While walking the Camino de Camino de Santiago, pilgrims carry a credential, sometimes confusingly referred to as a 'passport' or a "pilgrim passport". The credential is a small, book-like document in which the pilgrim authenticates his or her progress by obtaining sellos (stamps) in villages and towns while walking. The credential or 'passport' is not to be confused with an official, government-issued passport. The former is strictly a record of passage along the Camino; the latter is a required document for international travel.

When registering at a refugio or albergue, pilgrims will be asked to present their credential as 'proof' that they are walking or biking the Road. In addition, upon reaching Santiago de Compostela, at the Oficina de Acogida de Peregrinos (Pilgrims' Office), pilgrims can present the stamped credential to confirm that they have walked at least the last, western-most 100 kilometers (or cycled at least the last, western-most 200 kilometers), whereupon they receive a Compostela (sometimes called a Compostelana), a wonderful document that will serve as proof of having made the pilgrimage.

Pilgrim credentials can be obtained from numerous sources before setting foot on the Camino, including from American Pilgrims by submitting the request form below, or alternatively from some places actually on the Camino.

American Pilgrims on the Camino does not charge for pilgrim credentials, but if you would like to make a donation you can make an online payment on the acknowledgement page that follows your credential request submission or you can send a check to

          American Pilgrims on the Camino
          1514 Channing Avenue
          Palo Alto CA 94303-2801

Please allow at least one month for processing for North American addresses and six weeks for all others! We try to deliver credentials at least one month before your indicated departure date. If you would like some other arrangement, please note this in the comment field provided below. And please do not submit requests earlier than three months before your departure.

Generally one sello per day is sufficient but the Confraternity of Saint James reports a message from the Pilgrim's Office in Santiago stating that pilgrims starting from points inside Galicia should obtain two per day. This would be starting from O Cebreiro or points west of there. The Confraternity reports that this policy was confirmed in June of 2006.

Also see our FAQs page for additional information on the credential and the compostela.

PLEASE NOTE: The Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela has announced that, starting on January 1, 2009, they will start accepting only credentials distributed by the Cathedral for the purpose of obtaining a compostela. However the Confraternity of Saint James reports in its Bulletin (March 2008, No 101, p 46) that the canon-in-charge of the Pilgrim's Office has told them that this ruling will not apply to overseas associations and that these associations will be able to continue issuing their own credentiales. So it is our understanding that American Pilgrims' credentiales will continue to be accepted by the Cathedral. (Read the text of the letter from the Pilgrim's Office. Spanish) This still leaves unanswered the question about refugios accepting "foreign" credentiales? We have queries out to several refugio associations and we will report further news when we receive it. (4/7/08)