This morning we went to the US Consulate in “East” Jerusalem. We needed to register Chananya’s birth, get a passport for him, and apply for his Social Security number (the most important part, since this will enable me to include him on my US tax returns for the next 17 years, thus adding another $1,000 worth of child credit per year).

All in all, it took us about 3.5 from when we got in line in front of the building, until we left. From what I have heard, this is typical (and it can be much worse). The interesting part though is the number of different lines that we had to stand in.

1. Enter the building. We had to present our meeting reservation printout (which I made three months ago) and got a number to be used inside.
2. Go through one security checkpoint. Get buzzed through to the preliminary waiting area.
3. Wait for at least half an hour until our number is called.
4. Go through another security checkpoint.
5. Go to the main waiting room (much more crowded than the first one). Wait in the checkin line (to let them know what we are there for).
6. After checkin, site down and wait a while for our name to be called.
7. Name is called, go through all of the different documents. Do our business.
8. Pay the cashier.
9. Go to the courier service upstairs, pay them for the envelope in which our passports will be “delivered” (ie: they bring it to their office in downtown Jerusalem and we go and pick it up)
10. Wait by the person who helped us in step 7, give her the receipt and envelope.
11. Wait (a long time) to be called to sign our documents in front of the consul (or consul assistant). Go through an interview to establish that we lived in the US before. Sign the documents and head out the door.

I can’t help but compare this with a visit to Misrad haPnim in which we got a birth certificate and passport:

1. Go through security checkpoint.
2. Get a number. Sit down and wait.
3. Number is called. Do our business, pay the person and leave (with the passport in hand).

Although in most aspects so far, Israeli beurocracy has lived up to its reputation as being, well, large, overgrown and completely obtrusive, in this case it wins hands-down. (Advice to anyone going to the Consulate: make sure you do your research beforehand on what you need, have everything filled out with all documents handy and copies made – one missing piece of paper and you go home empty-handed, one missing form and you go to the back of the line).