If I lose my compostela, can I get it reissued?

[chooleekr]

If I lose my compostela, can I get it reissued?

 

[henrythedog]

If I lose my compostela, can I get it reissued?

You’ll get an authoritative reply from one of two sources.

Tom (paging @t2andreo) or direct from the office in Santiago. The latter will require a degree of patience which might qualify you for canonisation.

You could run your compostella through a scanner if you think you’re at risk of losing it - or use the opportunity to plan another Camino; just in case.

 

[C clearly]

I can't give you an authoritative answer either, but perhaps this thread will help.

 

[Kanga]

From my latest reading of the Pilgrims Office website, it seems that you would be able to get a Certificate of Distance, even if not a Compostela. The phrase used is: "It can also be requested by those who have made the pilgrimage before", which is not very clear but I'm told means that if you still have your Credentiale you can ask for the Certificate for a prior walk.

Like all things to do with the Church and pilgrimage, it is shrouded in mystery.... But I'm still going to rummage through the drawers and see if I can find my Credentiale for the VDLP.

 

[Flog]

If I lose my compostela, can I get it reissued?

If you still have your credential with the date stamp from when it was closed, and it wasnt too long ago, they may be able to find you on the system (your personal details can't be kept, but your nationality, age, route etc are kept for statistics). You are allowed one replacement of a lost compostela but it's more likely a pilgrim will come back looking for a replacement a day or two after getting it, having lost it in a bar in Finesterre or somewhere. Do ask nicely, but how far back they can find you is another matter, such is the volume. You can ask for a distance cert from a previous camino if you have the credential pertaining to it.

 

[naplesdon]

As my attorney told me about the single “Do not duplicate” key to my apartment; just don’t lose it!!

 

[cardifflad52]

You’ll get an authoritative reply from one of two sources.

Tom (paging @t2andreo) or direct from the office in Santiago. The latter will require a degree of patience which might qualify you for canonisation.

You could run your compostella through a scanner if you think you’re at risk of losing it - or use the opportunity to plan another Camino; just in case.

Pending where you live you could return and take your camino passport I am sure they would not refuse you another one

 

[t2andreo]

Yes, you CAN obtain a replacement Compostela. Here is the process:

1. Make a copy of the inside front cover of your credencial. It should show, among other things, the final stamp applied by the PIlgrim Office staff when you first obtained your Compostela. This will fix the issuance date.

2. Send a copy of the credencial inside front cover containing the above information, WITH a letter requesting this replacement serrvice. The letter should be in Spanish.

The address is:

Pilgrim Office
Rúa Carretas, 33
15705, Santiago de Compostela
A Coruña, Espana

In your letter -at the top, include this line:

Attn: Solicitud de Reposición de Compostela (Request for Compostela Replacement)

3. Explain the circumstances of losing your Compostela. Provide the exact date - the credencial front cover should contain the processing date adjacent to the final stamp applied by the Pilgrim Office staff at the counter. There are records of your arrival and having been issued a Compostela the first time.

Please be patient. Over the winter months, the office runs with a reduced staff and no volunteers. But rest assured, they WILL get to your request.

Hope this helps.

Tom

 

[Flog]

Good concise information,
But just to point out:

There are records of your arrival and having been issued a Compostela the first time.

They can't always find a record of you, this is especially true if the information was entered from a pilgrim's hand written form as was the case until quite recently. A single typo will prevent a search result coming up.

 

[pjacobi]

TIP: When you get your Compostella, buy the optional mailing tube. Immediately write your name and address on the outside of tube. If it is ever lost, someone could drop it in the mail to you.

-Paul

 

[naplesdon]

Blame it on Orujo and they will immediately understand

 

[Kathy F.]

Yes, you CAN obtain a replacement Compostela. Here is the process:

1. Make a copy of the inside front cover of your credencial. It should show, among other things, the final stamp applied by the PIlgrim Office staff when you first obtained your Compostela. This will fix the issuance date.

2. Send a copy of the credencial inside front cover containing the above information, WITH a letter requesting this replacement serrvice. The letter should be in Spanish.

The address is:

Pilgrim Office
Rúa Carretas, 33
15705, Santiago de Compostela
A Coruña, Espana

In your letter -at the top, include this line:

Attn: Solicitud de Reposición de Compostela (Request for Compostela Replacement)

3. Explain the circumstances of losing your Compostela. Provide the exact date - the credencial front cover should contain the processing date adjacent to the final stamp applied by the Pilgrim Office staff at the counter. There are records of your arrival and having been issued a Compostela the first time.

Please be patient. Over the winter months, the office runs with a reduced staff and no volunteers. But rest assured, they WILL get to your request.

Hope this helps.

