The credencial is a small A6 “booklet” that every pilgrim – on foot, by bike or on horseback – has to carry if they want to receive the Compostela at the end. The first page holds your personal details: your name, where you’re walking from, how you’re travelling and when you set off. The rest is a grid for stamps (sellos) – and those are the heart of the whole thing. They become a kind of obsession you’ll crave every day.
Every stamp represents a piece of your story. You’ll find them in churches, hostels, restaurants, even in post offices or on farms.
What the credencial is for
Official proof that you’re a pilgrim – the credencial gets you into albergues, the special pilgrim hostels that often cost only 5-10 €. Although inflation has done its work and prices today are around 10-20 €.
Proof of your journey – if you want to receive the Compostela (the pilgrim’s certificate) at the end, you need at least 2 stamps a day in your credencial for the last 100 km (on foot) or 200 km (by bike).
A keepsake and a diary in one – once you’re home the credencial becomes a personal chronicle, full of stamps, dates, notes and small stories.
Where to buy a credencial
Before we left I was fretting about where to get hold of a credencial. I was worried we wouldn’t find one in Spain. At the same time I kept reading that Czech credencials haven’t been recognised since 2016. I don’t know how much truth there is in that, but it rattled me a bit. So I gave up on buying one at home. And I did the right thing…
Before we left I was fretting about where to get hold of a credencial. I was worried we wouldn’t find one in Spain. At the same time I kept reading that Czech credencials haven’t been recognised since 2016. I don’t know how much truth there is in that, but it rattled me a bit. So I gave up on buying one at home. And I did the right thing…
He issued us a credencial for 2 € and threw in the first stamp! I love that feeling – it’s like a drug.
You can simply get a credencial at any cathedral or church that’s open. Also in albergues and information centres. A credencial shouldn’t cost you more than 4 €!!!
Back to home ground. If you want to be prepared just in case, you can buy a credencial on ultreia.cz for around 110 CZK.
I have to say, though, that we never had a nicer first encounter on the road. Zdenicka still remembers the kind, stocky gentleman sitting there in the half-light.
Collecting stamps for your credencial
It’s like getting stuck into a book late at night. You want to read just one more chapter, even though you know it’ll hurt in the morning… That’s exactly what collecting stamps is like. At first you’re delighted, and over time it turns into a “stamp hunt” (in the best sense) along with a craving for the prettiest stamps possible. At every stop we waited eagerly to see what stamp they’d have.
And when the stamp was ugly, we were a bit sad we hadn’t just “gone to bed” instead.
We were sticklers for a properly pressed, good-looking stamp. We didn’t chase them down; we just liked the feeling of getting another stamp as a reward.
The whole of Spain is in on the stamp habit. You’ll get one in every bar, restaurant, albergue, information centre, monastery and church, or at the railway station.
It adds a pleasant distraction to the walk. And when you then look through that little “school report”, it’s a lovely feeling. At the same time you can see with your own eyes how the journey is ticking away, which towards the end was really rather sad 😊
