r/WWOOF • u/AlternativeWar71 • 4d ago

Is WWOOF legal??

So I was doing research and I was wondering if WWOOF was legal? Some countries are strict about volunteering when on a tourist visa instead of a working holiday visa

Like Thailand for example

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u/omglolz 4d ago

Generally speaking, it's not strictly legal if you are not authorized to work in that country. Working in exchange for housing / food is generally considered the same as working in exchange for cash you could use to pay for housing / food.

If you tell border agents that you are wwoofing, and explain what that is, they likely deny entry.

That said, people wwoof all over the world while traveling for tourism.

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u/AlternativeWar71 4d ago

But don't other locals snitch? How common is it to actually get caught if you know?? Ive never traveled outside my country before so I am still learning about dos and donts lol

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u/omglolz 4d ago edited 4d ago

I only have experience hosting in Hawaii. I have never heard of anyone getting snitched on, but have heard about people saying enough at the border to be denied entry to the country.

I think it's good to think about this, but I don't quite understand the incentive for locals to snitch. If a host has a lot of reviews that suggests they are established in their community.

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u/JustADude365 4d ago

Yes. You're not in Thailand woofing. You're in Thailand travelling. Your specific housing arrangement is none of their concern. Simply tell them you're travelling. No big deal at all

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u/[deleted] 3d ago

[deleted]

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u/AlternativeWar71 3d ago

Dam should be like stated on the website that you might face legal trouble without a work visa Or maybe it does I never took time to look through it throughly yet lol

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u/Substantial-Today166 2d ago

dont worry Thailand dont care what you do

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u/lizardlizardlizardli 3d ago

You’re not supposed to say anything in customs or anything, my friends accidentally did and almost got banned from all of Europe for 10 years 😭

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u/kamrynwithak 3d ago

Depends if the country sees WWOOFing as a job or as volunteer work. This is where visa/tax situations can come into play. Depends on the country.