A pilgrims passport or credential is a document that identifies you as a pilgrim with rights to stay at the pilgrim lodgings known as albergues. The document is used to authenticate your pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela; when you register at a hostel (albergue) or another lodging, the registrar stamps your passport with the seal of the establishment. You can also obtain these stamps at restaurants, churches, and pilgrims offices along the way. When presented at the Pilgrims Office in Santiago, the passport becomes proof of your journey and is key to issuing the certificate of completion. It is also a wonderful keepsake.
You can get a passport at the Pilgrims Offices in St-Jean-Pied-de-Port and Roncesvalles, at churches and certain albergues. Some pilgrims enjoy collecting stamps from each town and have several passports as a result. If you are walking only the last 100 kilometers, get at least two stamps each day.
Before you start the Camino, you can order the passport from:
- The American Pilgrims on the Camino
- Confraternity of St. James (members only)
- Irish Society of the Friends of St.James
- Other organizations
Buen Camino
Jane V. Blanchard