I was throwing clothes into a suitcase, haphazardly, eliminating in piles as I went. I pack the same way I shop – take a whole mountain full of things and whittle it down to how much I really need. Inefficient, I know, but I like to have all my options open to me – at least in the beginning. “Dang, I thought to myself, “Where’s my passport?” I can’t have my Friends- inspired “London Baby!!!” trip without it. I flipped through it, smiling smugly to myself at all the stamps I had collected, putting my footprints over this fine earth, – and then, my heart and I stopped. Crap, Crap, Crap.
I was residing illegally in Hungary. I was illegal.
My resident permit had expired – and no, not recently – in October! You have 3 months to renew it after it expires, or leave the country and come back. Seeing as how it was now July, I had been illegal for – count it – 6 months. Oh geez. I have no idea what to do. Will they even let me leave the country freely? Will I deported or worse, expelled, never to return? How was I supposed to finish school? It is one of those few times I wish I was from the EU. Don’t get me wrong, I love being American, but this immigration paperwork is a pain in the gluts.
I get on the phone frantically, calling all my American friends in town and ask what to do. One says not to go in, too late now, and just take my chances leaving the country. That sounds shady to the max. I am not some drug smuggler trying to flee – I just wanted a summer vacation! Not to mention I had a test that Wednesday and fly out on Thursday. It was now Sunday. I don’t need this now! I need to be reading. I called R&J, two American girls who are absolutely awesome. They would know what to do – and thankfully, they did. Phew! All I had to do was go and tell them because of school and everything and other distractions, I was not able to renew. And the immigration office will give me a form stating that I was allowed to leave the country freely. And R told me to take all the paperwork with me in case they allowed me to start paperwork on a new residence permit. I was so lucky to catch them- they were one the way to the airport about to fly home.
I got online, techie that I am, to make sure I had everything before I went in. I couldn’t go until the next day anyway, so might as well get everything now. In Hungary, this is what I had to do. It may be different in yours. Here’s some advice I must stress Get to know your immigration office. Have their number in your phone, so you can call and ask them questions. Or if nothing else, their website.
I called my landlord frantically, to say I needed a copy of my new contract so I could prove I had a place to stay. He came over that night. We went over the new contract; but those difficulties are for another day. The next morning was a nightmare. I got up at 5:30 to study and work out before heading out to run and pick everything that I needed for the immigration office. I went to the post office and paid my for my 6000 worth of payment stamps, got my letter from school saying that I was in fact a student, got my photos taken, printed out bank statements, and gathered up my passport and flight info. I was ahead of schedule to make it to Immigration office by 11. I was quite impressed with myself and how much I was able to take care of so fast…
I double checked my papers – and of course, my landlord hadn’t actually signed the papers, so they weren’t technically valid. So now I had to track him down and get him to sign it. More about that encounter later.
I am not even ready to leave for the office until 1pm – and running out of time. Most major office close at 4pm in this town, and I knew I was in for a wait while I was there. Screw the bus – I am not waiting a half hour in the heat and then ride the bus for a half hour to outskirts of town – might as well be Timbuktu for all I care. I hail a cab and tell him the address I found online. We pull up and I am confused – this doesn’t look familiar. We are at the old offices of Immigration, not the new one. Stupid outdated school website. Call that money and time blown. The taxi driver knows where the new office is and we drive for 20 min…until I reach Hell, in suburbia.
More soon.. & completely gratuitious and for no reason other than my personal entertainment = LONDON BABY in Hungarian
Tags: american, Europe, friends, hungary, Immigration, legal, residence permit, Travel
