PLEASE - ID your Credential

[ELHS220]

I will be finishing a two-week volunteer period in the Pilgrim Office this weekend and I have a few observations to share.

1. People are showing up with the TITLE PAGE of the credential BLANK. What happens if you lose it along the way? Please fill in your name CLEARLY. Otherwise we have to ask for another document in order to be able to properly make out the Compostela and the optional Certificate of Distance. This slows the line down.

2. PLEASE include your e-mail address and mobile number in addition. Someone who finds a lost credential will then be able to promptly get in contact with you and a return arranged.

3. Get two stamps per day for the last 100 kms of whichever Camino you are doing. The enforcement of this rule seems to be pretty lenient, but better safe than sorry. I am a stamp addict and often get 10+ per day, so this is not an issue to which I can relate. Last year, on the Francés, I filled SEVEN of the two-sided SJPP credentials.

4. Add the date to each sello in case THEY don’t write it in for you. It makes it much easier for us to follow the continuity of your route.

5. Be patient in line. We try to produce well-centered names on the certificates with decent handwriting, and we tend to converse with each pilgrim. I can’t seem to process any more than 5/6 people per hour and my volunteer colleagues seem to work at about the same rate. The regular staff is much faster because they know a lot of the stuff (mileages, Latin names, etc.), by heart. We have to keep looking everything up.

6. If you arrive as a couple, do NOT come up to the counter together. You will end up waiting LONGER. Wait for the next free person and chances are your waiting time at the counter will be cut in half.

7. Do NOT bring another person’s documents with you and expect to walk away with two Compostelas. EACH PERSON must be physically present. We cannot issue a Compostela in absentia.

8. If you are hungry after leaving, turn left and head up the hill toward the big church (San Francisco). Just before reaching the church, turn right into the university Medical School Cafeteria. They have a menú del día for 5/6 euros and a well-priced à la carte menu as well. They open at 1:00 for lunch and I think they close for the day at 4:00. You can get well priced breakfast fare all morning too.

 

[Former member 49149]

I will be finishing a two-week volunteer period in the Pilgrim Office this weekend and I have a few observations to share.

1. People are showing up with the TITLE PAGE of the credential BLANK. What happens if you lose it along the way? Please fill in your name CLEARLY. Otherwise we have to ask for another document in order to be able to properly make out the Compostela and the optional Certificate of Distance. This slows the line down.

2. PLEASE include your e-mail address and mobile number in addition. Someone who finds a lost credential will then be able to promptly get in contact with you and a return arranged.

3. Get two stamps per day for the last 100 kms of whichever Camino you are doing. The enforcement of this rule seems to be pretty lenient, but better safe than sorry. I am a stsmp addict and often get 10+ per day, so this is not an issue to which I can relate. Last year, on the Francés, I filled SEVEN of the two-sided SJPP credentials.

4. Add the date to each sello in case THEY don’t write it in for you. It makes it much easier for us to follow the continuity of your route.

5. Be patient in line. We try to produce well-centered names on the certificates with decent handwriting, and we tend to converse with each pilgrim. I can’t seem to process any more than 5/6 people per hour and my volunteer colleagues seem to work at about the same rate. The regular staff is much faster because they know a lot of the stuff (mileages, Latin names, etc.), by heart. We have to keep looking everything up.

6. If you arrive as a couple, do NOT come up to the counter together. You will end up waiting LONGER. Wait for the next free person and chances are your waiting time at the counter will be cut in half.

7. Do NOT bring another person’s documents with you and expect to walk away with two Compostelas. EACH PERSON must be physically present. We cannot issue a Compostela in absentia.

8. If you are hungry after leaving, turn left and head up the hill toward the big church (San Francisco). Just before reaching the church, turn right into the university Medical School Cafeteria. They have a menú del día for 5/6 euros and a well-priced à la carte menu as well. They open at 1:00 for lunch and I think they close for the day at 4:00. You can get well priced breakfast fare all morning too.

