I finally have a shiny new passport in my eager grasp :)
That is all. (happy happy happy)
Showing posts with label fun with bureaucracy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fun with bureaucracy. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
passport news, sharks and fairies
I received an email on the weekend to say my passport has been approved and is on its way. With a bit of luck I might even have it in my hands tomorrow. Happy :)
In other news: we are expecting a visit from the tooth fairy momentarily. The boychild has what we fondly refer to as 'shark teeth'. The new ones come through well in advance of the baby teeth loosening, so for a few weeks he has double teeth. In fact, his baby teeth don't seem to want to let go at all. Fortunately he is a brave boy, and will quite happily ask the husband to pull the old tooth out, even though it's still quite attached. I am NOT brave about such things, and hide well away from such bloody action. Makes me queasy even now, several hours after the event.
So the tooth fairy has been notified on the parent hotline, and the tooth is awaiting collection so it can become part of the great white palace. And my baby is just that little bit older.
In other news: we are expecting a visit from the tooth fairy momentarily. The boychild has what we fondly refer to as 'shark teeth'. The new ones come through well in advance of the baby teeth loosening, so for a few weeks he has double teeth. In fact, his baby teeth don't seem to want to let go at all. Fortunately he is a brave boy, and will quite happily ask the husband to pull the old tooth out, even though it's still quite attached. I am NOT brave about such things, and hide well away from such bloody action. Makes me queasy even now, several hours after the event.
So the tooth fairy has been notified on the parent hotline, and the tooth is awaiting collection so it can become part of the great white palace. And my baby is just that little bit older.
Friday, July 2, 2010
passport (nearly)
I picked up the official name change certificate from the mail distribution centre today (I am who I am - yay!), then headed over to the post office where I lodged the passport application, and they faxed it off to the passport office. Hopefully it's all in order now and I will have a passport very soon.
While in the shopping centre, I had a quick look at cameras. With a bit of luck I will get a new one before we leave, and Miss Tizz can use my current one all by herself (we've been letting her take photos with it for a while, to make sure she knows how to use it, but we haven't said it will be hers. Shhhhh!).
While in the shopping centre, I had a quick look at cameras. With a bit of luck I will get a new one before we leave, and Miss Tizz can use my current one all by herself (we've been letting her take photos with it for a while, to make sure she knows how to use it, but we haven't said it will be hers. Shhhhh!).
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
one passport down ...
Miss Tizz's passport arrived today. She was a wee bit excited, and pleased that I'd left the envelope for her to open. Of course, the X-man wanted to know where his was, but I think he understood my explanation that a child's passport only lasts for five years, so it would be a waste to get it a couple of years before it's needed.
We picked up some more books from the library today, including another four Roman Mysteries for Miss Tizz, and The Seven Ages of Paris, by Alistair Horne, for me - I'll add them to the reading list. I also borrowed the library's copy of Amelie, which I'm looking forward to watching, before heading off to Paris and perhaps visiting some of the locations used in the film.
Monday, June 28, 2010
who am i? (part ii)
I'll be me again soon. I hope. Paperwork submitted, credit card handed over, documented to within an inch of my life. With a bit of luck I'll have a certificate of authenticity within five days or so, and the family can stop debating about whether to trade me in on a newer model while I'm not me. Hmmm.
And once I have that certificate, I can go back to the post office, who can send it to the passport office, and maybe, just maybe, they'll let me out of the country occasionally.
Meanwhile, notification has come through that Miss Tizz's passport has been issued and is on its way. I've already informed her there is NO WAY she is going to Europe without me!
And once I have that certificate, I can go back to the post office, who can send it to the passport office, and maybe, just maybe, they'll let me out of the country occasionally.
Meanwhile, notification has come through that Miss Tizz's passport has been issued and is on its way. I've already informed her there is NO WAY she is going to Europe without me!
who am i?
It appears I have two names. The one I use, which consists of the first, middle & surname I was born with (but with that surname used as a second middle name) plus my married surname. It's what I've been using for the past decade for official forms.
Apparently, though, I am not that person. That second middle name (my birth surname) is not official. And it's caused a wee glitch with my passport application.
I need to get an official change of name certificate. That will be $129, thank you, for the records to be changed plus a certificate issued, if I get it done by Thursday, after which the fee goes up to $140. And I need several forms of identification, and three bills, between 3 and 6 months old, in my name (or at least joint names) and sent to this address to prove I am a resident of the ACT. Of course, for some unknown reason, most of our bills seem to be in the husband's name.
