Bureaucracy Rules!!!

We have spent a day of waiting for the wheels of bureaucracy to slowly wind their way forwards!!

Started off at the FRO - Foreign Registration Office with a pile of papers and photos for each of us (suspiciously similar to the pile of papers we had to put together to apply for our Indian visas). We met with the Infosys immigration expert who looked through our papers (of multiple photocopies in duplicate and triplicate) and immediately disappeared out of the door. Was later found in a store a couple of doors down the street trying to photocopy bits and pieces to effectively make a new document in duplicate or maybe triplicate. Over an hour later he eventually re-appeared and we got started on the real business of the day.

We had to either stand in line or be summoned by our token number to 5 different counters where our papers were checked and rechecked and various checks and crosses put in various places.

After 4 hours we left the place having traded our huge folders for 4 permits enabling us to stay in Bangalore for 12 months. How this is different from the Visa we already have in our passports I have no idea but it is the law!

So now, armed with all these invaluable permits Simon is all set to see his new BFF the bank account guru to open our Indian bank account. I had to sit down with Simon last night to autograph multiple copies of all the correct documents, so we should be all set here. But wait.....no go......I signed everything with a blue pen instead of a black pen...so all the documents have to be filled in again from scratch and brought home for me to sign again, then Simon has another date with the bank account guru tomorrow. As we also want a credit card we have to complete all the same forms and provide all the same documents and photocopies a second time. Bank account guru, asked if we wanted a savings account, but wait , yes you got it, all the same procedure again, Simon wearily said no!

And last but not least, I will get meet new BFF bank account guru as he has to come visit us to verify our address!!