A very useful post. I can endorse the point about filling in details on the credential. Hospitaleros have to ask for national passport or other ID if that is not on the credential, to fill in the albergue register. The information recorded in the albergues is rarely needed, but if any problems arise, it is there for reference.

 

[Marbe2]

Thank you for posting!

 

[t2andreo]

Allow me to add to the original, excellent post... The Pilgrim Office at Santiago receives A LOT of lost credencials that are mailed there from all Camino routes. If you lost your credencial along the way, there is at least a 50/50 chance that it will turn up in the mail at the office. Help us help you.

1. If you FULLY FILL OUT the inside front cover with your identity information, AND add your e-mail and mobile phone number, there is a good chance that we can reunite you with your original credencial when you arrive in Santiago.
2. Once you lose your credencial, obtain another along the way to gather necessary sellos. Failing this, use a blank sheet of paper. Make sure the sellos are affixed in correct chronological order. This will help the P/O staff decipher the sellos.
3. When you arrive at the head of the line, ask a staff person to search for your lost credencial. Tell us when and approximately where you lost it. We have a large box with all the found credencials in it. Perhaps you will get lucky...

Hope this helps.

 

[williamlittig]

I will be finishing a two-week volunteer period in the Pilgrim Office this weekend and I have a few observations to share.

1. People are showing up with the TITLE PAGE of the credential BLANK. What happens if you lose it along the way? Please fill in your name CLEARLY. Otherwise we have to ask for another document in order to be able to properly make out the Compostela and the optional Certificate of Distance. This slows the line down.

2. PLEASE include your e-mail address and mobile number in addition. Someone who finds a lost credential will then be able to promptly get in contact with you and a return arranged.

3. Get two stamps per day for the last 100 kms of whichever Camino you are doing. The enforcement of this rule seems to be pretty lenient, but better safe than sorry. I am a stamp addict and often get 10+ per day, so this is not an issue to which I can relate. Last year, on the Francés, I filled SEVEN of the two-sided SJPP credentials.

4. Add the date to each sello in case THEY don’t write it in for you. It makes it much easier for us to follow the continuity of your route.

5. Be patient in line. We try to produce well-centered names on the certificates with decent handwriting, and we tend to converse with each pilgrim. I can’t seem to process any more than 5/6 people per hour and my volunteer colleagues seem to work at about the same rate. The regular staff is much faster because they know a lot of the stuff (mileages, Latin names, etc.), by heart. We have to keep looking everything up.

6. If you arrive as a couple, do NOT come up to the counter together. You will end up waiting LONGER. Wait for the next free person and chances are your waiting time at the counter will be cut in half.

7. Do NOT bring another person’s documents with you and expect to walk away with two Compostelas. EACH PERSON must be physically present. We cannot issue a Compostela in absentia.

8. If you are hungry after leaving, turn left and head up the hill toward the big church (San Francisco). Just before reaching the church, turn right into the university Medical School Cafeteria. They have a menú del día for 5/6 euros and a well-priced à la carte menu as well. They open at 1:00 for lunch and I think they close for the day at 4:00. You can get well priced breakfast fare all morning too.

When filling out your credential, pilgrims passport, do not forget your national passport number. Hospitaleros need this info for daily logs..... Thank you..... Ultreya

 

[HalfDomeOrBust]

These are great posts and very helpful for everyone!!! It also gives us some insight in what we can expect as
"mi esposa" and I will be serving at the Pilgrims Office 10-24 September this year. Thank you all for your service!!!

Ed

 

[MikeOK]

Great write-up.

However, if you have walked a full/long camino you dont really need the two stamps Per day for the last 100km. At least that was the message i got when I got from SJPDP to SDC last year.

As someone who is not a stamp-maniac, I prefer to only have stamps of the places where i sleep - and was sad that I got extra the last 100km, so I asked in SDC. It is more to ensure that people dont cheat the last 100km, and nobody really cheats for 800km (and it is properly pretty easy to see if one has truely walked this far or not). However, use this info at own risk.

 

[t2andreo]

The immediate post above might create confusion. Allow me to elaborate.

