Never buy your plane ticket before the visa is issued. Our guide on how to apply for Erasmus+ or ESC takes the application steps one by one, your first steps as an ESC volunteer picks up where this page ends, and the section on Erasmus+ projects covers what changes there.
Last updated: October 2026.
What do you sign before an ESC volunteering activity?
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 that includes at least the following provisions.
📄 Rights and obligations: the rights and obligations of the parties to that agreement, the duration and location of deployment and a description of the tasks involved.
🩺 Insurance: reference to the terms of the participants' insurance.
💶 Financial contribution: financial contribution from the Corps.
The volunteering agreement (formerly called the activity agreement) is signed by the volunteer, the host organisation, the support organisation and, if there is one, the lead organisation; every signatory keeps a copy. In practice the agreement is signed at least two weeks before the activity starts, and the fully signed agreement is needed for the visa application. The volunteer sees the text before signing and signs first. We recommend asking about anything unclear and clarifying everything with the organisation, and the volunteer can request changes, which the organisation may accept. If a clause does not feel right, discuss it with the host and support organisations; it can be changed if you agree on a middle way, and if it still does not suit you, you can keep looking for another project without signing. The consequences if the volunteer withdraws after signing should be written in the agreement. Clearance requirements are usually not asked for at all, but they can be asked for projects working with children or other vulnerable people under special protection.
Our guide on the agreement you sign before starting goes through the document clause by clause, and whether ESC is fully funded explains what the programme pays and what it does not.
Do you need a visa or a residence permit?
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. Participants in Erasmus+ projects may need to obtain a visa for staying abroad in the EU Member States and third countries associated to the Programme or third countries not associated to the Programme hosting the activity. It is strongly recommended that the authorisations are requested from the competent authorities well in advance, since the process may take several weeks.
A visa is a personal procedure: the volunteer applies personally; the organisations provide the documents. The volunteer researches which documents the consulate of the hosting country requires and asks the organisation for them. Which permit is needed, which documents are required and how long the process takes depend on the hosting country.
These are the documents an ESC volunteer usually needs for the visa, which organisations help to provide:
📨 Support letter: for the visa, the sending organisation gives a support letter confirming that you take part in an ESC project and that your costs are covered; ask for it at least 5 working days in advance.
💌 Invitation letter: for the visa, the host organisation gives an invitation letter with the accommodation and project details.
📄 Volunteering agreement: for the visa, you need the activity (volunteering) agreement signed by the host and sending organisations; it answers most of the consulate's questions.
🏠 Rental contract: many European countries ask for the rental contract or title deed of the address where you will live.
📑 Project contract: most European countries require the project contract from the host organisation, but not all.
🏛️ National Agency letter: some countries require a support letter from the National Agency for the visa; for Italy it is mandatory.
Managing the visa process is the volunteer's own responsibility.
If the sending organisation asks the National Agency, a volunteer accepted to an ESC project can receive an official letter that makes the visa application easier; the visa decision itself is outside the National Agency and depends on the country. Four visa tips: every country has its own visa procedure, so get information from the consulate; keep the receipts of all expenses; never buy your plane ticket before the visa is issued; some consulates ask for the original documents, and some countries ask for additional documents, so check with the consulate before you apply. If the visa is refused, the volunteer cannot take part; they can talk to the organisation and apply again, or apply to a new project.
Visa and vaccination costs are usually paid first by the volunteer and reimbursed later, but this must always be confirmed with the organisation in advance. Our guide on visa and residence for ESC and Erasmus+ walks through the paperwork, and which countries can take part shows where you can apply from.
The European Solidarity Corps provides insurance coverage from the moment participants leave their residence to the host country until their return home after finishing the activity. Our guide on insurance for ESC volunteers explains the cover, the five steps to get your policy and how the European Health Insurance Card works with it.
Which trainings do you take before you go?
The pre-departure training is only mandatory to participants in cross-border volunteering activities. The preparation should take place at least one month before departure. Before departure, the support organisation holds a short online meeting that explains the general process. The pre-departure training of several days is organised face to face by the National Agencies a few times a year, depending on the number of volunteers in the country; whether a volunteer can attend depends on whether the training dates fall before their departure. Pre-departure training lasts about 1 to 3 days face to face, or 1 to 2 hours online. The pre-departure training must provide participants with practical and technical information on matters such as insurance, visa, pocket money and working hours.
Young people wishing to participate in Humanitarian Aid Volunteering need to complete an additional specific training before being eligible to participate. The first part of the training is to be completed on the EU Academy platform and starts with a self-assessment, followed by an online training of a duration of approximately 25 hours, which concludes with a test. Those who pass the test will be eligible for the next phase, a 5-day face-to-face training in a dedicated training centres in Europe. The training is mandatory for all candidates who wish to participate in Humanitarian Aid Volunteering. Our guide on what Humanitarian Aid Volunteering is explains these projects.
Our guide on your first steps as an ESC volunteer explains the training sessions after arrival, and what comes after your project covers what follows the activity.
How do you prepare the language?
