Before you join...
WWOOFing is NOT a cheap holiday and way to travel. It is a voluntary organisation set up to teach people about the organic movement and give them hands on experience and to help out organic producers as organic production is very labour intensive. If all you are looking for is free accomodation on your holidays WWOOF IS NOT FOR YOU.

Step 1
How to Join

Fill in the membership form and click on the =send= button below. This will send us everything we need by email.
Send one passport sized photograph, with your name written clearly on the back, and membership fee of 25.oo euro (or proof of payment of the membership fee), in a well sealed envelope, by post to:

WWOOF Italia
109, via Casavecchia,
Castagneto Carducci,
57022 (Li),
ITALY.


The photograph can be sent to us as an attachment to an email at

Photographs.
When sending photos please observe the following points:
1) We only need a small photo, 110 pixels (3.8 cm) wide x 140 pixels (5.0 cm) high at a resolution of 72 dpi.
2) Please send the photo as a .jpg and call it by your name i.e. tomsmith.jpg
3) Please don't use a period (.) as the first character of the photos name. This turns them into invisible files on our computer and it is a lengthy procedure to make them visible again.

Payment.
Credit Card
If you want to pay by credit card select Credit Card as the payment method on the form as you're filling it in and after you have clicked on the =send= button you will be taken to our secure payment page.

Bank Transfer
We have an account with the Ethical Bank and although we cannot, as yet, accept personal cheques as we have problems cashing them here you can pay directly to the account from any bank
The payment details are:
Banca Etica, filiale 07 di Firenze
Associazione WWOOF Italia
conto corrente N°: 000000122916
CIN ABI CAB CONTO
ITA BBAN 0 05018 02800 000000122916
EURIBAN IT62O 05018 02800 000000122 916
N.B the first section of the IBAN is IT62 then the letter O not Zero
CODICE BIC CCRTIT2184G

Select Bank Transfer as the payment method and you will need to send us the receipt of payment along with your photo.

Post Office
The membership fee can be sent via the Post office, from almost anywhere in Europe, for a very small amount
Our Post Office account details are:
BancoPosta
Ass. WWOOF Italia
Acct no 12421558
IBAN IT16X0760114000000012421558
BIC BPPIITRRXXX
Select Post office as the payment method on the form.
You will also need to fax (+39 0565 765001) or email ( ) the receipt to us

Cash:
If you are outside europe and do not wish to use a credit card then the only solution is to pay by cash (euros only) - wrapped in aluminium foil to avoid detection and in a well sealed envelope.
Put the cash (notes only) in an envelope, fold it in half and tape it in the middle of the envelope you post to us with your photo. Include a sheet of paper to make the envelope look like a normal letter and avoid using paper clips or anything lumpy.
Select Cash as the payment method on the form.

We cannot accept cheques of any kind, so please don't send one as we will have to return it to you.

Check the exchange rate here, (it's the one we use).

We will send you the password to access the list to your email address and your membership card to the address specified on the form below.

VISAS:
Please note: If you are coming from a non european country you should check with your nearest italian consulate and make sure that they will issue you with a visa BEFORE you join.
Neither WWOOF Italia nor hosts are able to help with visa applications or write letters of introduction. Please read the section on visas and "permesso di soggiorno" before sending the form.

WWOOF Independents list:
As a member of WWOOF Italy you are also entitled to the WWOOF Independents list click here for preview. This list will be made available to you along with the WWOOF Italy list. The password to access the WWIND list will automatically be sent to you by e mail the Saturday after your membership fee gets to us and we register yourr membership.

Passwords:
We will send you the password for the Italy list via email as soon as your membership is processed, usually the same day that the membership fee arrives. The password for the independents list will be sent to you, via email, when we make up your membership card which is usually the Saturday after you join.
Please note you have to be at least 18 years old to join WWOOF Italia
Are you rejoining? If yes what year were you last a member:
Membership card details:
Title: Mr.  Mrs.  Miss.  Ms.  
First name: * necessary
Last name: * necessary
Date of birth:
dd mm yyyy * necessary
Nationality:   * necessary
Gender:  
Contact details:
****Home address Please make sure you give us a complete and accurate address. It is the address we post your membership card to so if the address is wrong you will not receive the card. If a card is returned to us due to an incorrect address we will not resend it
Street: * necessary
Town: * necessary
State/County/Province and Postcode: * necessary
Country: * necessary
Email: * necessary
Telephone:

Contact Address 		(if different to Home address)
Street:
Town:
State/County/Province and Postcode:
Country:
If you are travelling with another person please put their name in the box below so that we can post your cards to you together.
NB We cannot do membership cards for couples.
Comments
or additional information:
How did you find out
about WWOOF/WWOOF Italia :
Payment by


 On receipt of your photograph and proof of payment we will send you the list

unless you specify an alternative.
* Please note - The list is simply a printed word document. It is not a booklet.
Downloading and printing it out yourself is the quickest way of getting a copy.
We will only send printed copies to members who do not have an email address or internet access.

