I did discover a handy benefit to being a foreigner today, tough. And I'm feeling pretty awesome about it.
When I first walked into the Verkehrsamt (Department of Motor Vehicles) this morning and saw the other hundred people waiting to be helped, I thought, "Doggonit! It'll be an hour before I can talk to someone and transfer my US drivers license for an Austrian license. Thank goodness I brought a book." But then, I asked the friendly lady at the info desk which line I should queue for transferring my foreigner drivers license (David did this a few weeks ago and said that we had a special line). She said, "Schalter sieben" (Desk 7). I looked around for number 7 and didn't see it, but I did see a sign with numbers 1 through 6 directing folks through a set of double doors into a larger room with more people. Figuring that 7 should be near 1-6 since, after all, 7 does come after 6, I headed through the doors. My killer instincts were right because the desk opposite the crowd gathered around 1 through 6 was labeled 7 and had NO QUEUE! I only had to wait for the one gentleman to wrap up his session and I was next. I couldn't believe it at first. This kind of luck never happens at any DMV, right? Unless you're a foreigner.
And this my friends is "Benefit of Being a Foreigner" Nummer eins! At the DMV, we enjoy a shorter wait time than the Austrian citizens do. I feel no guilt at all.
1 comment:
As a foreigner who has been at the DMV too many times for her liking I can tell you that the queues are not shorter, nor is anything better organized or more efficient for foreigners!
My husband and I still make jokes about the DMV ;-)
So happy you had such an easy time of it! Unfortunately all I got was a temp license, I have to take a couple of courses and then in another year or so I'll get the actual Swiss license - the Swiss are more complicated than the Austrians, looks like ;-)
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