I did touch upon the topic of California Missions Passport in my post on Mission Santa Clara. But I decided to dedicate an entire post, as it turns out to be much more significant than I previously thought, especially for history lovers!
There are 21 Spanish missions built along the California coast, and some history buffs go on pilgrimages to visit all of them. But I had no idea until recently that there’s actually a thing called, “California Missions Passport,” with which you collect stamps at each of the missions you visit. Once you collect all 21 stamps, you can apply for and receive a “Certificate of Completion.” (There’s also a “Certificate of Progress,” awarded to those who collect 6 stamps from any of the passport’s four sections, and a “Certificate of Support” for, I think, those who donate to the California Missions Trail.)
Where to Get the Missions Passport
While you can get stamps at all missions, you can’t for passports. Some missions, like Mission Santa Clara, don’t even have souvenir/gift shops! According to the California Mission Store, passports are available only at the following 10 sites:
- Mission San Diego
- Mission San Luis Rey
- Mission San Gabriel
- Mission San Fernando
- Mission San Buenaventura
- Mission San Miguel
- Mission San Antonio
- Mission San Juan Bautista
- Mission San Carlos
- Mission San Francisco (aka Mission Dolores)
- Mission San José *It wasn’t included in the list, but I saw passports being sold at the Mission San José gift shop when I visited!
So I recommend purchasing a passport when you’re visiting one of the above missions before visiting the other 10. (I had to go back to Mission Dolores to get my passport after I found out that Mission Santa Clara didn’t have them.)
The passport cost $5.95, $6.46 tax included. I think it’s definitely worth it if you’re planning on visiting as many or all missions.
Update 8/30/2025: Another thing to note is that Missions Passports have different covers, depending on where you get them. The passport that I got in SF features Mission Dolores, but the passports sold at Mission San José look like this:
How to Apply for Certificates
Once you reach the milestone of visiting 6 or all 21 missions, you can receive your digital certificate. *While collecting stamps qualifies a person for the certificates, they appear to be more for completing the trek/cycle down or up the Missions Trail.
To receive the digital certificates, you need to notify the Lowman Publishing Company with a copy of your stamped passport for verification. It says on their website that they will then send over the digital certificate, which can be shared online and/or printed.
For more specifics and sample digital certificates, visit the California Missions Trail HERE.
My Progress
So, after revisiting Mission San Francisco de Asís for my passport, I’ve officially embarked on my stamp collecting journey! I’ll be tracking my progress here:
⛪Mission San Francisco de Asís (aka Mission Dolores)
⛪Mission San José
…More coming soon!
P.S. Per the California Mission Store blog, the Missions Passports were created when two missions requested Bob and his team at Lowman Publishing Company to make them. I wonder which ones?
