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Post a picture of your credential!

trecile

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Time of past OR future Camino
Francés, Norte, Salvador, Primitivo, Portuguese
I'm interested in seeing the different credentials issued in different countries. I've ordered all of mine from Ivar, and I really liked the colorful one that used on my first Camino in 2016.

20190115_152101-1008x412.jpg
I used the current, more somber looking credential the last two years. 20190115_152039-1008x567.jpg

What does your credential look like?
 
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Here's the credencial from the Canadian Company of Pilgrims, as used on my last Camino from Porto. You can't see the first two pages of stamps or the last two, because it is folded so you can see the cover and back page. The other side of the stamp pages has maps of the caminos in Iberia and across Europe and info on using the credencial in English and French.
20190117_073319.jpg
 
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These are all lovely. I remember last year there was a change and only "official" credentials are now being accepted. I order mine from APOC and I've had no problems, but have wondered what a supposed non-official one looks like.
 
I'm hoping that someone will post an Irish credential. I saw one (I think that it was Irish) during my last Camino, and it was lovely.
 
These are all lovely. I remember last year there was a change and only "official" credentials are now being accepted. I order mine from APOC and I've had no problems, but have wondered what a supposed non-official one looks like.

IIRC this applies to commercially-supplied and Spanish provincial association credentials. The credentials provided by national pilgrims' organizations (APOC, CCoP, AQC etc) are all authorized by the Cathedral. I haven't seen an "unauthorized" one for years.
 
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These are all lovely. I remember last year there was a change and only "official" credentials are now being accepted. I order mine from APOC and I've had no problems, but have wondered what a supposed non-official one looks like.
I wonder too...
 
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The one on the left is issued by the Rioja Friends. I got it in Navarette to replace one I'd lost.
To the right is an Irish passport.
 

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Does the design of the Irish one extend onto the other pages/panels?
No. The inside is fairly plain but there's a couple of coloured pages in the centre showing maps of the Camino Norte, Francais, and Portuguese.
 

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Ideal pocket guides for during & after your Camino. Each weighs only 1.4 oz (40g)!
And I got this one in Irun at the start of the Norte.
 

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Here's the credencial from the Canadian Company of Pilgrims, as used on my last Camino from Porto. You can't see the first two pages of stamps or the last two, because it is folded so you can see the cover and back page. The other side of the stamp pages has maps of the caminos in Iberia and across Europe and info on using the credencial in English and French.
View attachment 50924

Wow! The Canadian one is very different from my CCoP one I had on my first Camino in 2010! I'm glad to see they've switched to a folding style. Mine was sheets of cardstock paper folded in half to make a stapled booklet, with a bright lime green cover. The paper came away from the staples and there wasn't enough room for all my stamps, but I was proud and happy to have it anyway. :)

I also have a Czech credential from 2012 when I walked a small part of the Camino from Prague.

FB_IMG_1547921147672.jpg

And I have a credential I got in Castrojeriz in 2016. I was surprised to learn they had their own. It made me wonder how many other communities on the Camino have their own too!

20190119_185739_edited credential.jpeg
 
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Wow! The Canadian one is very different from my CCoP one I had on my first Camino in 2010! I'm glad to see they've switched to a folding style. Mine was sheets of cardstock paper folded in half to make a stapled booklet, with a bright lime green cover. The paper came away from the staples and there wasn't enough room for all my stamps, but I was proud and happy to have it anyway. :)

I also have a Czech credential from 2012 when I walked a small part of the Camino from Prague.

View attachment 51042

And I have a credential I got in Castrojeriz in 2016. I was surprised to learn they had their own. It made me wonder how many other communities on the Camino have their own too!

View attachment 51043
Oh I love this one too!
 
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If you get the passport framed you should keep it out of direct sunlight. The ink used for the stamps soon fades.
There's a hotel in Castrojerez which has framed passports in the bar. Every single stamp on them has vanished over time.
 
I never knew that Correos, the Spanish Post Office were so supportive of Peregrinos
https://www.elcaminoconcorreos.com/en/pilgrimage-stamps
View attachment 51211

I have some wonderful stamps from post offices along the Camino Francés! It took me more than one Camino to learn that many post offices have them though. If you go in, know that most, if not all, have at least two different variations. I got two in Puente la Reina, for example, and Burgos has three! I also bought Camino stamps for putting on letters. Lovely souvenirs.
 
