Essential guide

The Credencial del Peregrino

Your Camino Passport — what it is, why you cannot walk without it, where to get one, and how to earn your Compostela in Santiago.

€2–4
Cost to obtain
100km
Minimum on foot
2 stamps
Per day (last 100km)
1
Compostela waiting

What is it?

The Credencial del Peregrino is an accordion-fold booklet you carry the entire way. At churches, albergues, cafés, and pilgrim offices, you collect a sello (stamp) at each stop.

In Santiago, you present it at the Pilgrim Office to receive the Compostela — the official certificate of completion, printed in Latin, awarded to pilgrims for over a thousand years.

Why you cannot walk without it

Municipal albergues (€8–12/night) are reserved exclusively for credential-holders. Without one, you will be turned away. It also grants access to the pilgrim menu (menú del peregrino) at restaurants along the route.

Where to get yours

BarcelonaCamino Catalán gateway
→ Església de Sant Jaume, Carrer de Ferran 28 — ask at the sacristy
→ Palau Episcopal, Carrer del Bisbe 5 — ask the entrance guard
MadridVía de la Plata gateway
→ Parroquia de Santiago y San Juan Bautista, Calle de Santiago 1 — Mon–Sat 10:00–13:00, 18:00–20:00
BilbaoCamino del Norte start
→ Catedral de Santiago de Bilbao, Plaza de Santiago 1 — pick up your first stamp here
Irún / San SebastiánNorte Day 0–1
→ Basílica de Nuestra Señora de Juncal, Irún — issues credentials every day, any hour
SevilleVía de la Plata start
→ Catedral de Sevilla pilgrim desk — Avenida de la Constitución
Porto & LisbonCamino Portugués
→ Sé de Porto cathedral gift shop
→ Igreja da Conceição Velha, Rua da Alfândega 108, Lisbon

How stamps work

One stamp per day is enough for most of the route. In the final 100km, you need at least two per day. On a full Francés you will fill the booklet — buy a second one at any pilgrim office for €2 and bring both to Santiago.

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