Volunteer Visit
Volunteer in the UK as a Standard Visitor for up to 30 days in total, for a charity registered with a UK charity regulator.
- Screening A few questions about your work, your family and your plans.
- Documents A checklist built around your route and who is coming with you.
- Expert review A qualified adviser reads every document before anything is filed.
- Application Every answer is checked against the published rules for your route.
- Submission Filed, with everything that went with it kept in one place.
- Arrival We stay with you through the crossing and the first steps after.
Application fee
£135
GOV.UK, Standard Visitor visa
Maximum stay per visit
6 months
Volunteering: 30 days of that in total
Visa validity
2, 5 or 10 years
Long-term visitor visa option
Decision time
Usually 3 weeks
Standard service, from outside the UK
Paid work allowed
No
Visitors cannot work in the UK
Can I volunteer in the UK as a Standard Visitor?
Yes. A Standard Visitor can volunteer for a charity registered with the Charity Commission or the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator, for up to 30 days in total across the visit. This is different from paid voluntary work, which is not permitted on this route and needs a different visa route entirely.
Who this is for
This is for someone who wants to volunteer for a UK charity on a short-term, unpaid basis while visiting — not someone taking up a role that amounts to paid or contracted work. The charity must be a genuinely registered one, and the decision maker must be satisfied that the applicant is a genuine visitor who will leave the UK at the end of the visit and has enough money to support themselves without working or claiming public funds.
Volunteering, not voluntary work
The published rules draw a clear line between volunteering and paid 'voluntary work'. A volunteer has no contract of employment, does not take the place of an employee, and is not paid in kind, though reasonable travel and subsistence expenses can be reimbursed. Routine back-office, retail, fundraising or premises-maintenance roles are treated as employment rather than volunteering. Paid voluntary work of that kind is arranged through a different, sponsored published route.
Requirements
- Genuine visitorYou must satisfy the decision maker that you'll leave the UK at the end of your visit and are genuinely visiting, rather than taking up a role in the UK.
- Registered charityThe volunteering must be for a charity registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales, the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, or the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator.
- Time limitThe volunteering must total no more than 30 days across your visit. The days do not need to be consecutive and can be split across your stay.
- No contract of employmentAs a volunteer you must not have a contract of employment and must not take the place of an employee.
- No payment in kindYou must not receive payment in kind for the volunteering, though reasonable travel and subsistence expenses can be reimbursed.
- Not a routine operational roleThe role must support the charity's purpose rather than being a routine back-office, retail, fundraising or premises-maintenance role.
- Funds without workingYou must have enough money to cover your visit without working or accessing public funds.
- General suitabilityThe application must not fall for refusal under the general suitability rules that apply across UK immigration routes.
Documents typically needed
- Passport or travel documentValid for the whole of your stay in the UK.
- Details of the charity and the volunteeringWhat you'll be doing, for which charity, and over what dates, including any letters from the charity.
- Evidence of your fundsShowing you can support yourself during the visit, since the volunteering itself is unpaid.
- Evidence of your return or onward travelShowing you'll leave the UK at the end of your visit.
- Certified translationsFor any document that is not in English or Welsh.
How to apply
Check the charity is registered
Confirm the charity you'll be volunteering for is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales, the Charity Commission for Northern Ireland, or the Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator.
Check the volunteering fits within the time limit
Plan your volunteering so it totals no more than 30 days across your visit, whether or not the days are consecutive.
Check if you need a visa or an ETA
Depending on your nationality, you may need a Standard Visitor visa, an electronic travel authorisation, or neither.
Apply online
Apply for a Standard Visitor visa online if you need one, and provide details of the charity and volunteering alongside your other supporting documents.
Prove your identity and wait for a decision
Confirm your identity using an identity-checking app or at a visa application centre, then wait for the decision within the published timescale.
Fees & costs
- Standard Visitor visa (up to 6 months)
- £135
- Extend your stay (up to a total of 6 months)
- £1,172
Fees are set by the Home Office and can change. Source: GOV.UK https://www.gov.uk/standard-visitor/apply-standard-visitor-visa
Processing times
- Apply from outside the UK
- Usually within 3 weeks
- Extend your stay from inside the UK
- Usually within 8 weeks
Standard service times published by the Home Office; a faster decision may be available for an extra fee.
What you can and can't do
Permitted
- Volunteer for a registered charity for up to 30 days in total, on a non-consecutive basis if you prefer
- Combine volunteering with other Standard Visitor activities on the same visit, such as tourism or seeing family
- Have reasonable travel and subsistence expenses for the volunteering reimbursed
Not permitted
- Take on voluntary work that involves a contract of employment or takes the place of an employee
- Carry out routine back-office, retail, fundraising or premises-maintenance roles for the charity
- Receive payment in kind, or access public funds
If the application is refused
A refusal decision explains why the published requirements were not met. Most Standard Visitor refusals do not carry a right of appeal, although a right of appeal on human rights grounds can apply in some cases, and the refusal notice sets out what, if anything, follows.
Common questions
How long can I volunteer for as a Standard Visitor?
What kind of charity can I volunteer for?
What's the difference between volunteering and voluntary work?
Can I be paid for volunteering?
Can I combine volunteering with a holiday?
Do I need a visa to volunteer in the UK?
Talk it through with one of our solicitors.
Book a consultation and one of our immigration solicitors will go through your situation, the documents involved, and what happens next.
Study as a Visitor (Up to 30 Days)
Study a short course at an accredited institution while you visit the UK, including an English language course.
Read the guide →School Exchange Visit
For students and the staff travelling with them, coming to the UK on an organised school exchange under the Standard Visitor rules.
Read the guide →Family and Friends Visit
Travel to the UK to spend time with relatives and friends, attend family events and enjoy short visits of up to 6 months.
Read the guide →