Volunteer Thailand

Ludivinesa wrote:

Hello

I am going to volunteer one year in Mea Sai North Thailand Next year and I am wondering what kind of visa do I need? and how to find long term accommodation. Any ideas? thanks

You need an O visa specifically for volunteering and a work permit:

This is what the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs says:

Although you will work as a volunteer, you do need a Non-Immigrant visa as well as the Work Permit. The NGO must be legally registered with the Thai authority, and that you need a recommendation letter from the NGO for your visa application and the Work Permit.

If you are volunteering for an NGO they should sort the paperwork for you as well as accommodation. You should not be paying a fee to volunteer.

Here is some advice for volunteers from one of my blogs:

Some Advice for Potential Volunteers

1. Do not consider volunteering in Thailand for any organisation that is not up front about the visa requirements outlined above. Chances are that if there is no mention they will also be an organisation that charges you a big fee to work for free.
2.Do not pay big fee's to volunteer. It might be considered reasonable to charge transportation costs for example, but board and lodgings should be free. There are plenty of NGO's in Thailand that fit this criteria(very low cost/no cost) but you won't find them listed in Google AdSense ads at the top of the search page.
3. Do not work in Thailand without the correct paperwork i.e. volunteer visa and work permit.
4. Before you commit do some due diligence on the organisation you fancy working for and I don't mean reading the glowing testimonials from past “volunteers” displayed on the web site.
5.Enjoy working in Thailand as volunteer, it can be very rewarding,  with the right organisation.

Hope that helps.