0% Interest Payment Plan Available - Find Out More

Terms and Conditions of IVHQ Registration and Program Fees

Version 9.0

This document summarizes the terms and conditions applicable to IVHQ’s Registration Fees and Program Fees. By submitting your application, you confirm your acceptance of, and agree to be bound by the following IVHQ Terms and Conditions:

Definitions

  • All prices referenced are in US dollars.
  • All timing referred to in these terms and conditions is based on New Zealand standard time.
  • ‘IVHQ’ refers to International Volunteer HQ, which is a division of HQ Travel LP, a limited partnership registered in New Zealand with company number 50209194.
  • ‘Volunteer’ refers to the customer of IVHQ who has applied to participate in a volunteer program.
  • ‘Group’ refers to eight or more volunteers who apply to participate in a volunteer program together as a group instead of applying individually.
  • ‘Independent Local Team’ refers to the local coordinator who facilitates the volunteer program in the chosen country.
  • The ‘IVHQ website’ refers to www.volunteerhq.org.

Standard Terms Applicable To All Applicants

  • Individual volunteers may choose between three Registration Fee pricing Options: Base, Smart and Flexi. The terms and conditions in respect of these options are defined below.
  • Groups of eight or more volunteers that require support from IVHQ’s Group Support team must select the Group Registration Fee option, which will apply to all volunteers participating in that group. Managed Groups are subject to IVHQ’s Terms and Conditions for Managed Groups.
  • Certain IVHQ programs have different cancellation fees to those set out below. These are detailed on the relevant program pages on the IVHQ website.
  • If a volunteer has paid their Program Fee and then changes to a different program with a lower Program Fee, no refund will be given. If the volunteer changes to a program with a higher Program Fee, the volunteer will be required to pay the difference.
  • Requests for cancellations, program fee refunds or other changes to your program must be made via an email to your IVHQ Program Manager or through the MyIVHQ platform and are considered at IVHQ’s discretion, clearly detailing the reasons for the cancellation, refund or change. Once a volunteer’s cancellation or refund request has been received by IVHQ, they will be notified via email or through the MyIVHQ platform. If no confirmation is received within three working days, the volunteer should assume that the request has not been received and is advised to contact his or her IVHQ Program Manager again.
  • No Program Fee refunds or credits will be given once the program start date has passed as the Program Fee will have already been sent to the Independent Local Team to cover in-country services. At this stage, any change to the program and any refund or credit requests must be directed to the Independent Local Team and will be considered at their discretion.
  • Payments for add-ons and international banking transaction fees are non-refundable in all circumstances.
  • Payments made using a credit can only be refunded as a credit (where eligible). No cash refunds will be made for payments made with a credit.
  • No refunds will be paid to any volunteer who has been provided with a program participation verification letter for the purpose of fundraising, applying for a visa, or obtaining an academic credit.
  • Only one discount, referral code, or promotion code may be applied to each Registration Fee. Discounts are not accumulative, so if the volunteer is entitled to more than one discount, only the higher value discount will be applied. All discounts are applied to the standard non-discounted price.

    Fee Options


Base $299

Refunds & Credits

Registration Fee is strictly non-refundable in all circumstances.

If a volunteer wishes to cancel their registration after the Registration Fee has been paid, they may request a credit of their Registration Fee subject to the following policies:

  • Cancellation 30 or more days before the earliest program start date the volunteer was registered for: No refund of Registration Fee, but the Registration Fee can be retained as a credit in the volunteer’s name for future use on any IVHQ program, subject to availability, for 12 months from the volunteer’s earliest registered start date.
  • Cancellation less than 30 days before the earliest program start date the volunteer was registered for: No refund of Registration Fee, but if the Program Fee has also been paid then the Registration Fee can be retained as a credit in the volunteer’s name for future use on any IVHQ program, subject to availability, for 12 months from the volunteer’s earliest registered start date.

Program Fees may be retained as a credit or refunded:

  • If processed 14 or more days before the program start date:. Program Fee credits can be held in the volunteer’s name for future use on any IVHQ program, subject to availability, for 12 months from the volunteer’s earliest registered start date. Program Fee refunds will be subject to a CA$293 cancellation fee.
  • If processed less than 14 days before the program start date: Program Fee credits and refunds will be offered at IVHQ’s discretion and are subject to a minimum CA$440 cancellation fee for refunds and minimum CA$220 cancellation fee for credits to cover expenses already incurred on behalf of the volunteer.

