© Tiagox2 · CC BY-SA 3.0Credential · Compostela
© Tiagox2 · CC BY-SA 3.0Credential · Compostela
The credential and the Compostela are two key documents of the Camino. The credential is the pilgrim's "passport", stamped along the way; the Compostela is the diploma that certifies you have completed it. This guide explains how they work and what you need to get yours.
Updated on August 12, 2026
It is a small booklet that identifies the pilgrim and allows you to sleep in the hostels of the Jacobean network. You can get it at Friends of the Camino associations, parishes, departure cathedrals and many hostels, for just a few euros.
Along the Camino it is stamped in hostels, churches, bars and town halls: usually one or two stamps a day, and compulsorily two stamps a day over the final 100 km if you want the Compostela.
It is the certificate issued by the Pilgrim's Office in Santiago to those who complete the Camino for religious or spiritual reasons. To obtain it you must walk (or ride on horseback) at least the final 100 km, or the final 200 km by bicycle, and prove it with the stamps on your credential.
On arriving in Santiago, you present the stamped credential at the Pilgrim's Office. The Compostela is free; optionally you can request the distance certificate or a tube to protect it, for a small fee.
Sarria, on the Camino Francés, is the most popular starting point precisely because it lies just over 100 km from Santiago, the minimum for the Compostela. That is why the final stages are the busiest of the Camino.
It is on this final stretch that the two daily stamps are required. Plan where to get your stamp each day and keep your credential safe: it is your proof of having walked.
The hostels and lodgings on the most popular stages (Sarria, O Cebreiro, the last 100 km) fill up fast, especially in summer and during a Holy Year. Book ahead to secure a spot at the best price.
Frequently asked questions
Not for walking, but it is required to sleep in pilgrims' hostels and to apply for the Compostela. Without a stamped credential, your route cannot be certified at the Pilgrim's Office.
In general one or two a day are enough. Over the final 100 km (or 200 by bike), two daily stamps are compulsory in order to obtain the Compostela.
The traditional Compostela is issued to those who make the Camino for religious or spiritual reasons. Anyone doing it for sporting or cultural motives can request an alternative certificate. In practice, you simply state this when collecting the document.