The OFFICIAL rules require that pilgrims obtain a minimum of two sellos daily within the final 100km on any Camino route leading into Santiago. Before that, one sello daily is sufficient to establish the line of march and your pace...the number of days it took you to get from place to place.

HOWEVER, it is not uncommon to encounter pilgrims who CLEARLY and OBVIOUSLY have walked a long distance over a long time. Their credencials may not always have the required two sellos for the final 100 km. However, their appearance, condition of their gear, and demeanor all support a finding by a Pilgrim Office staffer that this pilgrim clearly went the distance... In THAT case, the requirement is more flexible. THAT is what the above post is referring to...an individual decision made on a case-by-case basis. DO NOT misunderstand. If in doubt, get the sello...

This has happened to me on three of my six Caminos. Unlike some, I always obtain a sello at my nightly lodging, but, I sometimes fail to obtain a second one during the day. Sometimes, I just forget. However, when I walk from Lisbon in Portugal, or from Saint Jean Pied de Port, in France, the staff can just TELL. Thus, the Compostela is issued.

The above post is essentially correct, but I felt required more explanation to avoid mistakes.

Hope this helps.

 

[Jeff Crawley]

Allow me to add to the original, excellent post... The Pilgrim Office at Santiago receives A LOT of lost credencials that are mailed there from all Camino routes. If you lost your credencial along the way, there is at least a 50/50 chance that it will turn up in the mail at the office. Help us help you.

1. If you FULLY FILL OUT the inside front cover with your identity information, AND add your e-mail and mobile phone number, there is a good chance that we can reunite you with your original credencial when you arrive in Santiago.
2. Once you lose your credencial, obtain another along the way to gather necessary sellos. Failing this, use a blank sheet of paper. Make sure the sellos are affixed in correct chronological order. This will help the P/O staff decipher the sellos.
3. When you arrive at the head of the line, ask a staff person to search for your lost credencial. Tell us when and approximately where you lost it. We have a large box with all the found credencials in it. Perhaps you will get lucky...

Hope this helps.

How long do they keep the found credencials? It would be great to be reunited with mine when I come back in September. My lost national passport has been cancelled and replaced but I should dearly love to have the credential back!

 

[David Tallan]

Great write-up.

However, if you have walked a full/long camino you dont really need the two stamps Per day for the last 100km. At least that was the message i got when I got from SJPDP to SDC last year.

As someone who is not a stamp-maniac, I prefer to only have stamps of the places where i sleep - and was sad that I got extra the last 100km, so I asked in SDC. It is more to ensure that people dont cheat the last 100km, and nobody really cheats for 800km (and it is properly pretty easy to see if one has truely walked this far or not). However, use this info at own risk.

Definitely use this info at your own risk. The official rules provide no exceptions for the "2 stamps per day for the last 100 kms". It would be a shame to walk 800 (or 1500) kms and then find at the end that you couldn't get a compostela that you wanted because you were counting on getting a relaxed volunteer and ended up with one who believes in following the rules.

 

[t2andreo]

How long do they keep the found credencials? It would be great to be reunited with mine when I come back in September. My lost national passport has been cancelled and replaced but I should dearly love to have the credential back!

Jeff:

I do not know how long they hold these credencials. When I arrive in mid-July, there are several months worth in the box.

This year, I will again be there for a month, starting on 9 July. Send me a private conversation / message containing enough details to allow me to locate your credential. Please include a return e-mail address so I can contact you directly. If you can tell me:

• What variety of credencial I am looking for: APOC, CSJ, SJpDp Pilgrim Office, Cathedral Issue (also what Ivar provides). Knowing this helps me to sort the pile faster.
• What information is written on the covers, anywhere.
• Any special sellos or characteristics... wine stains, beer stains, water staining, custom 'art,' etc.

...I promise to make a search of the entire existing stash within the first few days. I will contact you with my results.

Hope this helps.

Tom

 

[Bob from L.A. !]

@ELHS220 - Thank you sooooo much for this posting. It really clears up a lot of repetitive questions !

