Sayın Zafer Bey!
Back in January, we posted about our experience obtaining our residence permit at the Yabancı Şubesi (Foreigner Office) in the İstanbul Emniyet (Police Headquarters), an experience we compare unfavorably to visiting a Central Asian gynecologist. We commended your operation for gradually imposing order by requiring folks to take a number and reducing the number of windows one has to visit and the number of stamps necessary to just one. We took this as a sign that, over the three years we have been obtaining residence permits, Turkey is, yavaş yavaş, becoming more civilized.
Well! After that post, you kindly left a comment, which we ignored at the time, because, just like the gynecologist, we avoid thinking about the Yabancı Şubesi except the one day a year when we have to go there, asking us to provide some constructive criticism*. Little did we know that you already had some improvements in mind for the operation that closely track the kind we might have suggested. You should have run them past us! We would like credit for them (Your original comment along with a hasty translation are below).
Recent reports from the Correspondent Formerly of Kathmandu and Beirut and Now of Istanbul indicate that the changes made since January, are in a word, awesome. If you follow her work, you know she specializes in reporting on Epic Failures for Carpetblog. Based on her experience at the Yabancı Şubesi, one might conclude its management has been turned over to a pack of wild dogs. But we think that's unfair.
Gone was that experiment with internet-based appointments (did anyone really think that would work?). On her first visit, she was told that in order to get a number to turn in the documents for her permit, she would have to get in line across the street from the Emniyet, starting at 2 am. She did this and was relieved to see an orderly and friendly group already formed. She took the 18th place in line and made friends.
When 8:30am rolled around and numbers were handed out, she was discouraged to receive number 74. How did this happen? Comrades-in-line deduced that the first 50 numbers had been sold by an "entrepreneur" who, after "picking a fight" with other line-standers, was "detained" by the police with a show of force so convincing observers concluded the entrepreneur could only be another police officer. The ability to pretend you're not doing what you're doing is what separates Turkish police and waiters from all those yahoos in FSU. We admire that. Those people are savages.
After navigating the YS's signless maze (you might consider posting directional signs in Turkish, though definitely not in any other language), CFKBNI finally coughed up more than 770 YTL for a document that confers few meaningful benefits. We paid less than 600 YTL three years ago. Inflation! You have it! Play that card if it's your hand. Carpetblog approves, as long as you don't use the extra fees to improve the Yabancı Şubesi customer service.
We here at Carpetblog were becoming worried that Turkey was losing that developing world "edge" that foreigners always appreciate, especially when it comes to dealing with police and bureaucracies. We are relieved our fears were misplaced! If CFKBNI's experience this week was any indication, the Istanbul Emniyet has become concerned, too, and opted to rely on its old skool habits for dealing with "visitors."
*Just FYI, our contract with the "Constructive" Division of the Criticism Department expired long ago.
Original Post:
26 Ocak 2009'daki Yabancılar Şube ziyaretiniz ve yaşadıklarınıza ait
deneyimlerinize yer verdiğiniz yazınızı okudum.
Önerilerinizin yapıcı olacağı ve daha faydalı olacağına inandığınız
düşünceşerinizi, bizimle paylaşmanız.. saat 03.37 olmasına rağmen iyi niyetli yaklaşımlara her zaman açık olan emniyet teşkilatını memnun edici motivasyona taşıyacaktır. Yazınızdaki tutum ötesinde, gözlemlerinizin sizde olması gereken çözüm
önerisi nedir? konusundaki fikirlerinizide oraya taşımış olmanız bizleri mutlu ederdi.
Yanıtınızı bekler, iyi niyetli ve yapıcı olacak önerileriniz için şimdiden teşekür ederim.
Zafer Işık
İst. Em. Md.lüğü Yabancılar Şube Çözüm Ortağı
Yönetici
Translation:
I read your writing regarding your visit to the Yabancilar Subesi on 26 January 2009 and your experience.
With the belief that you intend your proposals to be constructive and more beneficial share with us ... Despite the fact that the hour is 3:37 a.m., the police staff, which is always open to good-intentioned approaches, that carry a motivation that will please the police staff.
Besides/beyond the manner of your writing, had you included in that writing your ideas on proposals for solutions, which your observations surely must have given you, that would have made us happy.
I am awaiting your response, I thank you in advance for your suggestions that will be good intentioned and constructive.
Zafer Isik, Istanbul Police Department's Yabancilar Sube's manager of
resolution partner
I will bet, right now, five bottles of Yeni Raki (or the equivalent in the beverage of your choice) that this is too subtle to be understood by the intended audience.
Posted by: BReed | 26 July 2009 at 05:30 PM
ne demek! This time around, I found that a thorough knowledge of (and feigned appreciation for) BOTH The Curious Case of Benjamin Button AND Pearl Harbor (the film with whats-his-face and Aerosmith-daughter, not the event) greased the wheels quite nicely. Wish I was kidding. Turkish friend insists the exhaustive and most earnest interrogation about Benjamin Button was to make sure I am not employed as a prostitute. Mwahaha! Fooled them!
Posted by: Ms. C | 28 July 2009 at 09:46 PM
Ah yes, I too was led on by promises of an orderly e-rendezvous system, both by y'all and my former neighbors who also sang its praises. I went in on Wednesday, only to find that all the numbers were taken. Old story. So I went back the next morning taking the first boat I could to Eminönü to get there as early as possible. It was around 7:30. There was of course an already large crowd assembled. While refusing to sign anyone else in, they began calling out names of the people they had already registered and returning their passports. Finally our own group got through; one rather generic Eastern European woman got so ticked off (kind of early to be getting ticked off in view of what is to come, don't you think?) that she nearly got hauled off for screaming at a police officer who had nothing to do with her. Finally I got in and this time, did bet a number. It was 276. He-who-distributes-numbers told me to be back at the office at 1:00 sharp. "Okay, the computer system's down but at least they're working on a system, it's better than before" I thought. After killing some time at a nearby mall where it was at least cool, I went back to the waiting room. The number being served was 142. Oh good, only 134 people to go! About 4:10 my number came up. The policeman at the window was characteristically polite and friendly (I've never had anything but polite treatment there). Finally the paperwork was done...the charge was around 600 (I guess your friend who paid 770 was getting her first booklet?). And of course the cashier had closed at 3:30. Now someone who did not live in Turkey might ask, "Why would they close the casher at 3:30 when the general office works until 5:00, and payments need to be made?" Yes, he or she might ask, the same way one might ask about some obscure oddity of English grammar. There is probably some "reason" but even if you learn it, it won't change the simple fact that "It's just that way." So...back the next day to pay the fee, and of course, once more to get the booklet back. Four visits is my new record, do I get a prize? At least I got the booklet back within one working day instead of the week it used to take. Still, if you've ever dealt with the Aliens' Bureau in our closest neighbor to the west, and seen the 1) utter chaos (Residence permits are sometimes issued a week or two before their expiration dates. Or after.) and 2) draconian requirements (24,000 Euros in the bank, more than many, many Greeks make in a year), you have to admit that we still have it pretty darn good.
Posted by: Bob | 05 August 2009 at 08:04 PM