A Visit to the Local US Consulate

DAY 10 of “Chancellor Watch” – Word on the street is that prior to today’s next round of exploratory talks, both CDU and SDP parties are beginning to find some common ground with both sides still very interested in Sunday's Dresden election. It is unlikely that the election in Dresden will tip the scales firmly in either direction. The slight advantage that the conservatives currently hold may diminish, however, which could further complicate the negotiations and strengthen Chancellor Schröder's claim to power.

This morning, I trekked down to the Düsseldorf US Consulate office for a purpose that will become apparent in just a moment. By way of background, there is not a full-blown US embassy in Düsseldorf (or “mission” as they are technically called in embassy lingo) like we had in Taipei and Seoul. No, this is just a small office located on the 10th floor of an office building in Düsseldorf. Easy enough to find, with hours of operation while not technically “user-friendly” (9 am-12 noon daily) are well published, and of course, English-speakers to handle my multiple “pre-visit” questions by telephone. Still, it is a government office with the government mindset for rules and regulations…do you get the visual?

Today, the purpose of my visit was to request additional passport pages to be inserted into my US passport. So, after passing through the first floor obligatory US security check including passport review, handbag inspection, “body-wanding”, and requests to turn off of my cell phone and leave handbag in a locked area, I was whisked into an elevator where the security guard granted me access to the 10th floor. I was unable to punch the floor I needed; rather the security guard had to do that for me with a key of some sort. Upon exiting the elevator, I then walked through a metal detector, showed my passport a second time for inspection, signed into the visitor book, and was “buzzed” into the inner sanctum of the US Consulate Office. So far, so good. And yes, that is exactly the kind of security I expected having been to other embassies in the past and in light of heightened US security measures worldwide.

Amazingly, I was the first person into the office that morning, as no one else was waiting ahead of me. “OK, I’ll be in and out in a jiffy”, relatively speaking. I already knew my visit might take up to 30 minutes as that had been one of my “pre-visit” telephone inquiries. Strolling up to the counter, I greeted the US official with a cheery, “Good morning,” only to be met with stone cold silence. And, yes, he was an American and yes, he did speak English. Pressing on, I succinctly explained the purpose for my visit, slid my passport under the bullet proof glass, and awaited next instructions.

I was quickly informed that previous immigration officials from other countries had used the “wrong pages” located at the back of the passport for general visa and passport stamps. Oops, sorry about that but I did not stamp the pages…others did. I tried to gamely interject that “yes, I could see that but did the nice Mr. G-man see that I had already had passport pages inserted once before? And this had been done in the center of passport?” Oh, yes, he saw that, and yes, those had been “done wrong, too”. (Mrs. Roark, 12th grade English teacher is rolling in her grave right now…"done wrong”????). I decided that nothing would be gained by pointing out the grammatical error, as I still needed to get new passport pages.

After listening to this diatribe (I just let him lecture me for a few moments, as I was not going to get a word in edgewise), I politely asked, “So now what do I do?” Moments later, I was informed that the “rules had just been changed on Monday”, and that an exception would be made in this case. “Oh wow, thanks a million” – I mean we are only talking about putting blank passport pages into a passport here…

After completing the required paperwork (there is always at least one form required in any governmental transaction), I left the office fifteen minutes later with a new and improved passport in hand. As I departed, I began to hear the next lecture beginning for a woman who needed a marriage form for getting married in Germany. Her third trip to the office, and each time a “new” requirement was unveiled requiring a new document to be produced. Bless her heart…I feel her pain.

Isn’t it reassuring to know that government bureaucracy is alive and well the world over?