- Time of past OR future Camino
- 2013 - 2018 , Pilgrim Office volunteer 2014 - 2022
Okay folks, I posed the ID yes or no question to management today. Here is the explanation...
Presently, presentation of a government-issued ID document is not mandatory. However, it is invoked by Pilgrim Office staff and volunteers under the following situations:
1. You get to the counter with your credential and failed to write your name in the space provided in the inside front cover. At that point, it is easier and faster for the person behind the desk to ask for a formal ID so they can translate your name to Latin. It wastes time to have you write in your name at that point. This slows the process down.
2. You DID fill in your name in the credential, but it is illegible to the person behind the counter. Same dynamic applies as for #1.
3. Your given (first) name is so "unique" as to defy translation to Latin. To try to do do this, the person behind the desk will ask for a formal ID to try to reconcile the matter.
4. Fraud is suspected. There are frequent cases of a group of pilgrims arriving where one or more group members are not present.
The policy is VERY CLEAR; one live person + one valid credential = one Compostela. You MUST be present to answer the questions put to you or to your group to claim the Compostela. No one can obtain a Compostela for an absent person...PERIOD.
In this scenario the group "leader" is told of this condition. Moments later the "missing" pilgrim arrives, as if by magic, claiming they are the person listed in the credential. The person behind the counter will ask for a formal ID document to connect the person, to the name, to the credential.
This happens almost daily. There are pilgrims out there who actually think the Pilgrim Office staff have never dealt with these issues before. Seriously!?
All said, I was told that there is an ongoing discussion to mandate a government issued photo ID in all cases to ensure that all persons claiming a Compostela are the person named in the credential. This is intended to nip in the bud the group fraud and also the emerging, nascent pay for a surrogate "professional" pilgrim to walk a camino for you. No answer on that yet.
My advice is to have ID available and ready to proffer if asked. Also DO complete the inside front cover information LEGIBLY. If in doubt PRINT THE INFORMATION.
I hope this helps.
Presently, presentation of a government-issued ID document is not mandatory. However, it is invoked by Pilgrim Office staff and volunteers under the following situations:
1. You get to the counter with your credential and failed to write your name in the space provided in the inside front cover. At that point, it is easier and faster for the person behind the desk to ask for a formal ID so they can translate your name to Latin. It wastes time to have you write in your name at that point. This slows the process down.
2. You DID fill in your name in the credential, but it is illegible to the person behind the counter. Same dynamic applies as for #1.
3. Your given (first) name is so "unique" as to defy translation to Latin. To try to do do this, the person behind the desk will ask for a formal ID to try to reconcile the matter.
4. Fraud is suspected. There are frequent cases of a group of pilgrims arriving where one or more group members are not present.
The policy is VERY CLEAR; one live person + one valid credential = one Compostela. You MUST be present to answer the questions put to you or to your group to claim the Compostela. No one can obtain a Compostela for an absent person...PERIOD.
In this scenario the group "leader" is told of this condition. Moments later the "missing" pilgrim arrives, as if by magic, claiming they are the person listed in the credential. The person behind the counter will ask for a formal ID document to connect the person, to the name, to the credential.
This happens almost daily. There are pilgrims out there who actually think the Pilgrim Office staff have never dealt with these issues before. Seriously!?
All said, I was told that there is an ongoing discussion to mandate a government issued photo ID in all cases to ensure that all persons claiming a Compostela are the person named in the credential. This is intended to nip in the bud the group fraud and also the emerging, nascent pay for a surrogate "professional" pilgrim to walk a camino for you. No answer on that yet.
My advice is to have ID available and ready to proffer if asked. Also DO complete the inside front cover information LEGIBLY. If in doubt PRINT THE INFORMATION.
I hope this helps.