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
If you get the passport framed you should keep it out of direct sunlight. The ink used for the stamps soon fades.
There's a hotel in Castrojerez which has framed passports in the bar. Every single stamp on them has vanished over time.

do you recall the name of the hotel?
 
Hotel Jacobus.
 
St James' Way - Self-guided 4-7 day Walking Packages, Reading to Southampton, 110 kms
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Wikipedia suggests that this 'mis-spelling' may not be incorrect but an ancient variation. See below
Around the place of the discovery a new settlement and centre of pilgrimage emerged, which was known to the author Usuard in 865[24] and which was called Compostella by the 10th century.
 
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Our Atmospheric H30 poncho offers lightness and waterproofness. Easily compressible and made with our Waterproof fabric, its heat-sealed interior seams guarantee its waterproofness. Includes carrying bag.

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My Credential from Uk-based Confraternity of St Jame - can't wait to get it filled up in the summer - will make sure I get a stamp here in Reading at St James' Church, Reading Abbey before I set of for St Jean PP.View attachment 51192
My UK stamps are beginning to fill up my CSJ credencial, we have been walking the St James Way from Reading Abbey to Southampton - Question for forum ... should I continue with it on Camino Frances or start a new one fresh? What do people think?
 

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The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
New Original Camino Gear Designed Especially with The Modern Peregrino In Mind!
I love all these photos. I used the one provided by the Confranternity in Madrid, which has their own sello (fairly large). I liked the cover with the writing at the top. I love all these unique credenciales,. I ran out of space and had to get a second passport in Arzua, which ended up being the standard black passport that everyone else had. I don't have anything against it. But I love to see these less common ones.
 
These are all lovely. I remember last year there was a change and only "official" credentials are now being accepted. I order mine from APOC and I've had no problems, but have wondered what a supposed non-official one looks like.

Apparently there are a decent amount of unofficial or "homemade" credencials out there, for profit (and not the standard few euros). Here are two examples. The first is a hand made credencial from Spain that actually looks SO beautiful. When you read the fine print, the artist states that you should attach a "real" credencial to this one in order to get the Compostela Certificate. The price is 13.50 Euro.

Another example is one I found on Etsy. Someone created it and it does not have an official seal from the Cathedral on the rear.

So those are the two examples that I encountered. Too bad, really. The fancy Spanish one I really like. But again, there are some out there that are trying to make a profit above and beyond the modest two euros for an official one.

 

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This is the Créanciale issued on the Via Podiensis in le Puy-en-Velay.
When we walked 2178km in 133 days from Switzerland to SdC last year, we filled 6 credentials.
 

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3rd Edition. More content, training & pack guides avoid common mistakes, bed bugs etc
How do you use the 6 credencials (or in general: more than one credential) if you want to get a distance certificate at the end?
Do you simply collect your next sellos in an empty new credential?
Or do you need the same sello on the first page of a new credential as is on the last page of the one before?
Or do you have to attach them to each other?
 
I've always attached the new credential to the old one, by gluing them together in such a way that it looks like one long credential, with the front page of the new credential glued onto the back of the last page of the older one. I'm not sure that is the correct thing to do, but it's never been questioned in the Pilgrim's Office.

(Edited) I should clarify that the joined credentials are for each one individual Camino, when its a long one, eg the Via de la Plata. Once the Pilgrim's Office put the last stamp in a credential, it officially "finishes" that Camino.
 
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That is what I meant as well: when you need more then 1 credential for 1 camino.
 
€2,-/day will present your project to thousands of visitors each day. All interested in the Camino de Santiago.
The focus is on reducing the risk of failure through being well prepared. 2nd ed.
Here is the latest to go on the wall, with the ink slowly fading. And when the ink has almost all done, I'll replace it with another credentia currently in the drawer. And so on......20200201_231225.jpg
 
Technical backpack for day trips with backpack cover and internal compartment for the hydration bladder. Ideal daypack for excursions where we need a medium capacity backpack. The back with Air Flow System creates large air channels that will keep our back as cool as possible.

€83,-
Here are some I have collected or used. You can certainly use a credential sponsored and created by an association not in your own country of residence. My favorite was the Croatian credential which I used most recently. I'm posting pics of the interior and exterior of that one, note the pattern in the background.
 

