Today we take the collectivo to the immigration office to get an immigration extension of one month. We’d planned to be gone well before our time expired however equipment failures changed our cruising itinerary, and since we’re still here, our friend Joel and his girlfriend Misti have planned a second visit attempt. If all goes well this time, they’ll arrive on the 16th.

From our arrival to the immigration office, to filling out the required paperwork, to going to the bank to pay the fee (L. 470 each, approx US$20 however no USD taken) and back to the office, an hour passes. Good thing we started out early as they only process visa extensions on Monday, Wednesday & Friday from 9am - 12noon, 1pm - 4pm per the notice on the door.

The process has improved substantially since our first visit where we needed an extension. There is now an air-conditioned office housing a flimsy structure with three small booths for resident & visa requests, along with a desk dedicated to check-ins / outs. all staffed; an upgrade from the rarely-there one-person desk office or worse, the airport runaround, and the new office has chairs for those of us waiting our turn. The fee is standardized and paid at the bank rather than as a (exorbitant US$150 per passport) propina to the immigration officer agreeing to provide the stamps as last time. Today, once the stamped payment and application paperwork is in order, we’re told to return Friday afternoon for our passports.

The two day delay in getting an extension, also applies to the paperwork required to get checked out. Paperwork travels to the mainland for the official stamps now. This delay incensed one of our friends recently. Why does it have to work this way? he fumed more than once.

It is what it is. But we’re used to a long, paper-bound and often arcane process. A two day delay in getting our passports back in a place we know no one is going to ask for them or attempt to deport us for being illegal is no cause for concern.