Off I go in another taxi to the other end of town to the Abu Dhabi Judiciary or Court House. What a change from the other government agencies I've been to.
As you walk in there are two large customer service staffed by Emirate men. They wear the customary white Kandora with a sand coloured jacket stating they are customer service. That's a first, customer service. So it was easy to find someone to help you and when you asked they couldn't go out of their way enough to ensure you had what you needed, such as photocopying documents for you. They directed me to where I needed to go even telling me that I would need two witnesses. Two witnesses! Now that could be a problem. I could just ask someone there. Oh, and they had to be men! How surprising!
So off I go, escorted to the correct counter by a customer service man, another first. I ask around and find one man who will be a witness as he has to have two also. He asks several Emirates and they refuse. Then he asks more and they also refuse. It quickly become obvious that the Emirates will not do it for us. I ask another man who walks by and he agrees. The first man finds his second witness (did I mention they have to have an Emirates ID?) and off we go to photocopy their ID. Back to the counter and I get my number which is only one to wait. Another first! Usually it's about 50 at least. 5 minutes later my number is up and I find the office and an Egyptian lady types up the documents. Another number and back to the counter and the witnesses sign their bit. I take a seat on the women's waiting side while the customer service man here directs people to sit continually and makes sure they are on the right side. Another wait and my number is up again and off I go to a second office. The Emirate man there ignores me when I greet him in Arabic but once he finishes his work on his desk and then makes a phone call he is polite and pleasant. He writes all the bits and asks if I am divorced. I say no as I don't want it to become a problem here. Next question is am I muslim? No. Off go my documents to the translator and I sit and wait.
Then the security man comes out and tells me I have to go to the NZ Embassy. Oh no, I think to myself. Here we go again. As my son's birth certificate has been stamped and authenticated so many times already I sigh and ask why? He goes away then comes back and says wait. So I wait until the translator comes and we go back to the man in the office. The translator explains to me that they can't process the application as I am not married! Same, same...
However, I can now take my application to another part and apply for custody of my child through the Abu Dhabi court! You can imagine how that went down. Here he is nearly 17 and they are wanting me to apply for custody of him. Bit late for that. Any explanation fell on deaf ears as this is their law here.
You have to understand that I have a letter from his father stating that he can live in the UAE with me, as requested before leaving NZ. No mention of anything else. So I walk out, once again despondent.
I get out my phone with the Ambassador's number and dial it outside the court house. Only to get the Dubai emergency consulate who tells me this is the emergency number and that the Ambassador is on leave. Had I tried phoning the Abu Dhabi office? Feeling rather foolish, even though it felt like an emergency to me, I grab another taxi and head down to the NZ Embassy here. I tried phoning them but no reply. So not even knowing if they are open I head down there and press the intercom on the gate, watched closely by the Pakistani workmen on the sidewalk.
Luck was on my side and someone answers and asks how they can help. I get let inside and then through the door (heavy security) into the foyer. I explain my situation to the guy there (Arabic but not Emirate) who tells me that the Embassy have strict rules and can't write a letter. However, he can talk to the consulate and see what advice he has. I am not ashamed to say that I played the card that I knew the Ambassador, calling him by his first name, and he knew my son.
So a kiwi man comes into view behind the screen, then comes through the door to talk to me. He invites me into the next room and we sit while I explain my situation. He reiterates that they can't write me a letter but suggests I could do a Statutory Declaration, for a fee. He could type it today and I could collect it tomorrow. Ok, I say. Once again I play the 'who I know' card, telling him it's that type of society here.
Before I know it I'm being invited into the inner sanctum and the declaration is printed off. They decide they can do it now so I produce our passports which are duly copied and stamped and signed. Then I fill in the Statutory Declaration saying that I provide care and housing for my son who lives in UAE with me. The man stamps and signs it. It is on NZ Embassy letterhead. I pay 140 AED ($50 NZD). He clearly understood my need to have something official to meet the needs of my employer, even though the whole process is a farce.
While copying my passport he comments on the fact that I was from Fairlie. I ask him if he has a connection but no, he just knows where it is. It turns out he is the Consulate in Riyhad in Saudi Arabia and has come over to Abu Dhabi to cover for our Consulate while he is in Queenstown skiing with his family. It was nice to chat to someone so down to earth about everyday things such as his house back in NZ. A lovely man who spent his life in the navy then the foreign office.
So armed with my papers I head back to housing, not sure if this will suffice, considering it is handwritten by me. I return to the Manager with my paper, hoping and praying all the while. He reads it and says nothing while I explain that the court wouldn't do it. We head upstairs to housing and I take a seat while he talks to the nice housing woman. A bit of head shaking then I am told to come tomorrow to the other office and collect my contract.
