Monday, July 27, 2009

What's the rush?

Still waiting on my official federal ID card. I was approved for the card on December 19th of 2008. At that point they gave me a little slip of paper for my wallet that documented that the Brazilian bureaucracy was working on getting a laminated photo ID to me at their earliest convenience. See previous post.

By my watch that was more than 7 months ago. Still no ID card. No problem, really. I never get stopped by the Federal Police (knock wood) and my Carteira de Trabalho (work book) has been serving the function of proving I am a legal permanent resident (for things like getting a bank account).

There is a website I can go to and put in my process number and it will tell me when the card is ready for pickup at the local office of the Federal Police. Unfortunately my Microsoft or Google internet protection software won’t let me sign on to the website because apparently the feds here are not replying to a request to authenticate the website.

So the other day Luiz and I went by the Federal Police office. Doing so requires wearing long pants and a shirt with sleeves. No big deal, but I never wear anything but shorts.

Once at the counter we were told that the card was still in process and I should return in DECEMBER! This time the guy gave me a bigger piece of paper for my wallet that acts like the ID itself, almost. So I guess I’ll pay them another visit in December, when I REALLY won’t want to wear long pants!

Two years ago Luiz and I stopped into the DMV in Florida to change our US residency from California to Florida. Fifteen minutes later we had our spiffy new Florida photo IDs in hand. Things are a bit different here.

2 comments:

GingerV said...

don't know why the discrpency but we went (in 2003) to the feds, got my paperwork in the works, finger prints and photo taken, 3 months 90 days later I had my card.

In Houston my daughter in law needed a green card, applied 5 years later received it after making her 5 and 7 year old citezens via the father, then she received the card as 'a courtesy' for having children that were citizens. during that 5 years she was not allowed to travel outside of the US - her father died in this time and she couldn't go to the funeral.... the US feds are really not perfect
either.... local DMV are much better!

(she is Venezuelian - considered an enemy state - but her husband has been a US taxpayer for 20 years.)

Anonymous said...

like GingerV said....I know its hard the bureaucracy in brazil but its also hard in the us for immigrants to get a green card.
one should not leave the country while waiting for the green card.
I had a work permit to work in the usa and i spent 9 hours at the social security office to apply for the ss card in Wash D.C. ......9 hours!! and it arrived at my place months later and then I also had to spent 4 hours at the DMV in D.C. I know live in europe and bureaucracy is a pain in many aspects even though I am EU citizen....

the problem in brazil is the corruption....if u pay more and have good connections u are in front of the game!!