What is A Pilgrim’s Passport and Where Can You Obtain One?

What is A Pilgrim’s Passport and Where Can You Obtain One?

The Pilgrim’s Passport or Credencial

The Pilgrim’s Passport, also known as an accreditation or Pilgrim’s Credential, is historically significant as a document bestowed upon pilgrims walking the Camino de Santiago during the Middle Ages to ensure their safe passage.

Today, the credencial identifies the pilgrim and grants access to pilgrim shelters, albergues, and hostels along the Camino. It also serves as a certification of passage, allowing you to request the “Compostela” at the Cathedral of Santiago, confirming the completion of the pilgrimage. The “Compostela” is granted to those who undertake the pilgrimage with a religious or spiritual intent to reach the Tomb of the Apostle after completing at least the last 100 kilometres on foot or horseback or the last 200 km by bicycle.

Where to get your Pilgrim’s Passport

To obtain a pilgrim’s passport (Credencial del Peregrino) for the Camino de Santiago, you should follow these steps:

1. Choose an Issuing Authority: Pilgrim’s passports can be obtained from various sources, including pilgrim associations, churches, albergues (pilgrim hostels), tourist offices, and some accommodations along the Camino routes. We recommend obtaining yours in good time and before leaving home. 

There is also now a digital credential that you may only be able to download once you are in France or Spain. The Pilgrim’s Office has developed it as an app for a mobile phone or other electronic device. It is available for Android and iOS.

A Pilgrim's Passport issued in the UK by the Confraternity of St James
A Pilgrim’s Passport issued in the UK by the Confraternity of St James

2. Obtain the Passport: Unless you plan on collecting your passport in person, for example, on arrival in France or Spain, we strongly recommend that you visit the chosen issuing authority’s website first. There, you will likely find a wealth of other information. Some authorities may require a small fee for the passport, while others may provide it for free or accept a donation. 

3. Fill Out Personal Information: Once you have the pilgrim’s passport, fill out the required personal information, including your name and contact details (include a mobile number or email, just in case you lose your passport whilst walking). Some passports may also include space for emergency contact information.

  • Receive Stamps: Throughout your Camino journey, you’ll collect stamps (sellos) in your pilgrim’s passport to prove your progress and stops along the route. Stamps are freely available and typically obtained at churches, albergues, cafes, restaurants, tourist offices, and other official locations along the Camino. Each stamp should be dated and placed in the designated spaces provided in the passport.
  • Reach the Destination: To qualify for the Compostela (certificate of completion) upon reaching Santiago de Compostela, you’ll need to collect stamps along the way to demonstrate that you’ve completed the required distance on foot, bicycle, or on horseback. The stamps serve as a record of your pilgrimage and are required when applying for the Compostela at the Pilgrim’s Office (Oficina del Peregrino) in Santiago de Compostela. 
  • Obtain the Compostela: Once you reach Santiago de Compostela, present your stamped pilgrim’s passport at the Pilgrim’s Office (Oficina del Peregrino). 
Pilgrim's Compostela (Translation Below)
Pilgrim’s Compostela (Translation Below)

The Pilgrim’s Reception Office 

Open from 1000-1800 every day except Christmas Day or New Year’s Day. The Pilgrim’s Office is operated by the Cathedral Church of the Archdiocese of Santiago de Compostela and extends a warm welcome to all pilgrims arriving in the city. It is here that you will  receive your final stamp of the Cathedral of Santiago on your official pilgrim credencial, as well as your Compostela,

It is located on Rúa das Carretas and accessed from the Praza do Obradorio via Rúa Costa do Cristo. 15705 Santiago de Compostela, Tel.: +34 981 568 846

📧 [email protected]

📧 [email protected]

It gets hectic, and there is an electronic queuing system. That said, it is very efficient but still friendly and welcoming.

It is possible to pre-register online here. https://oficinadelperegrino.com/en/sigle-register/.

Compostela Translation

The Compostela, when received, is in Latin. The translation is as follows:

The Chapter of this Holy Apostolic and Metropolitan Cathedral of Compostela, custodian of the seal of the Altar of St. James, to all the Faithful and pilgrims who arrive from anywhere on the Orb of the Earth with an attitude of devotion or because of a vow or promise make a pilgrimage to the Tomb of the Apostle, Our Patron Saint and Protector of Spain, recognises before all who observe this document that: …………… has devotedly visited this most sacred temple having done the last hundred kilometres on foot or on horseback or the last two hundred by bicycle with Christian sentiment (pietatis causa).

In witness whereof I present this document endorsed with the seal of this same Holy Church.

Issued in Santiago de Compostela on ……… of …………… year of our Lord ……….

The Dean of the Cathedral of Santiago.”