About credentials

[PepeMadrid]

Hello everybody, Im Jose, and I will do the camino the next july with other 9 friends from UK. I want to know if I can have the credentials here in the UK, and where, or if is better to collect those in Ponferrada, where is our starting point, where, and how much they cost.
Thanks and Buen Camino, Jose.

 

[Arn]

Jose...Welcome to the Forum and the Class of 2012!

Here is the site for info on credentials in the UK.

http://www.csj.org.uk/faqs.htm#faqs-passport

Buen Camino

Arn

 

[sillydoll]

To get a credencial from the Confraternity you will need to be a member first.
You can obtain a free credencial here: http://peterbros-pilgrimcredentials.blogspot.com/
You can get one in Ponferrada at the albergue for about €1.50

 

[GunnarW]

During my camino, I used 8 credencials because I collected a lot of stamps between St-J-P-d-P and Santiago.
The last 2 crendencials I bought were in fact copies of an existing one.
I noticed that no one ever payed attention if the used credencial was one of an existing association. In fact there are so many forms from different associations.
So you could make your credencial yourself.

 

[sillydoll]

Two years ago the PIlgrim's Office stopped accepting credencials that were not the official Spanish credencials, or the credencials from the different Confraternites around the world.
One of the reasons was to stop tour and travel companies from issuing their own credencials to clients who were not even walking the Camino.
Busloads of tourists had credencials that they would have stamped at bars and restaurants and then claim a Compostela in Santiago.
Remember, you only need to have walked the last 100km to Santiago - and try to get at least 2 stamps per day.

 

[GunnarW]

During my camino many peregrinos bought a credencial in St-J-P-d-P. That's a french one. I saw a credencial from Belgium and also two of Ireland with a picture in it from the peregrino. My first credencial came from a french association.
All those credencials were accepted by the office, also the 2 very bad copies I bought almost at the end.

 

[sillydoll]

All of those are accepted, but if you made one up yourself or it was printed by a travel or tour company, you might've had a problem getting a Compostela!

 

[cote.lesta]

Hola Jose: If you dont want to pay for a credential you can get it before you start in Pnferrada, it is gratis if you get it from the Ayuntamiento, Oficina de turismo or Biblioteca, they wil also print you first stamp. Ensure you have some form of ID eg: pasaport or DNI. Buen Camino

 

[JohnnieWalker]

Hi - the Pilgrims' Office accepts that as a last resort if there is no alternative sellos can be collected in a note book etc. The policy is that the credencial issued by the Cathedral or by an authorised Confraternity should be used. In saying that pilgrims do arrive with home made credenciales sometimes very beautiful and often with deep spiritual significance and when they have the sellos and dates for the last 100 kms there has never been a problem.