 

[Former member 49149]

How long do they keep the found credencials? It would be great to be reunited with mine when I come back in September. My lost national passport has been cancelled and replaced but I should dearly love to have the credential back!

I have just paid attention to your information, and see that your recent camino is labelled as your last. All the more reason to hope that your lost credential will be found!

 

[leluck]

Thank you for this very practical post. I depart tomorrow for Madrid and from there to Gijon and the Camino del Norte. Many thanks.

 

[Jeff Crawley]

Jeff:

I do not know how long they hold these credencials. When I arrive in mid-July, there are several months worth in the box.

This year, I will again be there for a month, starting on 9 July. Send me a private conversation / message containing enough details to allow me to locate your credential. Please include a return e-mail address so I can contact you directly. If you can tell me:

• What variety of credencial I am looking for: APOC, CSJ, SJpDp Pilgrim Office, Cathedral Issue (also what Ivar provides). Knowing this helps me to sort the pile faster.
• What information is written on the covers, anywhere.
• Any special sellos or characteristics... wine stains, beer stains, water staining, custom 'art,' etc.

...I promise to make a search of the entire existing stash within the first few days. I will contact you with my results.

Hope this helps.

Tom

Thanks Tom, shall send a message.

 

[Jeff Crawley]

I have just paid attention to your information, and see that your recent camino is labelled as your last. All the more reason to hope that your lost credential will be found!

Kirkie, EVERY Camino I do is my last! I remember in 2016 telling the clerk at the Pilgrim Office that I'd never, ever do it again and he said "See you next year then!"

Kirkie is an interesting name (my late father's best friend) are you from Scotland?

 

[Baba John]

In 2015 got all my sellos and the last 100km I doubled up and received my Compestella.

In 2017 I did not double up, and I got my Compostella.

???

Buen Camino

 

[Former member 49149]

Kirkie, EVERY Camino I do is my last! I remember in 2016 telling the clerk at the Pilgrim Office that I'd never, ever do it again and he said "See you next year then!"

Kirkie is an interesting name (my late father's best friend) are you from Scotland?

There was a Kirk and in that Kirk there was an in and in that in there was a til and in that til there was a loch and in that loch there was... Kirkintilloch.
That is how we learned to spell the name of our town, which like many names, got itself a shortcut to ... Kirkie.

 

[Jeff Crawley]

In 2015 got all my sellos and the last 100km I doubled up and received my Compestella.

In 2017 I did not double up, and I got my Compostella.

???

Buen Camino

Maybe, if you'd walked a long way and had a credential with an arm's length of sellos, looked scruffy and weary they just thought "yeah, he's a pilgrim alright,!"

 

[KJFSophie]

I will be finishing a two-week volunteer period in the Pilgrim Office this weekend and I have a few observations to share.

1. People are showing up with the TITLE PAGE of the credential BLANK. What happens if you lose it along the way? Please fill in your name CLEARLY. Otherwise we have to ask for another document in order to be able to properly make out the Compostela and the optional Certificate of Distance. This slows the line down.

2. PLEASE include your e-mail address and mobile number in addition. Someone who finds a lost credential will then be able to promptly get in contact with you and a return arranged.

3. Get two stamps per day for the last 100 kms of whichever Camino you are doing. The enforcement of this rule seems to be pretty lenient, but better safe than sorry. I am a stamp addict and often get 10+ per day, so this is not an issue to which I can relate. Last year, on the Francés, I filled SEVEN of the two-sided SJPP credentials.

4. Add the date to each sello in case THEY don’t write it in for you. It makes it much easier for us to follow the continuity of your route.

5. Be patient in line. We try to produce well-centered names on the certificates with decent handwriting, and we tend to converse with each pilgrim. I can’t seem to process any more than 5/6 people per hour and my volunteer colleagues seem to work at about the same rate. The regular staff is much faster because they know a lot of the stuff (mileages, Latin names, etc.), by heart. We have to keep looking everything up.