The change of name form is available online, but I need to go in to the Office of Regulatory Services to submit all the paperwork, or track down a JP to witness and sign copies of everything so I can post it in. I think going in person with the original documents is the easier option this time around.
I rang and spoke to a lovely person in the ORS about all this, and mentioned that while Miss Tizz's birth certificate has my full name (with all four parts), the X-man's certificate only has the shorter three-part name (first name, middle name, married surname), but she said their records have it with my full name, and she can issue a corrected birth certificate for him so everything is consistent.
I'm hoping this doesn't cause any glitches with a friend's passport, for which I am guarantor (using the four-part name). We filled in the electoral roll part of the form in the guarantor section, and my electoral enrolment card has my full four-part name (I checked!), so hopefully it won't be an issue, but I'm dealing with it as fast as I can just in case!
Apparently, though, I am not that person. That second middle name (my birth surname) is not official. And it's caused a wee glitch with my passport application.
I need to get an official change of name certificate. That will be $129, thank you, for the records to be changed plus a certificate issued, if I get it done by Thursday, after which the fee goes up to $140. And I need several forms of identification, and three bills, between 3 and 6 months old, in my name (or at least joint names) and sent to this address to prove I am a resident of the ACT. Of course, for some unknown reason, most of our bills seem to be in the husband's name.
The change of name form is available online, but I need to go in to the Office of Regulatory Services to submit all the paperwork, or track down a JP to witness and sign copies of everything so I can post it in. I think going in person with the original documents is the easier option this time around.
I rang and spoke to a lovely person in the ORS about all this, and mentioned that while Miss Tizz's birth certificate has my full name (with all four parts), the X-man's certificate only has the shorter three-part name (first name, middle name, married surname), but she said their records have it with my full name, and she can issue a corrected birth certificate for him so everything is consistent.
I'm hoping this doesn't cause any glitches with a friend's passport, for which I am guarantor (using the four-part name). We filled in the electoral roll part of the form in the guarantor section, and my electoral enrolment card has my full four-part name (I checked!), so hopefully it won't be an issue, but I'm dealing with it as fast as I can just in case!
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
such efficiency!
Remember how on Friday afternoon I ordered the Britrail Pass and Oyster Card? Well, it's now Wednesday, and they're here already!
Monday, June 21, 2010
we passed the passport interview!
It appears that we will be allowed to leave the country (and presumably we'll be allowed back in again too). Both passport applications have been checked and lodged, and we should be receiving our shiny new biometric passports with two weeks. Which is just as well, considering how much time and effort and money I've put into this trip to date!
I've been wandering around the internet checking out other people's itineraries, and wondering if ours is a perhaps a little lacking in detail. We have the dates in each city locked in, but apart from that, everything is quite fluid. We know we want to do some day trips, and although I've ordered the Britrail pass, we're not planning on making reservations until we get to London. There doesn't seem to be any real advantage in booking too far ahead, and there are so many daily trains to places like York that we would be extremely unlucky not to get seats.
We can't possibly see everything in any of the places we're going, so we're taking a good guidebook for each city, and we'll make decisions based on the weather and what takes our fancy at the time. The guidebooks have opening hours, maps, suggested walks and itineraries, some history and context - enough to work out a rough plan of what we want to do each day without having to be locked into anything. Which is, I think, the way I want to travel.
I've been wandering around the internet checking out other people's itineraries, and wondering if ours is a perhaps a little lacking in detail. We have the dates in each city locked in, but apart from that, everything is quite fluid. We know we want to do some day trips, and although I've ordered the Britrail pass, we're not planning on making reservations until we get to London. There doesn't seem to be any real advantage in booking too far ahead, and there are so many daily trains to places like York that we would be extremely unlucky not to get seats.
We can't possibly see everything in any of the places we're going, so we're taking a good guidebook for each city, and we'll make decisions based on the weather and what takes our fancy at the time. The guidebooks have opening hours, maps, suggested walks and itineraries, some history and context - enough to work out a rough plan of what we want to do each day without having to be locked into anything. Which is, I think, the way I want to travel.
Friday, June 18, 2010
all present and accounted for
My officially-issued marriage certificate arrived in the mail this morning. I'm really impressed with the speed of our Office of Regulatory Services in the ACT - I ordered the certificate online late on Wednesday night, and it arrived to my door on Friday morning. Hard to believe a government department could be quite so efficient!
So ...
So ...