Changes to Program Destination, Project, Dates or Duration

After the Registration Fee has been paid and before the program start date, a volunteer may change their program destination, project, duration and/or start date subject to the following policies:

  • 14 or more days before scheduled program start date: No Change Fee + any difference in Program Fee.
  • Less than 14 days before scheduled program start date: CA$220 Change Fee per change + any difference in Program Fee.
  • The new program’s start date must be no more than 12 months from the earliest start date the volunteer was registered for, otherwise a new Registration Fee will be payable.
  • No refunds will be given if the new Program Fee is less than the amount already paid.

Smart $349

Refunds & Credits

If a volunteer wishes to cancel their registration after the Registration Fee has been paid, they may request a refund or credit of their Registration Fee subject to the following policies:

  • Cancellation 60 or more days before the earliest program start date the volunteer was registered for: The Registration Fee can be retained as a credit in the volunteer’s name for future use on any IVHQ program, subject to availability, for 12 months from the volunteer’s earliest registered start date. Alternatively, the volunteer can opt for a 50% refund of their Registration Fee.
  • Cancellation 30-59 days before the earliest program start date the volunteer was registered for: No refund of Registration Fee, but the Registration Fee can be retained as a credit in the volunteer’s name for future use on any IVHQ program, subject to availability, for 12 months from the volunteer’s earliest registered start date.
  • Cancellation less than 30 days before the earliest program start date the volunteer was registered for: No refund of Registration Fee, but if the Program Fee has also been paid then the Registration Fee can be retained as a credit in the volunteer’s name for future use on any IVHQ program, subject to availability, for 12 months from the volunteer’s earliest registered start date.

Program Fees may be retained as a credit or refunded:

  • If processed 14 or more days before the program start date: Program Fee credits can be held in the volunteer’s name for future use on any IVHQ program, subject to availability, for 12 months from the volunteer’s earliest registered start date. Program Fee refunds will be subject to a CA$293 cancellation fee.
  • If processed less than 14 days before the program start date: Program Fee credits and refunds will be offered at IVHQ’s discretion and are subject to a minimum CA$440 cancellation fee for refunds and minimum CA$220 cancellation fee for credits to cover expenses already incurred on behalf of the volunteer.

Changes to Program Destination, Project, Dates or Duration

After the Registration Fee has been paid and before the program start date, a volunteer may change their program destination, project, duration and/or start date subject to the following policies:

  • 14 or more days before scheduled program start date: No Change Fee + any difference in Program Fee.
  • Less than 14 days before scheduled program start date: CA$220 Change Fee per change + any difference in Program Fee.
  • The new program’s start date must be no more than 12 months from the earliest start date the volunteer was registered for, otherwise a new Registration Fee will be payable.
  • No refunds will be given if the new Program Fee is less than the amount already paid.

Flexi $399

Refunds & Credits

For registrations made on or after November 1, 2023:

If a volunteer wishes to cancel their registration after the Registration Fee has been paid, they may request a refund or credit of their Registration Fee subject to:

  • Cancellation 30 days or more before the earliest program start date the volunteer was registered for: The Registration Fee can be retained as a credit in the volunteer’s name for future use on any IVHQ program, subject to availability, for 24 months from the volunteer’s earliest registered start date. Alternatively, the volunteer can opt for a 100% refund of their Registration Fee.
  • Cancellation less than 30 days before the earliest program start date the volunteer was registered for: No refund of Registration Fee, but if the Program Fee has also been paid then the Registration Fee can be retained as a credit in the volunteer’s name for future use on any IVHQ program, subject to availability, for 24 months from the volunteer’s earliest registered start date.

Program Fees may be retained as a credit or refunded:

  • If processed 14 or more days before the program start date: Program Fee credits can be held in the volunteer’s name for future use on any IVHQ program, subject to availability, for 24 months from the volunteer’s earliest registered start date. Program Fee refunds will be subject to a CA$293 cancellation fee.
  • If processed less than 14 days before the Program start date: Program Fee credits and refunds will be offered at IVHQ’s discretion and are subject to a minimum CA$440 cancellation fee for refunds and minimum CA$220 cancellation fee for credits to cover expenses already incurred on behalf of the volunteer.

