Since the beginning of the first pilgrimages and to ease the fact of going from one country to another, both accreditation documents and letters of recommendation were created in religious centres before starting a way. Nowadays, they are put together in just one document, which is given in different places throughout The Way. In the past, it was normal to start The Way from your house; the pilgrim’s passport was given in your nearest parish. In The Camino Primitivo (The Old Way), which starts in Oviedo, you can get youpilgrim’s passport in three places: - San Salvador Cathedral, in Oviedo - San Juan el Real Church, which is located at the end of Covadonga Street and at the beginning of Melquiades Álvarez Street - Asociación Astur Leonesa de Amigos del Camino de Santiago (It is an organisation created by people from Asturias and León who know incredibly well The Way). They run the pilgrim’s hostel in Oviedo and it is located in Leopoldo Alas Street, Nº20. Telephone number: 985228525 - Oviedo Tourism Office Telephone number: 984493563 Plaza de la Constitución, nº 4 - Oviedo - (En la plaza del Ayuntamiento). The credential or Pilgrim’s Passport accredits you as a pilgrim; therefore, you can have Access to public hostels. You must stamp your Passport in the stop-off points. They can be a public or private organisation like for example the hostels, hotels, restaurants, cafés, post offices, police stations, associations related to The Way or any church Nowadays you will be asked to have two stamps per stage. Once you get to Santiago de Compostela you will have to show all of them at the Pilgrim’s Office in Santiago. This way you will receive the official certificate called La Compostela

THE PILGRIM’S PASSPORT or THE CREDENTIAL