Hi ho, hi ho, it's off for papers I go.....and a cup of tea. Ahhhhh.

This morning we all took off from work and school to go and stand in line at a government office.  We are going through the -apparently interminable- process of trying to get the girl's Spanish citizenship.

Today we went to get a piece of paper that will entitle us to a different piece of paper that we have to bring to a meeting in April, which may entitle Eldest to a piece of paper which she (we) can then take to go and get a formal document saying that she is Spanish, and a Passport.  *whew*  in April however youngest's piece of paper (assuming she gets it) will have to be sent off to another office who will then decide if she can have the piece of paper that entitles her to official documents which we will then have to go and apply for.

Confused?

Me to.

You would think it would be easier than this for a Spanish man to get papers for his kid, no?

You should have seen all the papers we brought in.  Everything, and I mean E.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g.  With triple photocopies.  We were, of course, missing one piece of paper.  I think they run through a mental list of possible documents until the find one you don't have with you. Relevancy to the process is irrelevant.  We stumped them on a few: my presence as a non-Spanish mother, my passport, photocopies of my passport, my ID number as a non-Spanish person, and photocopies of that.  We didn't have it all though.  That would have spoiled the fun.

This gets more fun as two of us have new passports and new passport numbers which don't coincide with the now fairly ancient paperwork we submitted I know not how long ago.  Plus we will all be moving officially this summer, so whatever isn't finished by then, will have to be altered.  Hi ho, hi ho, it's off to bureaucracy we go.....

AEvery time you move here you must go and get new official documents issued as they contain your address.  Why, you may ask, would they want to go to all that hassle?  Do Canadian Social Insurance numbers have your address on them?  NO!!!!! I think it is just because they can.  Just to make everyone's  life a little more complicated.

I think this is why my shoulder is hurting, hauling all this paper around.

There was other excitement too, they have something here called empadronament.  This is a registry of where you live and you have to provide this piece of paper everywhere you go, and it is only valid for three months before you get another.  Turns out that Eldest is registered as living in two places!  Here and in BCN, someone there has her pport number and exact name!

The guy in the office did not seem unduly disturbed, but we dropped in on the Canadian Consulate just to let 'em know.  Since we hadn't lost the passport, as far as they were concerned, no problemo.  They figure it is an error in the Spanish system.  No guff, huh?

We adjourned for a much needed snack and a drink.

Then I went off to buy tea and watercolour paper.  Have to keep the important things in mind.

That and a lovely walk around BCN.

Nice.

We've decided to wait till next year to get driver's licenses. Our constitutions could not stand more paperwork than we are already doing between the house and the citizenship.  Goodenss no.