Please note that we are the Official Representative in South Africa for the Pilgrims Office in Santiago to issue Pilgrims Passports. We are also endorsed by the Spanish Consulate and offer Visa Letters to motivate for Schengen Visas. It has recently come to our attention that fraudulent copies of our passports are being sold as official documents. Our documents are copyrighted.

The credencial, a distant successor to the safe-conducts issued to medieval pilgrims, is a document printed and issued by the cathedral authorities in Santiago, and made available to bona fide pilgrims at points along the route – e.g. at Roncesvalles, and at some churches and refugios – and through the Spanish associations. It presupposes that the bearer is making the pilgrimage for spiritual reasons. This does not necessarily mean Roman Catholic and pilgrims will not be asked about their denomination, or even whether they are Christian, although of course historically the pilgrimage itself has meant Christian pilgrimage. Today and in practice, however, the credencial covers anyone making the pilgrimage in a frame of mind that is open and searching.

The Pilgrim Record is a similar document, accepted as proof of bona fide pilgrim status, and issued by pilgrim associations outside Spain.

The Confraternity of Saint James’s of South Africa’s Pilgrim Record is available to members only (NOT to non-members) who plan to walk or cycle or go on horseback to Santiago. Records are numbered and a register kept. They are not usually given to those making the pilgrimage with vehicular back-up. Confraternity members planning a pilgrimage should apply to the Pilgrim Records Secretary in good time.

For more information on getting a credencial, click here to go to our Members page sign up Online.

To prevent abuse of the 1000-year old spirit of hospitality of the pilgrimage, access to the refugios is restricted to those carrying such evidence of their pilgrim status. The refugios are mainly run on a voluntary basis, and most depend on donations: pilgrims are asked to respect the facilities and services which are offered to them.