6. If you arrive as a couple, do NOT come up to the counter together. You will end up waiting LONGER. Wait for the next free person and chances are your waiting time at the counter will be cut in half.

7. Do NOT bring another person’s documents with you and expect to walk away with two Compostelas. EACH PERSON must be physically present. We cannot issue a Compostela in absentia.

8. If you are hungry after leaving, turn left and head up the hill toward the big church (San Francisco). Just before reaching the church, turn right into the university Medical School Cafeteria. They have a menú del día for 5/6 euros and a well-priced à la carte menu as well. They open at 1:00 for lunch and I think they close for the day at 4:00. You can get well priced breakfast fare all morning too.

I might add: Do not 'hold' a place in line for your 6+ friends. After waiting long hours in line, we saw numerous 'friends' of others cut in front to join their acquaintances. There's no fairness in cutting the cuque. Get in line and wait like everyone else. I think this should be monitored. At least 30 people jumped in line ahead of us who had not waited all day. Very disrespectful to those who waited their turn endlessly.

 

[t2andreo]

We usually allow it for small groups, less than six +/-. As a practical matter, using the toilet, getting drink of water, or something similar is not unreasonable. But, when half a dozen or more folks magically appear to cause a 'bulge' in the queue, then I would take issue. I agree that it is not fair. I can imagine how this would annoy everyone who had been waiting, more or less, patiently, for an hour or more.

All I can say is that I start work on 9 July for a month. My nickname when there is "el Sherif." This is Spanish for the Sheriff. I do run a tight and orderly queue.

Better late than never...

 

[Baba John]

Maybe, if you'd walked a long way and had a credential with an arm's length of sellos, looked scruffy and weary they just thought "yeah, he's a pilgrim alright,!"

Actually, I had had a shower and a good nights sleep in my hotel.
No backpack, no beard, no Isis flag.

???

Buen Camino

 

[wcsjms]

We walked two Frances their full length in 11 months apart with full backpacks. The first Camino Frances we walked in the fall and received our Compostela. The second Frances which was done August through September we went to the office to get our Compostela and it looked like the entrance to Disney World with a myriad of people. Along the Way we saw and passed many 100 kilometer walkers or "touristas" as a lot of the locals referred to them, which got on and off tour buses/ vans to walk through the towns to get their two stamps and then get back on their bus or van to their hotel. Needless to say we did not bother to get our second Compostela after seeing that and having an epiphany we realized the Compostela had nothing to do with our 850km treks, it was about us, the people we met along the WAY, our pain and joy and ... the WAY and nothing else. Our Compostela certificates are rolled up in a tube and in a drawer, we know what we did, those who trekked with us know what we did, our friends and family know too. We will be doing a 3rd Camino in September 2019 ( Via de la Plata ) we will finish in Santiago and go home having been enriched by the people we meet and the experience, no piece of paper can ever equal that.
Vaya con Dios' y
Buen Camino !

 

[Via2010]

Hi,

during my pilgrimage on the Camino Primitivo I became witness that two pilgrim passports had been mixed up.

We were 4 pilgrims arriving at Melide public albergue before opening. The hospitalera was a bit early, too. So she asked us if we already wanted to give her our pilgrim passports so that she could start and fill the registration forms. We did so. When giving them back, she by accident gave the credencial of a chinese woman to a pilgrim from Russia. None of them recognized, that there had been a confusion. only the next day the man from Russia who hat walked all the way from France recognized, that he had got the wrong passport. So he kept waiting for the chinese woman in Salceda for hours. I do not know, if he actually met her again or if she only walked to Arzua that day. And I do not know either, if any of them did get a compostela if they have not met again.

So, after registration in an albergue you should always check, that you have got your own passport.

It would also have been helpful, if they had written their mobile-number or e-mail in their credencial!

BC
Alexandra

 

[Travelite]

Hi. Do the Pilgrim Passports have to be signed everyday?