- passport application forms x 2 - CHECK (I just have a few final details to fill in now the certificate has arrived)
- original birth certificates x 2 - CHECK
- passport photos (2) x 2 - CHECK (need guarantor's endorsement on back of one photo each)
- additional documents that support identity - my birth certificate for Miss Tizz, plus my driving licence and Medicare or credit card (there are other options, but I carry these all the time, and they're the easiest) - CHECK
- explanation of name change from birth certificate (i.e. marriage certificate) - CHECK
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
passport application process (ongoing)
I found my birth certificate! Deep in a box of paperwork that was moved when I disposed of the second desk. Pretty much right where I thought it would be, but it needed a long weekend to get round to emptying the box out and sorting through it.
Great! Right, now I can finish my passport application.
I need acceptable passport photos. You can do them yourself, following very strict guidelines, but the easiest option is to pay the good folks at Australia Post a tad under $15 to do them for you, no appointment necessary. They'll keep taking photos until they get it right, print them out on the spot for you, and the lovely woman who did mine was even able to get the branch manager to check them before I left to make sure they'd be accepted at the passport interview (which, conveniently, is at the same Australia Post branch).
All set. Now for the form. You can fill in a paper form (available from Australia Post), or fill in the electronic version found at www.passports.gov.au . Easy! Almost. I need a marriage certificate to explain the name change from my birth certificate to now. Yep - I have one of those. It has to be an official one issued by the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages. Oh. I have the one from the wedding, but not the officially issued one, which apparently isn't supplied at the time (unlike birth certificates). Right then - BDM. I can save time by ordering and collecting the certificate in person - they'll issue it on the spot, and I can save $5 postage into the bargain. Great! I just need to supply 3 original documents to prove my identity - a little painful, but to be expected, and I think I need to supply similar docs with the passport application anyway. But wait! I can apply online, answer a few simple questions, and they'll post it out within a few days - no documents required (but an extra $5). Certificate ordered within minutes. Marvellous!
What's next? Guarantor details - someone who can vouch that you are who you say you are, and your photo is you. Fortunately my chosen guarantor has an amazing memory, and is able to supply the necessary detail of how many years and months we have known each other, because I have no freaking idea of those sorts of details! And now I know her middle name - you never know when that sort of detail might come in handy ;)
So now ... I wait for the official marriage certificate to arrive in the mail, and if it's here by Friday I can finish filling in the application form, have the photos signed by my gorgeous guarantor, gather my identification documents (originals only, please!) and make the interview appointment on Monday morning. And if it doesn't turn up in Friday's mail, I reschedule the interview for the end of the week instead.
Nearly there (and I think I can book the Eurostar trip this weekend too!).
Great! Right, now I can finish my passport application.
I need acceptable passport photos. You can do them yourself, following very strict guidelines, but the easiest option is to pay the good folks at Australia Post a tad under $15 to do them for you, no appointment necessary. They'll keep taking photos until they get it right, print them out on the spot for you, and the lovely woman who did mine was even able to get the branch manager to check them before I left to make sure they'd be accepted at the passport interview (which, conveniently, is at the same Australia Post branch).
All set. Now for the form. You can fill in a paper form (available from Australia Post), or fill in the electronic version found at www.passports.gov.au . Easy! Almost. I need a marriage certificate to explain the name change from my birth certificate to now. Yep - I have one of those. It has to be an official one issued by the Registrar of Births, Deaths and Marriages. Oh. I have the one from the wedding, but not the officially issued one, which apparently isn't supplied at the time (unlike birth certificates). Right then - BDM. I can save time by ordering and collecting the certificate in person - they'll issue it on the spot, and I can save $5 postage into the bargain. Great! I just need to supply 3 original documents to prove my identity - a little painful, but to be expected, and I think I need to supply similar docs with the passport application anyway. But wait! I can apply online, answer a few simple questions, and they'll post it out within a few days - no documents required (but an extra $5). Certificate ordered within minutes. Marvellous!
What's next? Guarantor details - someone who can vouch that you are who you say you are, and your photo is you. Fortunately my chosen guarantor has an amazing memory, and is able to supply the necessary detail of how many years and months we have known each other, because I have no freaking idea of those sorts of details! And now I know her middle name - you never know when that sort of detail might come in handy ;)
So now ... I wait for the official marriage certificate to arrive in the mail, and if it's here by Friday I can finish filling in the application form, have the photos signed by my gorgeous guarantor, gather my identification documents (originals only, please!) and make the interview appointment on Monday morning. And if it doesn't turn up in Friday's mail, I reschedule the interview for the end of the week instead.
Nearly there (and I think I can book the Eurostar trip this weekend too!).
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