Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Today I delivered all my papers for my marriage to the municipal authorities in Italy. I am going to marry in Italy with my Japanese wife. I have some Italian family who offered to use their wine-yard to have the wedding party there.
I could have expected that there was a lot of paperwork involved. I am a legal adviser, but to actually advice yourself is much harder than to advice somebody else I noticed. I tell my clients to obtain a birth certificate in their country of origin for their application for their residence permit. But I barely realise how frustrating that can be. You actually have to go to e.g. India, to that small town where you were born, get a copy, get the necessary stamps and translations, travel back and then hopefully everything will be smoothly accepted.
This time I was on the client´s side. I needed a birth certificate and an extract which shows my civil status. So I wrote a request to Apeldoorn (where I am born) and requested Rotterdam (where I live) to proof my unmarried status. Then I need my Japanese girlfriend to travel to Tokyo to get the same documents.
All this stuff has to be send to the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs who will send it to the Italian Embassy in The Hague who on its turn send it to Italy to the municipality. It was a long way to get it done.
Now I really know how it feels to be on the other side, my client´s side. To go through the bureacracy, the waiting and hoping for a positive result. I know now it can cause a lot of stress. I hope though that my advice for Guapa´s clients is practical and can calm my client´s stress.
Well, I am off to see my stressed out Japanese girlfriend. She needs to choose a wedding dress… still. I have to give my opinion, but I shouldn´t see the actual dress.. quite difficult.
Warm regards,
David
I could have expected that there was a lot of paperwork involved. I am a legal adviser, but to actually advice yourself is much harder than to advice somebody else I noticed. I tell my clients to obtain a birth certificate in their country of origin for their application for their residence permit. But I barely realise how frustrating that can be. You actually have to go to e.g. India, to that small town where you were born, get a copy, get the necessary stamps and translations, travel back and then hopefully everything will be smoothly accepted.
This time I was on the client´s side. I needed a birth certificate and an extract which shows my civil status. So I wrote a request to Apeldoorn (where I am born) and requested Rotterdam (where I live) to proof my unmarried status. Then I need my Japanese girlfriend to travel to Tokyo to get the same documents.
All this stuff has to be send to the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs who will send it to the Italian Embassy in The Hague who on its turn send it to Italy to the municipality. It was a long way to get it done.
Now I really know how it feels to be on the other side, my client´s side. To go through the bureacracy, the waiting and hoping for a positive result. I know now it can cause a lot of stress. I hope though that my advice for Guapa´s clients is practical and can calm my client´s stress.
Well, I am off to see my stressed out Japanese girlfriend. She needs to choose a wedding dress… still. I have to give my opinion, but I shouldn´t see the actual dress.. quite difficult.
Warm regards,
David
