What is the European Solidarity Corps (ESC)?

The European Solidarity Corps is the European Union programme that brings young people together to build a more inclusive society, support vulnerable people and respond to societal and humanitarian challenges. The European Solidarity Corps offers young people who want to help, learn and develop a single entry point for solidarity activities throughout the Union and beyond. The programme covers a broad range of areas, such as integration of migrants, environmental challenges, prevention of natural disasters, education and youth activities, preservation of cultural heritage and humanitarian aid. By extending its scope to cover volunteering activities in support of humanitarian aid operations, the European Solidarity Corps helps to deliver assistance, relief and protection where most needed. If you want the longer version, our guide on ESC volunteering from start to finish walks through every stage, and how the European Solidarity Corps differs from Erasmus+ compares the two programmes side by side.

Last updated: October 2026.

Who can join the European Solidarity Corps?

Young people express their willingness to participate in the European Solidarity Corps by registering on the European Solidarity Corps Portal. The registration on the European Solidarity Corps Portal is possible as of 17 years of age but participants must have reached 18 and must not be older than 30 at the start date of the activity. For participants in humanitarian aid related solidarity activities, the upper age limit at the start of the activity is 35 years old. 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. Member States of the European Union and third countries associated to the Programme can participate fully in all the Actions of the European Solidarity Corps, and some Actions are also open to third countries not associated to the Programme. Before you register, our guide on who can apply to Erasmus+ and the European Solidarity Corps helps you check your own situation, the age limits by activity shows how the starting age applies to each type of activity, and the list of eligible countries tells you whether your country can take part.

What kinds of projects can you join?

In order to achieve its objectives, the European Solidarity Corps implements four Actions structured into two strands: Volunteering Projects, Volunteering Teams in High Priority Areas, Solidarity Projects, and Humanitarian Aid Volunteering projects.

🤝 Individual Volunteering: a solidarity activity of a duration of 2 weeks to 12 months, excluding travel time, that lets you contribute to the daily work of an organisation. Volunteering is a full-time unpaid activity that has a duration of up to 12 months, undertaken through participating organisations. Our guide on how long an ESC project lasts puts the length of Individual Volunteering next to the other European Solidarity Corps activities.

👥 Volunteering Teams: solidarity activities that allow teams of participants coming from at least two different countries to volunteer together for a period between 2 weeks and 2 months (up to 59 days), excluding travel days. In volunteering teams, European Solidarity Corps volunteers will carry out tasks for a project over a short period of time. Our guide on what ESC Volunteering Teams are explains how a team is formed.

🎯 Volunteering Teams in High Priority Areas: large scale, high impact projects supporting voluntary activities carried out by young people from at least two different countries, implementing short-term interventions that address common European challenges in policy areas defined each year at EU level.

💡 Solidarity Projects: a non-profit solidarity activity initiated, developed and implemented by young people themselves for a period from 2 to 12 months, open to a group of minimum five young persons. Our guide on projects young people run themselves covers how a group starts one.

🌍 Humanitarian Aid Volunteering: volunteering that takes place in third countries where there are ongoing humanitarian aid operations, and gives young people aged 18 to 35 years old the opportunity to contribute to society by short-term or long-term volunteering activities aimed at improving living conditions of people in need. Individual volunteering in the field of humanitarian aid lasts 2 to 12 months, excluding travel time. Our guide on Humanitarian Aid Volunteering explains where these projects run.

What does the European Solidarity Corps pay for?

✈️ Travel: a contribution to the travel costs of participants from their place of origin to the venue of the activity and return. Below 500 KM, participants will, as a general rule, travel with low emissions means of transport. Our guide on how travel distance bands work explains how the distance to your venue sets your travel contribution, and green travel in Erasmus+ and ESC covers the extra support when you choose low emission transport.

🏠 Boarding, lodging and local travel: Organisational Support costs linked to the subsistence of participants, such as boarding, lodging and local travel, and costs directly linked to the implementation of volunteering activities, such as preparation, monitoring and support of participants.

💶 Pocket money: a contribution to additional personal expenses for participants. Our guide on how much pocket money you get lists what this means in practice.

