Monday, March 2, 2009

How to apply for a driver's license from a foreign country

Step 1: Call the DMV five million times till you get to the "Exceptions department."
Step 2: Call back when you get disconnected.
Step 3: Spell your foreign address for the lady ten million times.
Step 4: Wait three weeks for the Ecuadorian postal service to deliver your mail.
Step 5: Realize you need to have an eye exam for the application.
Step 6: Wait a week for the next available appointment.
Step 7: Use hands and feet to communicate to doctor what you need to have done.
Step 8: Frantically mail in application via express service.
Step 9: Wait three weeks.
Step 10: Have application show back up in your mailbox, highlighting the missing notary signature you need.
Step 11: Drive around all of Quito begging notaries to sign your document only to be turned down, mainly because the signature in your passport from when you were 18 doesn't match your 28-year-old signature anymore.
Step 12: Find out U.S. Embassy has a notary.
Step 13: Wait four days for next "business day."
Step 14: Use three taxis to get to embassy.
Step 15: Go through security fifteen million times and wait in long lines in between.
Step 16: Have notary mock you for living in a state that still requires notary signatures on driver's license applications.
Step 17: Frantically run back to express mail service.

To be continued ... (actually, hopefully not).

2 comments:

Sharon said...

Aww that sucks that it's such a ridiculous process hun! I can't believe the notary mocked you!

The Arteagas said...

oh my goodness, Katrina - no wonder you are so exhausted!!! I'm glad you finally found a notary at the embassy though. Funny that he mocked you! poor thing! I bet you'll be glad to be back to the US! :-)