 

[Kanga]

@Travelite they don't have to be signed at all, but if you want a Compostela they do have to be stamped twice a day for the last 100km into Santiago. And if you want a distance certificate they need to be stamped once every day from the beginning of your walk. If you stay at albergues your credential will be stamped when you book in. Stamps are also available in pretty much every other accommodation provider, cafe, bar, restaurant, and shop.

 

[Travelite]

@Travelite they don't have to be signed at all, but if you want a Compostela they do have to be stamped twice a day for the last 100km into Santiago. And if you want a distance certificate they need to be stamped once every day from the beginning of your walk. If you stay at albergues your credential will be stamped when you book in. Stamps are also available in pretty much every other accommodation provider, cafe, bar, restaurant, and shop.

Thanks, Kanga. The credencial situation is clearer now.

 

[David Tallan]

@Travelite they don't have to be signed at all, but if you want a Compostela they do have to be stamped twice a day for the last 100km into Santiago. And if you want a distance certificate they need to be stamped once every day from the beginning of your walk. If you stay at albergues your credential will be stamped when you book in. Stamps are also available in pretty much every other accommodation provider, cafe, bar, restaurant, and shop.

And many churches.

 

[ELHS220]

IF you can find a church that is OPEN, AND that has a stamp available. MOST churches in small towns are simply CLOSED. Other churches might be open for part of the morning and part of the afternoon, BUT there is no one around to give you a stamp unless you are lucky enough to be there just before or just after a Mass when the sacristy is open. There ARE a few churches that leave a stamp and ink pad on a small table near the entrance, but these are few and far between. I am a "stamp addict" and my big regret is that I was unable to get more stamps from churches along the way. It was VERY disappointing.

 

[Drew1578]

I will be finishing a two-week volunteer period in the Pilgrim Office this weekend and I have a few observations to share.

1. People are showing up with the TITLE PAGE of the credential BLANK. What happens if you lose it along the way? Please fill in your name CLEARLY. Otherwise we have to ask for another document in order to be able to properly make out the Compostela and the optional Certificate of Distance. This slows the line down.

2. PLEASE include your e-mail address and mobile number in addition. Someone who finds a lost credential will then be able to promptly get in contact with you and a return arranged.

3. Get two stamps per day for the last 100 kms of whichever Camino you are doing. The enforcement of this rule seems to be pretty lenient, but better safe than sorry. I am a stamp addict and often get 10+ per day, so this is not an issue to which I can relate. Last year, on the Francés, I filled SEVEN of the two-sided SJPP credentials.

4. Add the date to each sello in case THEY don’t write it in for you. It makes it much easier for us to follow the continuity of your route.

5. Be patient in line. We try to produce well-centered names on the certificates with decent handwriting, and we tend to converse with each pilgrim. I can’t seem to process any more than 5/6 people per hour and my volunteer colleagues seem to work at about the same rate. The regular staff is much faster because they know a lot of the stuff (mileages, Latin names, etc.), by heart. We have to keep looking everything up.

6. If you arrive as a couple, do NOT come up to the counter together. You will end up waiting LONGER. Wait for the next free person and chances are your waiting time at the counter will be cut in half.

7. Do NOT bring another person’s documents with you and expect to walk away with two Compostelas. EACH PERSON must be physically present. We cannot issue a Compostela in absentia.

8. If you are hungry after leaving, turn left and head up the hill toward the big church (San Francisco). Just before reaching the church, turn right into the university Medical School Cafeteria. They have a menú del día for 5/6 euros and a well-priced à la carte menu as well. They open at 1:00 for lunch and I think they close for the day at 4:00. You can get well priced breakfast fare all morning too.

Do you know if I could get both my deceased parents names on the Compostela (Vicarie Pro)?

 

[ELHS220]

Do you know if I could get both my deceased parents names on the Compostela (Vicarie Pro)?

I believe that that is possible. I did several with single names. I doubt two names would be a problem.

 

[Anna Cameron]

I will be finishing a two-week volunteer period in the Pilgrim Office this weekend and I have a few observations to share.