The membership card should be sent to:
Please tick the box to confirm that you have read and accept the Associations charter.   * necessary
Please tick the box to confirm that you authorise WWOOF Italia to keep your personal details on file solely for the institutional needs of the association (communication between members) as required by italian law 675/96.   * necessary
Please copy this number in the adjacent box.
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Step 2
Find a farm and organise a stay
Contact the farm/s that interest you directly at their contact addresses given on the list and organise your stay.

Each farm has something different to offer so please take the time to choose the farms that interest you most. Don't send a blanket e-mail to all the farms on the list, when this happens most farms don't bother replying, all the hosts are individuals and should be treated as such

When you contact a farm tell them something about yourself, why you are interested in offering your help voluntarily on their farm, your plans and what you are looking for during your stay.
Always respect the dates you arrange with your host, if you have to change them for any reason you must give your host ample warning so that they can make other arrangements. Please don't just not turn up, this can cause major problems for your host (who has probably turned down other people as they were expecting you to come).
Please be responsible and thoughtful and take your obligations seriously.

You should read the Associations charter and internal rules before signing the membership form. There is a copy on-site, and all hosts have a copy.
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Visas
Although WWOOF Italia is a registered voluntary association the Italian visa authority does not have an appropriate visa category and will not issue work visas to wwoofers.
It is essential therefore that you only request a tourism-cultural visa.

For current visa information please visit http://www.esteri.it/visti/index_eng.asp

**********

Italian immigration law requires every person entering the country for whatever reason to apply for a "permesso di soggiorno" within 8 days of arrival.
To do this you have to present yourself at the local police station with your passport and inform them of where you are staying and how long you will be there. This procedure is a formality and most people (holiday makers and business men on short trips) don't bother and no one seems to mind. Unfortunately with WWOOF and the situation of voluntary "work", not having the permesso di soggiorno could create problems so please for your own peace of mind discus this with your host and make the effort to get one.

**********

Please note. We cannot help with visa applications

 
   

Avoiding problems
We have found that the best way to avoid problems is to communicate very clearly with the farms you intend to visit.
Always telephone or write before visiting a farm (if you expect a reply by post always enclose an I.R.C or stamp). Please never just turn up unexpectedly on a host's doorstep expecting to be made welcome.
Try to plan your movements well in advance and keep hosts informed of changes in your plans.

Make sure that you have a clear agreement with your host as to the basis of your stay (e.g. hours, food, accommodation, facilities, arrangements if you take children with you etc.) before you arrive. Tell them about yourself and what you expect. The farm owner should give you plenty of information about what is happening on the farm at the time you intend to visit, how long the hours will be, what needs doing, what the accommodation is like, what there is to do in your free time, places to visit etc.
Make sure you have a valid address for the farm you intend to visit.
Always take suitable clothes i.e. gloves and good shoes or boots. It may be necessary to take a sleeping bag.
It would be a good idea to make sure you and your host have a language in common!
Always have a copy of your WWOOF Italia membership card with you as hosts will wish to see it.

 
Avoiding e-mail problems

Most people haven't a clue about how to use their email system to avoid collecting spam and viruses. Here are a few pointers from WWOOF technical support.
1) Make sure that the subject of your email is something recognisable to your recipient. Sending messages titled "hello" or "hi" are just asking to get lost. Many offices bin all messages that are not clearly recognisable as not being spam. WWOOF gets around 600 spam emails a day, most of which get filtered out without being read.

*******************************************************
All messages to WWOOF should have
the word WWOOF in the subject to avoid getting blocked.

*******************************************************

2) Don't send emails to long lists of people. When you do this, you are exposing all your friends' emails to viruses and spam. If you have to send a message to more than one person, use the BCC (blind carbon copy) facility which keeps the email addresses hidden from view.
4) Don't send attachments in any format that can act as a virus carrier. One of the most common is Microsoft WORD documents (DOC). Such documents can contain macros which can be viruses. WORD documents are a proprietary format that your recipient may not be able to read. You are also encouraging the stranglehold of Microsoft's dominance. If you have to send WORD documents, first save the document as (Save As) an RTF file, but really if you want to sent text to someone just send it as an e-mail
5) Never open attachments unless you know who is sending you them and what they contain.
6) Never under any circumstances open a WORD or EXE attachment directly. Always use a viewer that disables any programs that may be hidden within. WORD documents can be opened with WordPad, which is a simple viewer.
7) Don't send attachments at all until you have cleared with the recipients that they are ready to receive them. Send a short message first and then detail exactly what you are sending. Many offices never open attachments.
8) If you have a website, don't put your email address on it. Spiders roam the internet and pick these up, using them to generate spam. There are ways around having your address exposed on your website - get advice from a website designer.
9) Never respond to spam by asking to be removed from their mailing list. All this does is confirm to the spam sender that your email address is valid and your spam problem will get worse.
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