How much will it cost?

Application fees

This is the fee that volunteers pay to UNA Exchange on application for a project.

As a registered charity we keep our costs to a minimum, but we do rely on income from registration fees to support our work.

The application fee you pay to UNA Exchange helps us to:

  • Place volunteers on projects
  • Promote international volunteering
  • Help volunteers in preparation
  • Build our programme of international projects in Wales

Application Fee Cost 

For a 2-3 week long project worldwide (including Volunteer Abroad Training).

£210

For a second or third project in one of the above regions (if you apply at the same time as the first one)  £150
Volunteer Abroad Training indepent of project application.  £40

For a 1 to 12 month long project, anywhere in the world 

£250 - 1 to 3 month

£300 - 3 to 6 month

£350 - 6 to 12 month 


Some projects are funded through our Supported Volunteering Programme and do not require a fee. These are usually longer term projects for over 6 months.

Training and preparation

We offer Volunteer Abroad Training to anyone who has applied for an international volunteer project. This training is open to all volunteers, it is optional for volunteers going on 'main projects', those in Europe, North America and Japan. If you apply for a project in Africa, South America or Asia, you will need to join a pre-departure training. If you are undecided about whether to join a project but would like to attend the Volunteer Abroad Training so that you have already attended the trianing if you decide to do a project that starts before the next training or to help make up your mind, this will cost £40. If you then go on to apply for a project this £40 will be deducted from your application fee.

Host organisation fees

Some project hosts require an additional fee to join the project. This is usually for projects in Africa, Asia or South America.  These fees range from £60 to £250 for each project.  They are usually paid on arrival at the project. This fee is often referred to as a 'participation fee' or 'on arrival' fee.

Host organisation fees are required by our partners to support the cost of running the project (your food and accommodation etc). They are required in countries where no alternative funding exists.

A proportion of the fees charged also help support the overall running costs of our partner organisations.

What other costs are there to volunteer?

As well as the volunteer contribution, you will need to cover your own:

  • Travel costs
  • Insurance
  • Visa costs (is applicable)
  • Vaccinations (if applicable)
  • Spending money


You don’t need to pay for food and accommodation, as this is usually provided free by the project host.

So how much will it cost in total?

A rough idea of minimum and maximum costs for a short term project depending on where you want to go:

Project in Europe, USA, Canada, Japan or Korea Project in Africa, South America, Asia
  £ Min  £ Max    £ Min  £ Max 
Application fee to UNA Exchange  £210 £210 Application fee to UNA Exchange   £210
£210
Pre departure training £0  £0 Pre departure training  £0 £0
Host organisation fee £0  £150  Host organisation fee  £130  £250 
Insurance £25  £60  Insurance  £40  £60 
Visa  £0  £50  Visa   £0  £60 
Travel Costs  £50  £500  Travel Costs   £350  £700 
Spending Money  £80  £200  Spending Money   £120  £200 
Total £365  £1,170  Total  £850
£1,480