The Romanian Visa Paradox - II

PART II - The Romanian Currency Extrapolation

       After all the delays in getting all the papers that I needed (I also needed papers from Japan), my tourist visa was expiring so I had to request an extension. So I went to the immigration office in Ploiesti and talked to a lady who was the officer in charge that day. 

       She gave me a list of documents that I needed to produce, including a letter from my future wife saying she will be responsible for my stay in Romania and that she's able to support me financially during this period. And the list also included a tax in Euro that I had to pay for the visa.

        We produced all the necessary documents and then we went to pay the tax. As I had brought my money from Japan in Euro, that wasn't a problem for me. I went to their casierie to pay. I give them the tax request and the money.

        The lady in the cashier look at me and ask me: what's this? I tell her that it is tax for visa. And she holds the money on my face and says "No, I mean this". I say: er... money? And she snaps: This is ROMANIA!! Romanian currency is LEI, not EURO!!

    I point out the visa requirements list where it shows the tax value is given in Euro, not in Lei and she yells at me that it means that I am supposed to go to a bank and exchange that amount in Euro into Lei and bring the amount in Lei, PLUS the exchange bill that shows the exchange rate of the time of the transaction!!

        You know, like I am supposed to know that without them telling me. Like this is the most normal thing in the world. Like in Japan they give me the visa taxes in Thai Baht and I pay in Yen. In Brazil they give the taxes values in Cambodian Riel but you pay them in Brazilian Real anyway.  Yes, yes, how silly of me, isn't it?

        NOT!!! Nowhere in that visa requirements paper was this mentioned!!

        I finally manage to pay the tax and go back to the immigration office and finally I get my visa extension and then I explain to the immigration office lady about  my situation and that I intended to request residence. And she tells me that once I get married, all I have to do is come back with my marriage certificate and get my residence visa. Exactly what the Romanian Consul in Tokyo told me.

       So, ignoring all signs, I finally got married and bought an apartment in Ploiesti, together with my new wife.