Online Language Support is given to the volunteer online; the volunteer receives a link and uses the course through it. If the language of the host country is not offered, there is the 150 EUR linguistic support. The 150 EUR linguistic support is only for activities lasting 60 days or more, and for cross-border activities only for languages and levels not offered by the Online Language Support. Most projects accept participants with basic English, and language support is provided during the project. It pays to learn at least enough of the local language to manage at the local market or greengrocer. Our guide on what Online Language Support is shows how the free courses work, and learning a language abroad covers what helps in daily life.
How do you book your ticket and who pays?
In Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps projects, participants usually buy their own return ticket first and the organisation reimburses them afterwards; for participants with limited financial means, organisations can also support them, so this should be agreed with the sending and host organisations before buying. In the European Solidarity Corps, the volunteer buys the ticket after the visa is issued and the host organisation reimburses it during the project; some organisations buy the ticket themselves and tell the volunteer in advance. Before buying, email the route, date, time and price to the host organisation and get its approval (this is required). Learn your travel budget from the volunteering agreement or the host organisation; if the ticket costs more than the limit, it may not be fully reimbursed. If the ticket costs more than the travel distance band amount, the participant pays the difference; if it costs less, the remaining amount stays with the organisation. Other journeys (train, bus) are paid by the volunteer, the original tickets are kept and handed to the host organisation, and the costs are reimbursed. Send the flight invoice to both the host and the sending organisation; a bank receipt or payment confirmation is not an invoice. When travel costs are reimbursed differs from project to project; it should be written in the info pack, and if it is not, you must clarify it with the organisation before the project. Our guide on how travel distance bands work shows which band your distance falls into, and how flights are booked and reimbursed covers the paperwork.
What should you check before you accept a project?
Check the country, the city, the organisation, the topic, the tasks and the agreement before you accept a project.
Many volunteers do not research the country, the city and the organisation before they go, and then they are not happy in the city; for example, someone used to a big city who goes blindly to a very small town. Many volunteers do not clarify everything with the organisation, especially the details of their tasks; the right questions bring the right answers. Many applicants look only at the country of the project and apply because the location appeals to them, without looking at the topic and the other details. Many volunteers do not read the agreement before signing it, and in particular do not fully understand the withdrawal clauses and their own rights.
Selected volunteers should be told every detail honestly, for example that they may live in a small rural area, that transport may be only a bicycle, or that housing may be mixed-gender; these points are often repeated in an online call. After selection, some organisations connect new volunteers with previous or current volunteers by video call so they can ask questions and feel ready. ESC volunteers usually live in a shared volunteer flat; sometimes in a dormitory or apartment-style residence, and rarely with a host family. In the European Solidarity Corps, the organisation usually provides the accommodation and gives food money, so the volunteer can cook at home or eat out; the details are set out in the info pack. It helps to bring 50 to 100 EUR for the first weeks until a bank account is opened. Our guide on ESC mistakes before you go goes through the mistakes volunteers make, and how to choose the right project helps you compare offers.
What changes if you go to an Erasmus+ project?
Young people involved in mobility activities under all Key Actions of the Erasmus+ Programme must be insured against the risks linked to their participation in these activities. A project-specific insurance is not necessary if the participants are already covered by existing insurance policies of the project organisers. The insurance must cover, wherever relevant, travel insurance, third party liability, accident and serious illness, and death. If projects involve young people under the age of 18, participating organisations are required to obtain the prior authorisation for participation from their parents or those acting on their behalf.
In a Youth Exchange, preparation means practical arrangements, setting up agreements with partners, and linguistic, intercultural, learning and task-related preparation of participants before departure. In Youth Exchanges and youth worker activities, food and accommodation are fully covered for participants; this is mandatory, not an exception. In Erasmus+ youth projects, participants usually stay in hotels. The aim is to provide basic living conditions, so do not expect luxury.
No fee is ever asked for applying, in ESC or Erasmus+ youth projects; nobody should pay anything at the application stage. In Erasmus+ Youth Exchanges, training courses, seminars and study visits, about one in ten calls asks participants for a participation fee; Youth Works Hub does not support this practice. The participation fee is not a payment made in advance: it is usually deducted from the travel reimbursement. Our guide on what a Youth Exchange is explains the most common Erasmus+ youth project, and inclusion support explains the extra support for young people with fewer opportunities.
Frequently asked questions
Is the pre-departure training obligatory?
The pre-departure training is only mandatory to participants in cross-border volunteering activities. The preparation should take place at least one month before departure. Our guide on your first steps as an ESC volunteer explains each training session.
What if the visa is refused?
If the visa is refused, the volunteer cannot take part. The volunteer can talk to the organisation and apply again, or apply to a new project. Our guide on visa and residence for ESC and Erasmus+ covers the visa process.
Sort it out once, then go
Work through the list in order and the weeks before departure stop feeling like a race. Youth Works Hub shows ESC and Erasmus+ projects by category, and the related pages below cover each part of this guide in more detail.
Related pages: your first steps as an ESC volunteer · the agreement you sign before starting · insurance for ESC volunteers · visa and residence for ESC and Erasmus+ · what Online Language Support is · what comes after your project
👉 ESC projects: youthworkshub.org/?tab=esc-projects
👉 Erasmus+ projects: youthworkshub.org/?tab=erasmus-projects
