How much will it cost?

Registration 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 registration 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

Registration Fee Cost 

For a 2-3 week long project in:

a) Europe

b) USA or Canada

c) Japan or Korea 

£150 

For a second or third project in one of the above regions (if you apply at the same time as the first one)  £100 

For a 2-3 week long project in:

a) Africa

b) Latin America

c) Asia

d) Middle East 

£175 

For a second or third project in one of the above regions (if you apply at the same time as the first one) £125 

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

£200 - 1 to 3 month

£250 - 3 to 6 month

£300 - 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

If you apply for a project in Africa, South America or Asia, you will need to join a pre-departure training.  There is a £30 fee to cover the costs of food and accommodation for the duration of the training weekend.

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.

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 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 
Registration fee to UNA Exchange  £150  £150  Registration fee to UNA Exchange   £175  £175 
Pre departure training £0  £30  Pre departure training  £30  £30 
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 £315  £1,140  Total  £845  £1,745