Practical guide
Volunteering in Spain after retirement: a practical guide
What counts as volunteering under Spanish law, what rights you have, what you sign when you start and where to find an organisation — with a focus on Extremadura, in western Spain.
· 7-minute read
Retirement frees up time, and many people in Spain — Spaniards and foreign residents alike — choose to give some of it to a cause. It is far from unusual: according to the 2024 Volunteering Barometer of the Spanish Volunteering Platform (Plataforma del Voluntariado de España, PVE), 10.1% of people over 14 in Spain volunteer — more than 4.2 million people — and 27.4% of volunteers are retired or pensioners. This guide explains how volunteering works under Spanish law, with every legal text linked, so you can start on the right foot.
What counts as volunteering?
The key law is Law 45/2015 of 14 October on Volunteering (Ley 45/2015, de Voluntariado). Its article 3 defines volunteering as activities of general interest carried out by individuals that meet four requirements:
- they are done out of solidarity;
- they are freely chosen, not the result of a personal obligation or legal duty;
- they are unpaid — no money or goods in return — although reimbursable expenses can be paid back;
- they are carried out through a volunteering organisation (entidad de voluntariado), within specific programmes, in Spain or abroad.
The law also says what is not volunteering: one-off actions outside an organisation, help given for family, friendship or neighbourly reasons, and anything done under a paid employment or business relationship (art. 3.3). Online volunteering that does not require physical presence does count (art. 3.4).
If you live in Extremadura, the regional Law 12/2019 of 11 October on Volunteering in Extremadura also applies to volunteers and organisations active in the region (art. 3). The national law covers programmes that are nationwide or span more than one region (art. 2 of Law 45/2015).
Is there an upper age limit?
No. Law 45/2015 sets special conditions for minors (art. 8.2) but no upper limit. On the contrary, it expressly protects older volunteers:
- organisations must guarantee equal opportunities and universal accessibility for older volunteers, volunteers with disabilities and those in a situation of dependency (art. 8.3);
- its principles include non-discrimination on grounds of age or nationality (art. 5.2.i) and accessibility for older people (art. 5.2.j);
- public administrations may cooperate to promote citizen participation, “in particular of older people, in the context of active ageing strategies” (art. 17.2.b, our translation).
Each organisation can, however, ask for a specific profile for each programme (art. 7.1.g) — for example, certain training or availability.
Your rights and duties
Article 10 of Law 45/2015 lists volunteers’ rights. These are the most practical ones when you start:
| Right | What it means | Article |
|---|---|---|
| Training | The organisation trains you, at its own expense and adapted to your personal circumstances. | 10.1.b |
| Insurance | Cover for accidents and illness arising directly from the activity, and civil liability cover where sector rules require it. | 10.1.e |
| Expenses | Reimbursement of the costs the activity causes you, as agreed. | 10.1.f |
| ID card | A document identifying you as a volunteer of that organisation. | 10.1.g |
| Recognition | Recognition of the value of your contribution and of the skills you gain. | 10.1.i |
| Stopping | The right to stop volunteering under the terms of your agreement. | 10.1.k |
There are also duties (art. 11): keeping the commitments in your agreement, confidentiality, refusing any payment from the people you help, taking part in the planned training and following the organisation’s instructions.
The volunteer agreement
Your relationship with the organisation is set out in a written volunteer agreement, signed in duplicate (art. 12). As a minimum it covers, among other points:
- your tasks, activities and time commitment;
- which expenses are reimbursed;
- the training required;
- how long the commitment lasts and how either side can end it.
If a programme involves regular contact with children, you must prove you have no convictions for sexual offences (art. 8.4); Extremadura’s law specifies a clean certificate from Spain’s Central Register of Sex Offenders (art. 13.2 of Law 12/2019). By definition volunteering is unpaid (art. 3); this guide does not cover pensions or taxes — for questions about your own situation, ask the competent authority.
If you are a foreign resident
Spanish volunteering law lists non-discrimination on grounds of nationality among its principles (art. 5.2.i). Foreign nationals are an important part of Spanish volunteering: in a 2022 PVE study based on 6,122 interviews with volunteers, about 14% were with foreign nationals; of these, 26% came from other EU countries or from non-EU European countries (PVE, “Inmigración y acción voluntaria”). This guide does not cover immigration rules: whether your residence status raises any question is a separate matter to check with official sources.
Language matters too. Most local organisations work in Spanish. Our own association’s activities and channels are in Spanish as well.
How to start, step by step
- Decide what you want to offer. The law lists, among others, social, international development cooperation, environmental, cultural, sports, educational, social-health, leisure, community and civil protection volunteering (art. 6).
- Find an organisation. Volunteering platforms bring many organisations together; those for Extremadura are below.
- Ask before you commit: what you will do, how many hours, what training you will get, which expenses are reimbursed and whether you are insured.
- Sign the volunteer agreement and keep your copy.
- Review the experience after a while: you have the right to take part in evaluating programmes (art. 10.1.d) and to change or stop as agreed.
Where to look in Extremadura
The Extremadura Volunteering Platform (PVEX) was founded in 1995 and has 72 member organisations; counting federations and local platforms, it represents 194 organisations. Its website (in Spanish) has a list of member organisations and an orientation page, “Tú puedes ser voluntari@” (“You can be a volunteer”), which notes that most organisations ask volunteers to be at least 18.
PVEX belongs to the Spanish Volunteering Platform (PVE), which — according to PVEX — represents 79 nationwide organisations and, overall, more than 29,000 associations. PVE also runs VolunCloud, an app that connects volunteers with people and organisations who need them.
For public programmes for older people in the region (SEPAD centres, trips, fairs, the ageing strategy), see our guide to programmes for older people in Extremadura.
If international cooperation appeals to you
Law 45/2015 includes international development cooperation volunteering, which can take place in Spain or abroad and is linked to development education and humanitarian action (art. 6.1.b). It is distinct from professional aid workers (cooperantes), who are covered by Royal Decree 519/2006.
In Extremadura, the regional cooperation agency AEXCID and AUPEX presented the Programa Mandela in December 2022: a free 40-place course for people from Extremadura over 56, followed by a second selection of 15 people with grants to train in Colombia. If raising awareness in your community interests you, read what global citizenship education is. And for senior volunteering organisations in other countries, see our friends around the world.
This guide summarises Spanish legislation published in the BOE (Spain’s Official State Gazette) for information only. It is not legal advice: for a specific situation, check the official text in force or consult a professional.
Main sources (in Spanish): Law 45/2015 (BOE); Extremadura Law 12/2019 (BOE); PVE, 2024 Volunteering Barometer (1,225 surveys, 2024); PVE, foreign volunteers report; PVEX; Government of Extremadura, 27/12/2022. Consulted 11/10/2026.