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Here are some I have collected or used. You can certainly use a credential sponsored and created by an association not in your own country of residence. My favorite was the Croatian credential which I used most recently. I'm posting pics of the interior and exterior of that one, note the pattern in the background.
Where did you get the Croatian one?
That is "pleter" in the background :)
 
Where did you get the Croatian one?
That is "pleter" in the background :)
I asked a friend in Croatia to obtain it for me and mail it. I have found that many associations that do not require application forms are willing to send it. I easily obtained a British credential. The Italian credential asked for a form to be filled out but it was easy enough. Most of this I did through snail mail.
 
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Here are some I have collected or used. You can certainly use a credential sponsored and created by an association not in your own country of residence. My favorite was the Croatian credential which I used most recently. I'm posting pics of the interior and exterior of that one, note the pattern in the background.
I really like the new Portuguese one. I bought a half dozen of them, and had planned to use one this year...
 
I just came across this thread requesting credencial photos. I carried 2 with me when I completed my Camino in 2019. The photos are below, and here is the story that goes with them. Although I am Canadian, I had known about the Camino for many, many years, and dreamed/wondered if I might ever be able to complete it. As a matter of fact, over the more recent years, I even started ordering some backpacking items and I ordered the colorful credencial (photo below) from someplace on-line. I really wanted to walk the Camino! Then, in 2017 my wife and I were visiting Dublin, and we were on a tour bus to visit the Kilmainham Gaol. (an emotional experience that we highly recommend!) The tour bus passed in front of St. James Church (http://stjamesparish.ie/) and my wife noticed a banner hanging across the front of the church advertising this church as the home of the Camino Society of Ireland. We decided to visit after the Gaol tour, and found our way back. We tried the door, but alas, it was locked despite signs stating that this was a day it was supposed to be open. We turned to go and as we started down the stairs, the door was opened by someone on the inside, who stuck his head out and asked if we were trying to come in. We said yes, and we were warmly welcomed in where there were three gentlemen who apologized profusely for door having been locked. It was locked they said, because they were being interviewed for a story about the Camino and did not want to be interrupted. “What a coincidence” we said “because we came to learn a little more about the Camino since we saw your banner out front.” “Well you're in the right place,” he said, “and with the right people, because this gentleman here is the President of the Camino Society of Ireland!” We had a lovely and very informative visit that solidified my resolve to complete the Camino. I ended up purchasing a credencial from the shop, and they gave me my first 2 stamps that you can see in the photos, dated in August 2017, and then you will see the first stamp from St. Jean Pied de Port in March 2019 when I walked the Camino Frances. I also discovered that Ireland is one of the few locations (maybe the only?) where a pilgrim can walk the first 25 km of their Camino outside of Spain, i.e. on Irish soil, and then travel to Spain to complete the rest. And to cap off the story, when I walked the Camino, I met a very kind young Irishman on the very first day starting out from SJPP, and we stayed together for the entire 32 days that it took for us to complete the Camino! We keep in touch to this day.

About the credencials: Although I did use both to collect sellos, I only had one 'certified' for my Compostela. I actually preferred the Irish credencial because of its size and convenience, and there was plenty of room for stamps. The larger colorful credencial appealed to me at first because it was made especially for the Camino Frances, but because I did not stop in the same towns that it featured within the book, I had to skip around through pages to find a place that might work to collect a stamp. However, on the positive side it has some space for a pilgrim to record some notes which might be handy. I kept an on-line blog full of my thoughts and stories and photos, so I personally did not use the notes feature. Several people in the albergues told me they had never seen such a credencial before.
 

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While we are looking at an old thread, I thought I'd post an old credencial. I was given this in Roncesvalles in 1989 when I started my Camino there. Since I wasn't staying in refugios that Camino, nor focused on getting a Compostela, just intent on experiencing the route, I never got it filled with stamps. It just has the first one from Roncesvalles.

I few items of interest:
  • The credencial was issued not by my local Camino association (I don't think there was one in Canada then), nor by the Cathredral in Santiago, but by Los Amigos del Camino de Santiago in Estella. That group was one of the prime movers behind the Camino revival.
  • The starting point of Roncesvalles was baked into the printed text of the credencial. There was another version for Jaca, and the printed text talks about plans to have a credential available for each point along the Camino
  • It was significantly bigger than current credencials, at 15.5 x 21.5 cm. Instead of being an accordion fold it was a single fold booklet.
  • Instead of blank squares for stamps, the squares were named with the places one was expected to get stamped: Viscarret, Pamplona, Puente la Reina, Estella, Logroño, Najera, Santo Domingo de la Calzada, San Juan de Ortega, Burgos, Fromista, Villalcazar de Sirga, Sahagun, Leon, Astorga, Rabanal del Camino, Ponferrada, Villafranca del Bierzo, Cebreiro, Triacastela, Sarria, Portomarin and Palas de Rey.
  • After the squares for stamps, one reads HERRU SANCTIAGU, GOT SANCTIAGU, E ULTREYA E SUSEIA, DEUS ADIUVA NOS. ¡¡¡ALELUYA!!!
I am thinking of taking it with me the next time I do the Frances and finally getting it stamped.

