The Credential is a travel document that accompanies pilgrims: its purpose is to distinguish the pilgrim from every other traveller. On each leg of the journey, the dates and stamps of the place of hospitality are added to it. It is issued by a religious authority that takes responsibility for what it says and therefore it must be used responsibly and correctly. Those who intend to go on a pilgrimage on foot, by bicycle, on horseback or by any other means, commit to accepting its meaning and spirit. 

The Credential of the St Francis' Way is approved by the Episcopal Conference of Ombrie, by the Custodia Generale del Sacro Convento O.F.M. Conv. Assisi, by the Conferenza Episcopale Umbra, the Custodia Generale del Sacro Convento O.F.M. Conv. Assisi, the Provincia Serafica di San Francesco O.F.M. dell'Umbria, the Provincia Serafica O.F.M. Cappuccini dell'Umbria, the Provincia Serafica di San Francesco O.F.M. Conv. of Umbria and the Provincia di San Francesco d'Assisi del T.O.R. .

The pilgrim's credential should be requested at least 3 weeks before departure (2 months for delivery outside Italy) to allow for it to be sent by post. If you are not sure of the exact day of your departure, indicate this on the request form below.
The delivery service is free of charge and is carried out by the Credentials Office at the PiccolAccoglienza (Small Welcome) of the Diocese of Gubbio. We advise you to make a donation at the Credential office, to cover delivery expenses and to bear the costs of the service.  

The Testimonium Peregrinationis Peractae ad Sanctorum Francisci et Clarae Civitatem is the religious certificate that acknowledges your pilgrimage to the tomb of St Francis in Assisi. Its origin is linked to the penitential or judicial pilgrimages in the Middle Ages: sometimes a long journey was undertaken, with all the relative risks and expenses, because forced by a judge's sentence or a penitence of the confessor. In these cases, it was necessary to demonstrate that the destination had been reached, in order to receive the absolution and remission of the civil or canonical penalty. Today, nobody has these needs anymore (even though “judicial pilgrimages” are being experimented again in Spain, Belgium and Italy); the Testimonium thus becomes a valuable and a precious souvenir, to take home and perhaps hang on the wall, so that the memory of that experience will be kept alive, along with the values and feelings that it allowed you to discover. 
The issuance of the certificate is linked to precise conditions: having travelled at least 100 km on foot and the last 200 km by bicycle, in order to reach the tomb of the saint in Assisi. The stamps and dates affixed on your credential will be considered proof of this.

The Testimonium is issued with the approval of the religious authorities of Assisi: the Bishop, the custodian of the Sacro Convento and the Guardian of the Convent of Porziuncola. 

Obviously, you can only receive the Testimonium in Assisi, the final destination of the St Francis' Way and of all the Franciscan and Loreto routes, and only in person. 
The office in charge of this, where you present your credential, register and receive the document is: 

Statio Peregrinorum at the Sacro Convento – Basilica Papale di San Francesco d'Assisi
Piazza Inferiore di San Francesco, 2 - Assisi (PG) - Italy
Tel. +39 075.81.90.01
Email: statioperegrinorum@sanfrancescoassisi.org 

Opening hours:   
Morning: from 10 am to 12:30 pm
Afternoon: from 3 pm to 5:30 pm

From April to October, the “Pilgrim's mass” is celebrated at 6 pm on weekdays in the lower Church, at the chapel of Santa Caterina, and on Sunday at 5 pm at the main altar. 
It addresses, in particular, those pilgrims that reach Assisi on foot. 
Once at the Sacro Convento, the pilgrims can present themselves at the "Statio Peregrinorum" (Pilgrims Office) where they will be received by several friars and volunteers and they will be able to register their arrival and obtain the certificate of the journey they have completed, by presenting their credentials. 
Here, they will also find some indications on hospitality in Assisi and will be invited to participate in the various liturgical moments in the Basilica, particularly the “Pilgrim's Mass” during which they are greeted, mentioning their name, nationality and place of origin. 

The "Chartula Peregrini", on which there is the famous blessing by St Francis to Friar Leo, is the diploma issued to all pilgrims arriving in Assisi regardless of the distance travelled. It is acknowledged that it is not the distance travelled that makes a pilgrim, but the spirit with which he or she reaches Assisi. 

"The four-legged pilgrim certificate” is a card representing St Francis and the tamed Wolf with the name of the pilgrim's dog or any other living being, through which the intention is to recognize the value of company offered to the pilgrim during the journey to Assisi. 
In fact, the special affection that the Saint of Assisi had for animals encourages many people to walk in the company of their dogs.
We remind you of the importance to always respect the well-being of animals.  

Please read some useful information in the section Walking with your dog