Visa Woes

Twenty days (and 13 and a half hours) ago, I had my appointment at the Spanish Consulate to apply for my visa. It was a really brief affair, not even filling my 10-minute appointment slot. The woman who received my materials casually gossiped with her coworker as she looked through my expertly paper-clipped and binder-clipped application and promised me that they would email me when it was ready - about a month. I fully understand that 20 days don't constitute a month, but I'm getting really antsy.

The list of required documentation includes proof of income, proof of insurance, proof of mental and physical health and a state-level background check - all in duplicate. And then I dealt with no fewer than 4 different notaries to prove I was the one doing the proving. And then the notarizations had to be "apostilled" to prove that they were legit in the European Union, because apparently notaries are just domestic or something. No "and then"! Do you see the theme here, though? Lots of proving going on. Maybe all the hurdles are set up to to weed out the faint of heart -- the weaklings who can't really handle the responsibilities and privileges of holding a Spanish visa. This visa will lay the groundwork for my application for residency and allow me to not only stay in the country beyond the normal 90-day tourist limit, but more importantly (particularly in this economy), hold an over-the-table job.

Folks are popping up on Facebook talking -- nay, bragging -- about how they got their visas in two weeks or other absurdly short waiting periods. Remember how my application was clipped up to the high heavens? It really was - like items gathered, placed in the same order as the list on the consulate site, all copies made in full color...it was perfection. I thought for sure that I'd be one of those obnoxious braggarts telling everyone else how I sailed through my appointment and received my visa just moments later.

It's tough to hand over your passport, not knowing where it will go, what journey it will take, or when it will come back to you...

OK, maybe I'm a tad overly emotional about my passport, but I'm a worrywart. This delay-that-isn't-really-a-delay-because-it-hasn't-been-a-month-yet makes me think something is wrong with my application. Was the doctor's note illegible? Did the 3 erroneous notarizations on one document raise a red flag? Did my fro look suspiciously different from my passport photo?! 

Current mood: Beyoncé, "I Miss You"