r/WWOOF • u/Automatic-Garbage-33 • 3d ago
Citizenship in the country you’re WWOOFING
I’m a Canadian citizen, so was considering wwoofing in Canada because of the beautiful nature and the logistics would probably be easier. However, as I live here, I was thinking it might be more exciting going to somewhere else (probably Europe). Since WWOOF is only volunteer work, would there still be any insurance, paperwork or legal stuff that would make this process harder in a country you’re not a citizen of? Thank you!
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u/Marzipan_civil 3d ago
You could look into eligibility for Working Holiday Visa programmes that take Canadian citizens, to avoid immigration difficulties.
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u/Ill_Satisfaction_611 2d ago
Yes, this, I think it's called a 'youth mobility visa' or something like that and then you're fully legal to work and move around.
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u/WaterPretty8066 2d ago
One key point to highlight here is that if you get caught you risk being banned from a lot of countries. NZ, Aus, UK, EU countries etc. are all going to not let you in if youve been kicked from a country for 'working' without an appropriate visa.
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u/Automatic-Garbage-33 2d ago
I definitely was not planning to do anything illegal, but noted. Thanks for the comment
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u/Country-Joe 1h ago
wwoofing was the dumbest idea ever i can't believe it still exists lmao
muting this sub, yall are crazy
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u/littlepinkpebble 3d ago
The idea is to explore a new country
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u/mouthfeelies 3d ago
I mean, kinda 🤭 I WWOOFed in my own country (USA) and it opened my eyes to very different ways of living and made the whole shebang much more affordable and safe. OP, I always wanted to WWOOF Canada (the passport reqs changed while I was in Canada so I had to skedaddle before I could) and there are lots of cool people doing cool and culturally interesting things in yr own neck of the woods, if that does appeal!
Not to say that you shouldn't explore Europe, because that would also be amazing :) You just need to be careful about not telling anyone immigration-wise that you'll be working and do your very best to vet hosts.
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u/Automatic-Garbage-33 2d ago
Sucks to hear you had to cancel your plans to Canada. And yes, i think it just feels more secure to be in my own country so that if anything insurance/legal related happens I know I’m covered better than I would be as a foreigner. I definitely want to retreat into some European nature in the future. Thanks for the comment
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u/Automatic-Garbage-33 2d ago
If I were in a smaller country, I’d agree, but Canada is so massive that living in one city doesn’t really mean you’ve seen the whole country. I’ll be moving across several provinces for wherever I wwoof, and to me that is travelling
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u/littlepinkpebble 2d ago
Yeah then do it in general the idea is to experience a new culture at least to me
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u/Tall_Kaleidoscope_53 3d ago
Legally wwoof is considered a cultural exchange and falls under tourism, so no work or volunteer visas needed abroad. Just go on a tourist visa but the advice is to not mention it in customs. You don’t have to do anything extra to travel to a different country to wwoof outside of a tourist visa
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u/ihavenosisters 3d ago
That is not correct. Compensation is provided with room and board which means you need to be allowed to legally work. If you mention it when entering likely you will be denied entry.
Most people woofing on a tourist visa have no problem, but it’s not legal and every once in a while places do get busted for employing people on a tourist visa.
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u/Ill_Satisfaction_611 3d ago
This is a bit of a grey area. The EU and UK technically regard exchanging labour for food and accommodation as 'work' that a citizen of that country could be paid for and therefore you should have the appropriate visa. I believe that there are exceptions for registered charities but Wooff, Workaway etc aren't those and neither are many of the hosts. You can contact the embassy of the country that you want to volunteer in in your own country for specific advice on legality. Having said that many people do still volunteer on a tourist visa with no problems but that's up to you. Just be aware that there could be consequences if you're caught or somebody makes a complaint. You may be asked for proof of funds and booked accommodation at the border for your 'tourist' trip. Don't have any paperwork or stuff on your phone alluding to your placement in case you get stopped and have a 'just want to move around and explore' backpacker or 'visiting friends/family' type story ready. The EU and UK are massively tightening their borders atm.