🗣️ Language support: costs linked to the support offered to participants, prior to departure or during the activity, in order to improve the knowledge of the language they will use to carry out their volunteering tasks. For participants in Volunteering Projects, the contribution is 150 EUR per participant, only for activities lasting 60 days or more, and for cross-border activities only for languages or levels not offered by the Online Language Support. Our guide on Online Language Support explains the free online option.

♿ Visa and related costs: visa and visa related costs, residence permits, vaccinations, medical certifications, clearance requirements costs. The request for financial support for these exceptional costs must be motivated and approved. Our guide on visas and residence permits for ESC and Erasmus+explains the paperwork before you travel, and what being fully funded means sets out what is and is not paid.

How do you apply to the European Solidarity Corps?

Young people at least 17 years old wishing to engage in solidarity activities shall register in the European Solidarity Corps Portal Placement Administration Support System (PASS). Registered candidates obtain a unique Personal Registration Number (PRN), can look for opportunities and express their interest in them. Organisations holding a Quality Label advertise volunteering opportunities on the Portal, search for registered candidates and contact them; once the organisation and the registered candidate have found each other, the organisation sends an offer to the registered candidate. Young people with fewer opportunities may receive support from organisations to complete the registration phase. Our guide on how to apply for Erasmus+ or ESC takes the steps one by one, how to register on the ESC Portal covers the account itself, and how to write a motivation letter helps with the part organisations read first.

Who is who in the European Solidarity Corps?

🧑‍🤝‍🧑 Registered candidate: an individual aged between 17 and 35 years who has registered in the European Solidarity Corps Portal to express interest in a solidarity activity but is not yet participating in one.

🏢 Participating organisations: the organisations, institutions, public or private bodies that organise solidarity activities, through which the European Solidarity Corps involves young people, except for Solidarity Projects where young people can apply directly.

✅ Organisations holding a Quality Label: these organisations advertise opportunities on the Portal, search for registered candidates and contact them. Our guide on the ESC Quality Label explains what the label certifies, and the supporting organisation describes the organisation that prepares you at home.

🧭 Coach: in Solidarity Projects, a resource person who accompanies the group of young people and supports their participation through the different phases of the project, while remaining outside the group. Our guide on your ESC mentor covers the person who supports you during a volunteering activity, and what National Agencies do explains who runs the programme in each country.

Where are European Solidarity Corps volunteering opportunities published?

In the European Solidarity Corps Portal, organisations holding a Quality Label can advertise opportunities for volunteering activities. The European Solidarity Corps Portal offers a meeting place for young people and organisations holding a Quality Label. Our guide on how to find Erasmus+ and ESC projects shows where else opportunities are published.

Frequently asked questions

Is European Solidarity Corps volunteering paid?

No, volunteering is a full-time unpaid activity that has a duration of up to 12 months. Pocket money is a contribution to additional personal expenses for participants.

How many hours a week do you volunteer in the European Solidarity Corps?

At least 30 and not more than 38 hours per week.

What about activities in your own country?

In-country activities should present a clear European added value including complementarity to existing national schemes. Projects with in-country activities presenting a weak or a lack of European added value will not be considered as relevant in the context of the European Solidarity Corps.

Can you take part more than once?

Yes, but there is a ceiling. The total amount of time spent by a young person in European Solidarity Corps volunteering activities must not exceed 12 months, the activities must not overlap, activities carried out under Erasmus+ volunteering or the European Voluntary Service count towards that total, and Solidarity Projects are not included in the 12-month time limit. Our guide on doing ESC more than once shows how a second activity fits under that ceiling.

What measures support the quality of volunteering?

Measures taken before, during or after the solidarity activities aim to ensure the quality and accessibility of volunteering, including online and offline training, insurance, including accident and sickness insurance, and the further use of Youthpass, which identifies and documents the competences acquired by participants during the solidarity activities. Our guide on insurance for ESC volunteers explains how cover is arranged.

Start where you are

The European Solidarity Corps is one programme with several doors, and the European Solidarity Corps Portal is where you walk through one of them. Our guide on how to register on the ESC Portal walks through the account itself. The related pages below from Youth Works Hub cover each part of this guide in more detail.

👉 ESC projects: youthworkshub.org/category/esc-projects