The “Compostela” is the official accreditation of pilgrims completing the Camino de Santiago. The certificate is awarded by Santiago Cathedral, through the Pilgrim Office, to those pilgrims who have completed the journey along one of the official routes, collecting stamps or signatures in their “Credencial” passport from parishes, hostels or refuges along the route and who have a spiritual or religious motive for undertaking the journey. To qualify, you must have completed at least the last 100km of any one of the recognised Caminos (or 200km if you go by bike).
PLEASE NOTE: Due to the large influx of pilgrims at certain times of the year, and to avoid long waiting times, the Pilgrim Office in Santiago de Compostela has installed a numbered ticket system for their enquiry desk and to issue pilgrim certificates (the Compostela). This new system allows pilgrims to collect their ticket and, using a QR Code, to check the status of the queue and estimated waiting time to obtain the Compostela. However, the number of tickets per day is limited so on days with high numbers of pilgrims, there is a possibility that not all pilgrims will be able to collect their certificate on the day of arrival and will have to return the following morning.
Therefore, if obtaining a pilgrim certificate is important to you, and if you plan to undertake your Camino between April 15th and October 15th, we recommend that you arrange your return travel in such a way that you will be in Santiago de Compostela during the morning after your arrival. Better still, we encourage you to book a second night in Santiago so that you can calmly collect your certificate and enjoy the charms of the city.
For more information, please contact us