For registrations made on or before October 31, 2023:

If a volunteer wishes to cancel their registration after the Registration Fee has been paid, they may request a refund or credit of their Registration Fee subject to:

  • Cancellation 30 days or more before the earliest program start date the volunteer was registered for: The Registration Fee can be retained as a credit in the volunteer’s name for future use on any IVHQ program, subject to availability, for 24 months from the volunteer’s earliest registered start date. Alternatively, the volunteer can opt for a refund of their Registration Fee, less a CA$73 processing fee.
  • Cancellation less than 30 days before the earliest program start date the volunteer was registered for: No refund of Registration Fee, but if the Program Fee has also been paid then the Registration Fee can be retained as a credit in the volunteer’s name for future use on any IVHQ program, subject to availability, for 24 months from the volunteer’s earliest registered start date.

Program Fees may be retained as a credit or refunded:

  • If processed 14 or more days before the program start date: Program Fee credits can be held in the volunteer’s name for future use on any IVHQ program, subject to availability, for 24 months from the volunteer’s earliest registered start date. Program Fee refunds will be subject to a CA$293 cancellation fee.
  • If processed less than 14 days before the program start date: Program Fee credits and refunds will be offered at IVHQ’s discretion and are subject to a minimum CA$440 cancellation fee for refunds and minimum CA$220 cancellation fee for credits to cover expenses already incurred on behalf of the volunteer.

Changes to Program Destination, Project, Dates or Duration

After the Registration Fee has been paid and before the program start date, a volunteer may change their program destination, project, duration and/or start date subject to:

  • 14 or more days before scheduled program start date: No Change Fee + any difference in Program Fee.
  • Less 14 days before scheduled program start date: CA$220Change Fee per change + any difference in Program Fee.
  • The new program’s start date must be no more than 24 months from the earliest start date the volunteer was registered for, otherwise a new Registration Fee will be payable.
  • No refunds will be given if the new Program Fee is less than the amount already paid.

Groups $370

Refunds & Credits

If a group or individual group participant wishes to cancel their registration after the Deposit has been paid, or if the group program is canceled due to non-payment of the Program Fees in full by the required deadline, a refund or credit may be requested subject to the following policies:

  • Cancellation 90 or more days before the earliest program start date the group participant was registered for: Deposit payments can be retained as a credit* or refunded at 50% of the Deposit amount. Cancellation 30-89 days before the earliest program start date the group participant was registered for: Deposit payments are non-refundable but can be retained as a credit. If registered for a European program, the 20% Program Fee portion of the Deposit may be partially refunded or held as a credit at IVHQ’s discretion with a deduction for expenses already incurred on behalf of the group. Program Fee balance payments may be retained as a credit*, or can be refunded subject to a minimum CA$293 cancellation fee per participant.
  • Cancellation less than 30 days before the earliest program start date the group participant was registered for: Deposit payments are non-refundable but can be retained as a credit. Program Fees are non-refundable, but may be partially retained as a credit at IVHQ’s discretion with a deduction for expenses already incurred on behalf of the group.

*Credit may be retained in an individual or group’s name for future use on any IVHQ program, subject to availability, for 18 months from the earliest registered start date.

Changes to Program Destination, Project, Dates or Duration

After the Deposit has been received, and before the program start date, a group may change their program destination, project, duration, and/or start date subject to the following policies:

  • 60 or more days before the earliest program start date the group participant was registered for: No Change Fee + any difference in Program Fee, subject to availability.
  • Less than 60 days before the earliest program start date the group participant was registered for: Minimum CA$293 Change Fee per participant + any difference in Program Fee, subject to availability.
  • The new program’s start date must be no more than eighteen (18) months from the original program start date, otherwise all Deposit payments will be forfeited.
  • No refunds will be given if the new fees are less than the fees already paid.

Find your perfect program

Search programs
326 projects
48 countries
1 to 24 weeks
Find your program
Select your top destinations
Select the causes you care about

How to get started

Pick a destination + project and apply for free
Meet your personal volunteer travel expert
Pay the Registration Fee to secure your place and upgrade your MyIVHQ account
Get ready to volunteer abroad, we’ll support you every step of the way!