) get used to bureaucracy. Here is a brief description of my adventure until now. I am a bit frustrated and I need to relax and vent off my emotions.
From the start this has not been an easy procedure. Japan an incredible country(with good and bad connotations). Most people will relate Japan
with efficiency and organization. At best I would say they are incredibly ignorant. They make a comparison between
Germany
and
Japan
due to their punctuality. Yes both of these countries are punctual. But Punctuality may differ. For example to get your German Visa or let:s say the card that lets you work and stay in Germany the whole procedure(from beginning to the end) will last no more than 1 month. The major difference is[FONT='Ｍ] [/font]that one can take care of his business while in Germany.
[FONT=Verdana]1. [/FONT][FONT=Verdana]Visas:[/FONT][FONT=Verdana] EU citizens and some other nationalities do not need a visa for Germany
. If you do need a visa, you have to apply in your home country (visas are never issued in
Germany
). Visa applications take some time and the type of visa will affect your residency rights, so choose accordingly. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana]2. [/FONT][FONT=Verdana]Residence registration:[/FONT][FONT=Verdana] In the first week after arrival, you have to register at the local residence registration office ( Einwohnermeldeamt). [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana]3. [/FONT][FONT=Verdana]Residence permits:[/FONT][FONT=Verdana] Everybody staying in Germany
for more than 3 months must officially obtain a residence permit (including EU citizens). After completing your residence registration, you need to apply for your residence permit at the local immigration office ( Ausländeramt). [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana]4. [/FONT][FONT=Verdana]Work permit:[/FONT][FONT=Verdana] Once you have your residence permit, you can apply for a work permit at your local labor office (Arbeitsamt). EU citizens do not need a work permit to work. [/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana]Germany[/FONT]
[FONT=Verdana]is a bureaucratic country and bureaucrats love documents. Be prepared to fill in many forms, take them to different offices, have them stamped numerous times and spend a lot of time waiting in line. Before leaving home, you may find it essential or useful to get: [/FONT]
[FONT=Symbol]· [/FONT][FONT=Verdana]a passport valid for the entire period to be spent in Germany
[/FONT]
[FONT=Symbol]· [/FONT][FONT=Verdana]if going to study, a notification of university admission or confirmation of application [/FONT]
[FONT=Symbol]· [/FONT][FONT=Verdana]proof of financial resources [/FONT]
[FONT=Symbol]· [/FONT][FONT=Verdana]visa (not a tourist visa), if applicable [/FONT]
[FONT=Symbol]· [/FONT][FONT=Verdana]originals and certified (!) translations of your birth certificate, secondary school leaving certificate, possibly academic qualifications and your insurance documents. Certifications can be made at German diplomatic and consular missions. [/FONT]
[FONT=Symbol]· [/FONT][FONT=Verdana]confirmation of health insurance cover or, for students from the European Union, a European health insurance card [/FONT]
[FONT=Symbol]· [/FONT][FONT=Verdana]book of vaccination certificates, if you have one. Check at the German diplomatic presence in your home country whether you need any vaccinations [/FONT]
[FONT=Symbol]· [/FONT][FONT=Verdana]an international driving license if you need one (EU citizens do not) [/FONT]
This seems daunting right? But it is nothing, NOTHING compared with the Japanese procedure. I had to wait more than 45 days in Greece
in order to take my Work permit(which I needed it before I entered
Japan
), then I had to go to my OWN’s country embassy(that makes no SENSE) apply for a VISA which takes 4 days. Then one is ready to enter
Japan
. But wait not everything is over yet. The foreigner(who will be FINGERPRINTED and photographed, in case he is a terrorist) will need to register to the city council to get his alien registration card. This takes exactly 21 days, no less no more. Of course these 21 days are awful because one can do nothing during these 21 days. Renting an apartment(which is very important I hope everyone can realize that) is impossible as is the ability to get a phone in
Japan
. Both require a Bank account(for obvious reasons). But wait in order to get an account a residence permit is required. Strange heh? 21 days which pass by very slowly.
To put things into perspective let me inform the readers that the same procedure in Singapore
can be in less than 2 weeks(total). I got my residence permit in
Singapore
in less than a day.
Singapore
is an extreme example I will confess. What about
China
?
China
is not synonymous with efficiency as
Japan
is. So in
China
I got my 1 year visa within 4 days(1 day would be also possible provided I paid an exorbitant price). While in
China
I had to register to the local municipality which was easy, fast and efficient. The only snug was I had to do it again after the 30 first days since my work permit wasn’t ready.
My point in Japan
everything can be on time. The sad part is that the time required will be extremely long even if there is no reason behind this. There is actually no logic in
Japan
. A procedure has to take 21 days just because they say so. One procedure may only actually need 3 days. No matter what though, the applicant will have to wait days. This is how things work in
Japan
. Get used to it! I am trying.
