The Credential and the Compostela

THE CREDENTIAL

The Credential is the current document equivalent to the safe-conduct used by pilgrims since the Middle Ages. Its purpose is to identify you as a pilgrim when requested (usually in the Albergues). That is why, you have to fill in the information accurately. Please, note that the credential identifies you as a pilgrim, but does not grant you rights.

It serves to keep a record of your pilgrimage with the stamps showing the date of passage through the different places. It should be stamped at least twice a day, in the Albergue where you are going to rest. It can also be stamped in other albergues you pass through, even if you don’t stop, and also in churches, Tourist Offices, public information points… and in many other premises along the Camino.

The credential is the document that certifies you as a pilgrim so it is the document that you will be asked for if you want to obtain the Compostela  when you arrive in Santiago. It is also a perfect souvenir of your pilgrimage, as it has accompanied you every day and will remind you of the places you have passed through.

The Associations are responsible for providing the credentials both to pilgrims and to the Albergues that request them. Therefore, you can ask for information to any association of the Federation -preferably, the one closest to your home or to the place where you start your pilgrimage- and they will tell you where to get it.

Our Association provides the credentials at its headquarters, personally and on the spot, for 2 €. In addition, we give you an orographic profile and information on the distances and services available in all the places of the Camino from León to Santiago.

Remember our opening hours, which are currently Monday to Friday -except public holidays-, from 11:00 to 13:00 and from 18:00 to 20:00. If you cannot come to our headquarters during these hours, do not hesitate to call or contact us by email and we will offer you more options.

OTHER CREDENTIALS: SAN SALVADOR WAY

There are other credentials, specific to certain routes -although the generic one is valid for all. San Salvador Way is very important in León, as it is its starting point. It deviates from the French Way and goes to Oviedo, following the Primitive Way to Santiago from there. You can also do just this Way, which we highly recommend, especially in late spring, summer and early autumn.

There is a specific credential for this Way, which we can also provide you with at our office. This credential includes the itinerary and specific information about it. When you arrive at Oviedo Cathedral it serves as an official identification to obtain the Salvadorana, a document similar to the Compostela.

THE COMPOSTELA    

The Compostela – aka the Compostelana-is the document that certifies that you have completed the pilgrimage. It is issued by the Church Authorities in the Pilgrim’s Office of the Cathedral of Santiago after verifying that you have done the Pilgrim’s Way to Santiago by means of the seals on your credential.

Since the 1980s, there was a model that was granted to those who made the pilgrimage to the Tomb of the Apostle for a Christian motivation: devotionis affectu, vel voti pietatis causa (motivated by devotion, vow or piety), with the condition of having completed at least the last 100 kilometres on foot or on horseback, or the last 200 kilometres by bicycle.

Since May 2014, the model of the Compostela has been changed for a new, more colourful design, including images of the Codex Calixtinus and the Breviary of Miranda. Moreover, this new document is unique, and there is no longer the alternative version given to those who did not claim any religious reason.