Check the official requirements before booking a route, particularly where your journey starts outside Spain or uses an unusual mode of travel.
Santiago & the Camino · YOUR QUESTION, ANSWERED
What is the Compostela certificate?
The Compostela is the certificate issued by the Cathedral’s Pilgrim Office to pilgrims who complete at least the last 100 km on foot or horseback, or the last 200 km by bicycle, continuously, for religious or spiritual motives, with a stamped credential. In the final 100 km the credential must carry two stamps per day. Pilgrims who state non-religious motives receive a “certificado” instead. It is not a general souvenir for arriving in the city.
Related questions, answered
What are the opening hours of Santiago's Pilgrim Office?
The Pilgrim's Reception Office at Rúa Carretas 33, Santiago de Compostela, is open every day from 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., closed only on December 25 and January 1. Pilgrims take a QR-code ticket on arrival and are called in turn; in peak months the office warns that same-day collection is not guaranteed, so arrive early or allow a second morning. The office is about a five-minute walk west of the cathedral, and Masses in English and Camino Companions reflection sessions take place in its chapel and first-floor rooms. Telephone +34 981 568 846; email oficinadelperegrino@catedraldesantiago.es.
Sources & further readingCathedral’s Pilgrim Office: the Compostela
Official sources cover institutional information. Suggested pacing and itinerary choices are planning guidance. Check current arrangements for your travel dates.