20210223_105913.jpg
 
New Original Camino Gear Designed Especially with The Modern Peregrino In Mind!
I just came across this thread requesting credencial photos. I carried 2 with me when I completed my Camino in 2019. The photos are below, and here is the story that goes with them. Although I am Canadian, I had known about the Camino for many, many years, and dreamed/wondered if I might ever be able to complete it. As a matter of fact, over the more recent years, I even started ordering some backpacking items and I ordered the colorful credencial (photo below) from someplace on-line. I really wanted to walk the Camino! Then, in 2017 my wife and I were visiting Dublin, and we were on a tour bus to visit the Kilmainham Gaol. (an emotional experience that we highly recommend!) The tour bus passed in front of St. James Church (http://stjamesparish.ie/) and my wife noticed a banner hanging across the front of the church advertising this church as the home of the Camino Society of Ireland. We decided to visit after the Gaol tour, and found our way back. We tried the door, but alas, it was locked despite signs stating that this was a day it was supposed to be open. We turned to go and as we started down the stairs, the door was opened by someone on the inside, who stuck his head out and asked if we were trying to come in. We said yes, and we were warmly welcomed in where there were three gentlemen who apologized profusely for door having been locked. It was locked they said, because they were being interviewed for a story about the Camino and did not want to be interrupted. “What a coincidence” we said “because we came to learn a little more about the Camino since we saw your banner out front.” “Well you're in the right place,” he said, “and with the right people, because this gentleman here is the President of the Camino Society of Ireland!” We had a lovely and very informative visit that solidified my resolve to complete the Camino. I ended up purchasing a credencial from the shop, and they gave me my first 2 stamps that you can see in the photos, dated in August 2017, and then you will see the first stamp from St. Jean Pied de Port in March 2019 when I walked the Camino Frances. I also discovered that Ireland is one of the few locations (maybe the only?) where a pilgrim can walk the first 25 km of their Camino outside of Spain, i.e. on Irish soil, and then travel to Spain to complete the rest. And to cap off the story, when I walked the Camino, I met a very kind young Irishman on the very first day starting out from SJPP, and we stayed together for the entire 32 days that it took for us to complete the Camino! We keep in touch to this day.

About the credencials: Although I did use both to collect sellos, I only had one 'certified' for my Compostela. I actually preferred the Irish credencial because of its size and convenience, and there was plenty of room for stamps. The larger colorful credencial appealed to me at first because it was made especially for the Camino Frances, but because I did not stop in the same towns that it featured within the book, I had to skip around through pages to find a place that might work to collect a stamp. However, on the positive side it has some space for a pilgrim to record some notes which might be handy. I kept an on-line blog full of my thoughts and stories and photos, so I personally did not use the notes feature. Several people in the albergues told me they had never seen such a credencial before.
Bill905,
Thanks for sharing these wonder-filled memories; may there be many more soon again.
 
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
I'm interested in seeing the different credentials issued in different countries. I've ordered all of mine from Ivar, and I really liked the colorful one that used on my first Camino in 2016.

View attachment 50800
I used the current, more somber looking credential the last two years. View attachment 50801

What does your credential look like?
Mine, issued in SJDPP in September 2020:
 

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Very light, comfortable and compressible poncho. Specially designed for protection against water for any activity.

Our Atmospheric H30 poncho offers lightness and waterproofness. Easily compressible and made with our Waterproof fabric, its heat-sealed interior seams guarantee its waterproofness. Includes carrying bag.

€60,-
Get a spanish phone number with Airalo. eSim, so no physical SIM card. Easy to use app to add more funds if needed.
Some of mine are falling apart having been washed by mistake and hung out on the clothesline, used as beer mats etc. One or two are illegible now, I dont remember which is which anymore. Still, they are far more personal than any compostela, they make me smile, like just now...🙂20210611_181552.jpg
 
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