Tom

Suggests to me that you should scan and save a copy of your credencial as part of the unpacking process when you get home. I never thought of doing that but I move around enough that it might be worth it.

 

[t2andreo]

Yes, this is a good idea if you are prone to losing things. Otherwise, taking a photo of the inside front cover AND the final interior page - showing BOTH Pilgrim Office stamps, with your phone is a good idea and would be the way to go, at least IMHO.

 

[t2andreo]

Blame it on Orujo and they will immediately understand

So, we have decamped from Biarritz to Estoril?

 

[naplesdon]

So, we have decamped from Biarritz to Estoril?

Yes indeed!
Sold the place in Biarritz after dragging my tired arse there every year, in of all months February, to renew the visa.
Now I am on the road to permanently residency/citizenship in Portugal. It looks like Estoril is my home for the next 2 years, then time will tell where I might settle in Portugal.
In Naples my condo on the sixth floor survived Hurricane Ian but my building did not. The first floor was completely wiped out as well as the elevators. We may have new elevators by February but it will take a year to restore the first floor.
Meanwhile, I have my condo on the rental market for $3000/month. Any interest?

 

[t2andreo]

Yes indeed!
Sold the place in Biarritz after dragging my tired arse there every year, in of all months February, to renew the visa.
Now I am on the road to permanently residency/citizenship in Portugal. It looks like Estoril is my home for the next 2 years, then time will tell where I might settle in Portugal.
In Naples my condo on the sixth floor survived Hurricane Ian but my building did not. The first floor was completely wiped out as well as the elevators. We may have new elevators by February but it will take a year to restore the first floor.
Meanwhile, I have my condo on the rental market for $3000/month. Any interest?

See Private Converation.

 

[jrewins]

Yes, you CAN obtain a replacement Compostela. Here is the process:

1. Make a copy of the inside front cover of your credencial. It should show, among other things, the final stamp applied by the PIlgrim Office staff when you first obtained your Compostela. This will fix the issuance date.

2. Send a copy of the credencial inside front cover containing the above information, WITH a letter requesting this replacement serrvice. The letter should be in Spanish.

The address is:

Pilgrim Office
Rúa Carretas, 33
15705, Santiago de Compostela
A Coruña, Espana

In your letter -at the top, include this line:

Attn: Solicitud de Reposición de Compostela (Request for Compostela Replacement)

3. Explain the circumstances of losing your Compostela. Provide the exact date - the credencial front cover should contain the processing date adjacent to the final stamp applied by the Pilgrim Office staff at the counter. There are records of your arrival and having been issued a Compostela the first time.

Please be patient. Over the winter months, the office runs with a reduced staff and no volunteers. But rest assured, they WILL get to your request.

Hope this helps.

Tom

One VERY important additional comment. The Pilgrim’s Office will ask for 8 (I think it was 8) to process the replacement Compostela. I lost my docs enroute to the Madrid airport when returning home. The challenge was in sending the funds without incurring a very high wire transfer fee. I found www.wise.com, which is a VERY inexpensive way to send any currency worldwide. When I sent the funds, I included a generous donation to the Pilgrims office (which is really the church). They didn’t as for the donation, but I was very grateful for their assistance.

All correspondence should be in Spanish - Don’t forget to include your mailing address EXACTLY AS IT SHOULD APPEAR ON THE MAILING TUBE, and be patient…the office is busy and you are asking for a favor. I found them to be very helpful and cooperative …but it still takes some time.

Buen Camino

 

[t2andreo]

Consider that the €8 they charge just about covers the average cost of shipping globally.

While sending a tubo with a replacement Compostela to someone in Spain or Portugal May not cost them €8, sending that identical item to Australia will most likely cost more than €8.

It all works out in the end. We each help one another. After all, it is the Camino Way.

Seasons Greetings to all!

Tom (now living in northern Virginia - again)

 

[chooleekr]

권위 있는 답변도 드릴 수 없지만 아마도 이 스레드 가 도움이 될 것입니다.

I can't give you an authoritative answer either, but perhaps this thread will help.

Thank you for your help.

 

[chooleekr]

권위 있는 답변도 드릴 수 없지만 아마도 이 스레드 가 도움이 될 것입니다.

If you still have your credential with the date stamp from when it was closed, and it wasnt too long ago, they may be able to find you on the system (your personal details can't be kept, but your nationality, age, route etc are kept for statistics). You are allowed one replacement of a lost compostela but it's more likely a pilgrim will come back looking for a replacement a day or two after getting it, having lost it in a bar in Finesterre or somewhere. Do ask nicely, but how far back they can find you is another matter, such is the volume. You can ask for a distance cert from a previous camino if you have the credential pertaining to it.

Thank you for your help.