Austrian Bureaucracy

I spent the majority of Thursday trying to pick up two simple documents: 1. my residency permit, and 2. my national ID card. To get the residency permit, I sat in a waiting room for an hour and a half before I could even speak with a government official. To get the national ID card, I waited OUTSIDE a government office on the other side of the city from the first office with about 75 other people, all waiting to get their ID cards and working visas. Thank goodness we had good weather; I couldn't imaginge waiting that long in the cold.

As I stood in what was supposed to be a single-file line, I realized I had never felt more like a foreigner in my life. Simply by virtue of applying for these documents, I was automatically detected and labeled as "Foreigner", as "American", as "Other". Even so, I know I was lucky; I had filed the necessary paperwork months ago. Many of the people waiting in line didn't even know which forms to fill out, nor did they speak enough German or English to command the respect of the officials and get the assistance they needed. It was a frustrating experience for everyone involved, both applicants and officials.

Those of us waiting in line were (are) all non-Austrian citizens, Ausländer. You'd think there would be some sense of solidarity in that, but none was to be seen on Thursday. Instead, I watched some people struggle with and ultimately fail at basic communication--they were told to come back another day--others were rejected for missing documents, others were sent to fill out more forms, stand in more lines, and pay more money to more government officials.

I understand the need for documentation of people entering and leaving a country, but this level of twisted bureaucracy is ridiculous. There must be a better way.

Word of the Day: die Bürokratie = the bureaucracy