Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Red Tape Galore
My plan for today was to submit my passport application, get some work done and return home. It seemed like a simple enough plan. I anticipated a wait at the passport office but was thinking 3-5 hours. I arrived fairly early to find that the line snaked through the entire mall and out the door. Apparently there has been a huge increase in the last 2 weeks - and here I thought they would by dying down by now. The line seemed manageable and I figured I would still get through. Unfortunately the pace of the movement of the line was less than reasonable. At the end of the day I was 120 people away from the space where one gets a number which then allows them to go upstairs to the office where you apparently wait for 2 more hours. I didn't get a number and I didn't get to submit my passport. At 3:00 Person #1 at the front of the line to get a number told my friend that she had arrived at the passport office at 7:45. Despite this she was told there was a good chance that she would not be getting a number to go upstairs because there was a huge backlog of people in the office already. Wow. I asked the commissionaire what time I would need to arrive to line up in order to actually submit my passport and he said that people begin lining up at 3:00 am and that if I arrived by 6:45 I would probably be served. He also said the lines are just as bad at the other locations and that really there is no predicting as some days are better than others. Double wow. I contemplated getting a hotel room and just staying downtown for the night... I would have done it if I had my computer with me... but I didn't so eventually I came home. DH is staying home from work tomorrow to go on a field trip with Banana's class so I have decided to take advantage of this and am planning on leaving at about 3 or 4:00 am. I am debating as to whether I should just pull an all nighter and head down with no sleep or whether I should attempt to go to bed early. Either way the whole thing stinks. I still have a fair amount of time but apparently if I mail in my application it will be at least 10 weeks before I receive it so I HAVE to actually line up. Either that or I will fly from Bellingham or Seattle as apparently I don't need a passport to do that. I saw many elderly people in line today and I felt badly for them. There was also a man who has to fly somewhere in 8 days for emergency reasons. They told him he needs to wait until 5 days before his flight and then they will classify him as "urgent" and process him right away. Is it just me or is there something wrong with this system?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
9 comments:
M - just quickly as I'm on my way to bootcamp...did you fill out the majority of your passport online? If you haven't may I suggest that you do and then print it off. That way once you actually get to the front you go to a different line than the others and you get your passport in three weeks. This is what dh and I did for ours (for his Alabama trip) and once he got to the doors (in Surrey which you may find a bit better) it only took him 45 minutes whereas others were still in long lineups.
I have already filled the entire thing out on paper... same thing as filling it out online. the line up I was in was to get to the doors, I didn't even get into the room. The commissionaire also told me that the line ups at Surrey were longer or as long as downtown now. Apparently in the last 2 weeks there has been a huge increase at all locations.
Arg!! I was hoping you wouldn't encounter this. It's totally insane!!
Oh sorry M. Actually filling it out online is, apparently, faster because they start checking the stuff before you even get there which allows you into a different line (however that's only once you get inside). Dh's line up outside was about three hours but that was four weeks ago now in Surrey. I can't believe you waited that long outside. Sheesh.
They should provide refreshments free of charge or hire more staff, maybe even open a temporary location to handle all the extra work because that is ridiculous. I forgot to sign one area of our kids passports and now I have to go stand in those lines again even though I do have a pass (because she already saw all the id or something) once I get to the doors. Ugh.
So sorry you're having to deal with this.
Good luck! You should brew yourself a thermos of yummy coffee before you go...it'll help keep you upright if you have to get up that early:) Or stay up that long. Either way: sucky!
Hope all turns out well!
problem with drinking coffe is that eventually what goes in must go out. Today I was fortunate enough to make a friend in line but tomorrow, who knows!!! what if I can't go pee for 6 hours??!!!! AGGHHHHH!
Mpuff: ahhhh, that makes more sense. I looked at the online option but it said you print it out after you are done and it didn't specify that the info gets sent along. Unfortunately all of my refernces and guarantor stuff is on the handprinted one so I can't change it now. too bad, it would be nice to shorten the line in some way or another!
I think that I would rely on chocolate bars and art books to get me through the day. Three Musketeers chocolate bar and Gaugin to be exact... maybe some podcasts from Chuck Swindoll (couldn't do worship music because I need to sing and lift my arms when the words get so bang on)... good luck......I would offer to accompany you but the wii night did me in.
If ONLY I was on the mainland! I have the day off today! I would have so come and waiting in line with you. Hoping you're close to the front of the line by now!
Oh, right I forgot about the guarantor stuff. You do print off the online paper but when you are entering you have to enter all your id's #'s like BCDL, birth cert reg # etc and they can check it. It's rather cool and kind of scary all at the same time.
I hope that you are now inside the warm building and that you are getting all stamped and ready to leave to come home. I will change that to a prayer actually. Cause I don't think you need to do this more than two days in a row!
Post a Comment