Red Tape.

A couple of months back I realised I had less than 6 months left on my passport and that it was time to renew so I went online to see how to apply for an Australian passport from the US. All in all it did not seem too difficult except for the name change section. See, I got my last passport 10 years ago, before I was ever married, thus it has my maiden name on it. In the US I go by my married name, everything here is in that name so it was desirable to me to also use my married name on my Australian proof of identity. After much reading I realize that the Australian consulate is not going to allow a name change based on my marriage certificate because I was not married in Australia and therefore my marriage was never registered with BD&M (Births, Deaths and Marriages)..so I have to do a name change...and this is going to take 8 weeks, and is a huge pain in the ass. So, you know what, I give up. I decide to just stick with my maiden name so I can get a damned passport...but then the consulate tells me I cannot use my maiden name either because my US green card is in my married name....but hold on, you just told me I can't use my married name....fucking great.

So, being the sneaky little loop hole finder I am I discover that there is no law, or requirement for me to have to use the same name on my greencard, it is just something the Australian Passport Office is trying to enforce, so now I will have to fight...but first, I wonder if I can be sneaky. See, with the application I need to include my old passport and an original ID. Now if I include a US ID I'm asking for trouble so I dig out my old Australian drivers license with my maiden name on it and send that. Now they have no record of my maried name anywhere. My backup plan, if this did not work was to simply fly to Australia and get the passport expedited there...where they would not have to ask for proof of legal residence in the US....but, no need, my plan worked and a few days I received an e-mail saying my passprt had been produced, now I just have to wait for it to arrive.

I paid extra to have it fed-ex'ed to me. On Thursday a delivery was attempted but I was out shooting so I stayed home all day Friday waiting for my prescious piece of freedom (because the delivery slip said it would arrive in the AM on the 18th) and at 4:30pm it still had not arrived so I phone DHL (yes, DHL, they sent it by fucking DHL, the most incompetent delivery company of them all) and they say they have no idea why it did not go out but it will on Monday...so I get pissed for waiting at home all day and ask them where it is, I will go and get it. They tell me, and also remind me to have photo ID...and then I realize that the package has been delivered to my maiden name, and every bit of photo ID I have with that name is in the package...great. So, off I go down to DHL with US ID in my married name, my marriage certificate that will also show my maiden name and my birth certificate....20 minutes later after having to produce as much documentation as I had to US immigration I have my passport in hand.....