1. People are showing up with the TITLE PAGE of the credential BLANK. What happens if you lose it along the way? Please fill in your name CLEARLY. Otherwise we have to ask for another document in order to be able to properly make out the Compostela and the optional Certificate of Distance. This slows the line down.

2. PLEASE include your e-mail address and mobile number in addition. Someone who finds a lost credential will then be able to promptly get in contact with you and a return arranged.

3. Get two stamps per day for the last 100 kms of whichever Camino you are doing. The enforcement of this rule seems to be pretty lenient, but better safe than sorry. I am a stamp addict and often get 10+ per day, so this is not an issue to which I can relate. Last year, on the Francés, I filled SEVEN of the two-sided SJPP credentials.

4. Add the date to each sello in case THEY don’t write it in for you. It makes it much easier for us to follow the continuity of your route.

5. Be patient in line. We try to produce well-centered names on the certificates with decent handwriting, and we tend to converse with each pilgrim. I can’t seem to process any more than 5/6 people per hour and my volunteer colleagues seem to work at about the same rate. The regular staff is much faster because they know a lot of the stuff (mileages, Latin names, etc.), by heart. We have to keep looking everything up.

6. If you arrive as a couple, do NOT come up to the counter together. You will end up waiting LONGER. Wait for the next free person and chances are your waiting time at the counter will be cut in half.

7. Do NOT bring another person’s documents with you and expect to walk away with two Compostelas. EACH PERSON must be physically present. We cannot issue a Compostela in absentia.

8. If you are hungry after leaving, turn left and head up the hill toward the big church (San Francisco). Just before reaching the church, turn right into the university Medical School Cafeteria. They have a menú del día for 5/6 euros and a well-priced à la carte menu as well. They open at 1:00 for lunch and I think they close for the day at 4:00. You can get well priced breakfast fare all morning too.

Look, I wish I knew about the Cafeteria last Oct 3rd! We had the expected long wait in the queue to get our Compostellas, but that was ok, it was part of the process of coming down from the emotion and tears of reaching the Catedral. But, I was ravenously hungry when we emerged and we had no idea where to get a meal!! I am hoping/praying to come back in 2020, for a longer pilgrimage and to cover the bits I missed due to illness. Now I know where to go for a meal. Merci/gracìas/ta!

 

[Paul Wilson]

@ELHS220 is it possible to get a compostella in someone else’s name I’m walking from Valenca next week and would like to do it for my disabled nephew can I get his name put on the compostella instead of mine
tia Paul

 

[spursfan]

@ELHS220 is it possible to get a compostella in someone else’s name I’m walking from Valenca next week and would like to do it for my disabled nephew can I get his name put on the compostella instead of mine
tia Paul

As far as I know, no

 

[ELHS220]

As far as I know, no

Your name would appear on the Compostela but, at the bottom, you can ask that his name be written in. It would say: Vicarie Pro: Nephew’s Name.

https://www.caminodesantiago.me/community/threads/doing-the-camino-on-behalf-of-someone-who-has-passed.6838/

 

[Vaughan]

Good advice in this thread. Reading what people have said about the Credential filling up I think I will buy a second one.

 

[t2andreo]

All pilgrims seeking a Compostela, MUST appear in person to seek their own Compostela. A spouse cannot even obtain a Compostela for themselves and the other, who is "down the street" having lunch...or some such thing. You must queue and present yourself in person.

The only exception is that you can have the name of a loved one added to the bottom of YOUR Compostela, if you are (in effect) walking in place of them. The latin term "In Vicare Pro" is used to denote that relationship. It means that your Camino was done 'in place of' that person being able to accomplish it themselves.

This addition and designation is reserved for deceased persons, and for those who age or physical condition means they will NEVER be able to do their own Camino. We see folks asking for this notation for aged parents, and for family members with severe disabilities or illnesses.

NOTE: Groups arriving together are handled differently. The group leader presents the credencials of the many group members, fills out the demographic information form (el estadillo) and obtains the Compostelas for the group. Typically the leader enters the office, while the other members of the group do not. This is done as an expediency and to alleviate crowding.

Hope this helps.