Do you have The Papers with you?

10
Originally uploaded by hypergene.

Yesterday afternoon the sun was shining and it was incredibly warm. I hopped on my bike and started cycling towards the Immigration Office. I had been called for an interview to further my application for a residence permit in the Netherlands.

It´s odd that although you know that it is more or less a formality for European Union citizens, you still stress about it. I didn´t believe my colleagues who said that the client card is enough to prove that I have a health insurance. I called several times to the insurance company and forced them to fax me it in paper. A paper that I finally did not need at the Office.

Well, the whole procedure took approximately 10 minutes. I paid a bit less than 30 euros, showed my client card and got a new sticker for my passport. Now the Ministry of Justice is handling my application. The woman started laughing when I said in the end that this procedure was rather painless.

The sense of humbleness is probably quite normal when interacting with the government. There is always the thought in your mind that although the procedure is a formality, they have the power to say no.

So, if everything goes as it should, I should have my Dutch identity card in a month or so. We´ll see.