process may take several weeks.
🗂️ EU Immigration Portal: the EU Immigration Portal contains general information on visa and residence permits, for both short-term and long-term stays. Our guide on visa and residence for ESC and Erasmus+walks through the paperwork.
🩺 Insurance: all volunteers must be insured against the risks linked to their participation.
📬 Insurance guide: in Humanitarian Aid Volunteering, you will receive Henner's Guide to the insurance plan for the European Solidarity Corps volunteers in the welcome email sent by Henner indicating that you are registered and covered by the insurance, and the Guide can also be found and downloaded from Henner's website and should be available on Henner's app. Our guide on insurance for ESC volunteersexplains how the cover works in practice.
Frequently asked questions
Is signing the volunteering agreement optional?
No, prior to their departure, each young person participating in individual or team volunteering activities supported by the European Solidarity Corps must sign a volunteering agreement using the template provided by the European Commission that includes at least the following provisions: the rights and obligations of the parties to that agreement, the duration and location of deployment and a description of the tasks involved; reference to the terms of the participants' insurance; financial contribution from the Corps; tasks to be carried out during the activity; and, where appropriate, reference to the relevant clearance requirements, in accordance with applicable national law.
Can you be asked to pay a fee to take part?
No, participation in volunteering activities must be free of charge for the volunteer.
Does the agreement say how much money you will get?
The volunteering agreement must include at least the financial contribution from the Corps. In Humanitarian Aid Volunteering the volunteering agreement determines at least the financial and non-financial support, the dates of your departure and return, your rights and responsibilities, the responsibilities of the participating organisations and the tasks to be carried out during the activity. Our guide on what being fully funded means sets out the amounts behind that line.
What proof do you get at the end?
At the end of their volunteering experience, participants are entitled to receive a certificate of participation, issued in the European Solidarity Corps portal provided that the activity is finalised and that participants have submitted their participant report.
Do you need a visa to volunteer abroad?
Participants in European Solidarity Corps projects may need to obtain a visa for staying abroad in the EU Member States and third countries not associated to the Programme hosting the activity. Our guide on visa and residence for ESC and Erasmus+ covers both the visa and the residence permit.
What should you check before you sign?
Read the volunteering agreement against the provisions the European Commission template must include at least: the rights and obligations of the parties to that agreement, the duration and location of deployment, a description of the tasks involved, reference to the terms of the participants' insurance, the financial contribution from the Corps, the tasks to be carried out during the activity and, where appropriate, reference to the relevant clearance requirements in accordance with applicable national law. Our guide on your first steps as an ESC volunteer picks up at the point where the signature is done. The related pages below from Youth Works Hub cover each part of this guide in more detail.
Related pages: your first steps as an ESC volunteer · insurance for ESC volunteers · visa and residence for ESC and Erasmus+ · what being fully funded means · leaving a project early
👉 ESC projects: youthworkshub.org/category/esc-projects