I live in hope...
To be continued (I'm sure).
As you walk in there are two large customer service staffed by Emirate men. They wear the customary white Kandora with a sand coloured jacket stating they are customer service. That's a first, customer service. So it was easy to find someone to help you and when you asked they couldn't go out of their way enough to ensure you had what you needed, such as photocopying documents for you. They directed me to where I needed to go even telling me that I would need two witnesses. Two witnesses! Now that could be a problem. I could just ask someone there. Oh, and they had to be men! How surprising!
So off I go, escorted to the correct counter by a customer service man, another first. I ask around and find one man who will be a witness as he has to have two also. He asks several Emirates and they refuse. Then he asks more and they also refuse. It quickly become obvious that the Emirates will not do it for us. I ask another man who walks by and he agrees. The first man finds his second witness (did I mention they have to have an Emirates ID?) and off we go to photocopy their ID. Back to the counter and I get my number which is only one to wait. Another first! Usually it's about 50 at least. 5 minutes later my number is up and I find the office and an Egyptian lady types up the documents. Another number and back to the counter and the witnesses sign their bit. I take a seat on the women's waiting side while the customer service man here directs people to sit continually and makes sure they are on the right side. Another wait and my number is up again and off I go to a second office. The Emirate man there ignores me when I greet him in Arabic but once he finishes his work on his desk and then makes a phone call he is polite and pleasant. He writes all the bits and asks if I am divorced. I say no as I don't want it to become a problem here. Next question is am I muslim? No. Off go my documents to the translator and I sit and wait.
Then the security man comes out and tells me I have to go to the NZ Embassy. Oh no, I think to myself. Here we go again. As my son's birth certificate has been stamped and authenticated so many times already I sigh and ask why? He goes away then comes back and says wait. So I wait until the translator comes and we go back to the man in the office. The translator explains to me that they can't process the application as I am not married! Same, same...
However, I can now take my application to another part and apply for custody of my child through the Abu Dhabi court! You can imagine how that went down. Here he is nearly 17 and they are wanting me to apply for custody of him. Bit late for that. Any explanation fell on deaf ears as this is their law here.
You have to understand that I have a letter from his father stating that he can live in the UAE with me, as requested before leaving NZ. No mention of anything else. So I walk out, once again despondent.
I get out my phone with the Ambassador's number and dial it outside the court house. Only to get the Dubai emergency consulate who tells me this is the emergency number and that the Ambassador is on leave. Had I tried phoning the Abu Dhabi office? Feeling rather foolish, even though it felt like an emergency to me, I grab another taxi and head down to the NZ Embassy here. I tried phoning them but no reply. So not even knowing if they are open I head down there and press the intercom on the gate, watched closely by the Pakistani workmen on the sidewalk.
Luck was on my side and someone answers and asks how they can help. I get let inside and then through the door (heavy security) into the foyer. I explain my situation to the guy there (Arabic but not Emirate) who tells me that the Embassy have strict rules and can't write a letter. However, he can talk to the consulate and see what advice he has. I am not ashamed to say that I played the card that I knew the Ambassador, calling him by his first name, and he knew my son.
So a kiwi man comes into view behind the screen, then comes through the door to talk to me. He invites me into the next room and we sit while I explain my situation. He reiterates that they can't write me a letter but suggests I could do a Statutory Declaration, for a fee. He could type it today and I could collect it tomorrow. Ok, I say. Once again I play the 'who I know' card, telling him it's that type of society here.
Before I know it I'm being invited into the inner sanctum and the declaration is printed off. They decide they can do it now so I produce our passports which are duly copied and stamped and signed. Then I fill in the Statutory Declaration saying that I provide care and housing for my son who lives in UAE with me. The man stamps and signs it. It is on NZ Embassy letterhead. I pay 140 AED ($50 NZD). He clearly understood my need to have something official to meet the needs of my employer, even though the whole process is a farce.
While copying my passport he comments on the fact that I was from Fairlie. I ask him if he has a connection but no, he just knows where it is. It turns out he is the Consulate in Riyhad in Saudi Arabia and has come over to Abu Dhabi to cover for our Consulate while he is in Queenstown skiing with his family. It was nice to chat to someone so down to earth about everyday things such as his house back in NZ. A lovely man who spent his life in the navy then the foreign office.
So armed with my papers I head back to housing, not sure if this will suffice, considering it is handwritten by me. I return to the Manager with my paper, hoping and praying all the while. He reads it and says nothing while I explain that the court wouldn't do it. We head upstairs to housing and I take a seat while he talks to the nice housing woman. A bit of head shaking then I am told to come tomorrow to the other office and collect my contract.
I live in hope...
To be continued (I'm sure).
No comments:
Post a Comment