The Bastards at the Passport Office

Meowster · Fri 26/03/2004 06:26:11

On Wednesday I traveled there via Train to get my passport. I've left it a little late; I'm traveling on the 1st of April (no joke there). I was going to pay the extra E25 and get it on the same day, except I forgot there was a postal strike, and the queues stretched from the waiting room in the Passport Office, to halfway across Trinity College Grounds. Luckily I arrived early, and was only number 140 in the queue.

After three hours of waiting, I was called in to cubicle 1. It was exactly like a toilet cubicle, except imagine that there's this old guy staring at you instead of a toilet.

"Hi." I said.

"Now, let's see if all your documents are here." He flipped through an inch of papers. I stood there, fidgeting annoyingly, for ten minutes, until he passed some papers back through to me.

"Excellent. Everything is in order. EXCEPT THIS!!" He yelled, with unnecessary force, and pointed to part of the Application Form. I jumped back with a start, and fell backwards out of the swinging cubicle door. A group of people gathered quickly out of concern, which was, actually nosiness concealed by mock concern as I picked myself up and returned to the cubicle. Maybe that didn't actually happen.

"What seems to be the problem?" I asked.

"It says you need your Parents' Marriage Certificate. But you don't have it here."

"That's fine. My parents weren't married."

"Your parents weren't married." He echoed. "Well then, I'm afraid I can't issue you with a passport."

"That's ridiculous."

"Unless you give me their marriage certificate, I can't issue you with a passport."

"Are you saying I can't have a passport, because my parents aren't married?"

"Yes."

ARHGAHRGHHARGHAHRGAHRAHRGAHRGHARGHARGH.

Darth Mandarb · Fri 26/03/2004 06:38:58

Wow ...

That was highly entertaining. Thanks for sharing that.

I'm terribly sorry that happened to you, but I'm glad you shared it. I was actually laughing about it.

If I pulled that shit in the States I'd get arrested. Especially if I made comments about blowing up planes (they're still a bit touchy about that over here).

I don't hate Civil Servents, I hate ignorant civil servents. Well, actually I just hate ignorance ...

~ d

Gravity · Fri 26/03/2004 07:43:03

Message deleted.

Las Naranjas · Fri 26/03/2004 07:52:04

If you'd got the italics and bold right they would have understood.

--edit--
Which they were, don't correct anything.

Peter Thomas · Fri 26/03/2004 08:44:41

oh dear... I'm trying so hard not to laugh, because I know how annoying (and offensive) that must have been, but as I was reading it I was thinking: "This guy rocks. Just tell it how it is, Ami!" and I was giggling (no - not giggling..... more of a 'guffaw', for want of a better word) and wondering what it must have been like from the civil servant's point of view...

I hope you end up getting the passport in time...

Totoro · Fri 26/03/2004 11:30:31

LOL, in which country do you live, Vatican?

DragonRose · Fri 26/03/2004 15:02:33

This is one of those people that decided to skip class the day brains were handed out. Personal favourites were when he deemed your name "problematic," and when he asked if your parents could get married. For this situation I shall create a new swearword for him, and that word shall be- axelmunter.

Ishmael · Fri 26/03/2004 16:23:05

When I started reading, I was wondering like what's this all about. Then, as I read on, I was thinking like "oh, this world is full of wierd people" (meaning the officer), then, reading even more on, I was like "Is this even real", and as I finished it, I noticed you had changed your nick, and then I was like "wierd"... are Irish really like that? or was it just this one?

Squinky · Fri 26/03/2004 22:35:44

I think the biggest issue is that your parent's need to get married. Forget all this other crap, a person simply shouldn't be allowed to travel to other countrys if they have silly names and non-married parents....

C'mon yuf...

LordHart · Sat 27/03/2004 01:42:01

Well, that chick recently married her dead fiancee... so maybe he wants your mum todo that. $:-\$

Meowster · Sat 27/03/2004 07:19:57

Be hilarious if she filed for divorce...

Matt Frith · Sun 28/03/2004 00:03:08

I thought this post was weird, but then (like TK) realised this was yufster...you scare me

P.s. did you really swear that much?

Mr_Frisby · Sun 28/03/2004 00:12:13

sure she did, she's even holding back what she really said so as not to dammage our fragile nature.

I am going to get a passport tomorrow so I can go to NZ - I hope our civil servants are better and nicer . . who am I kidding I know there not!