Hey gang. Today I'd like to talk about an issue that nearly everyone will be affected by at some point in their lives. It's an illness called Natalie still doesn't have her COE.So here's the story:
*December~January*
Sophia: Apply for your COE!
Me: Ok, here you go!
*February*
Sophia: Hey thanks! You'll receive it by the end of the month, at the latest!
Me: Hey that's great! That will give me plenty of time to get my visa.
*March 4th*
Me: Hey.. where's my COE?
Sophia: Yeeaahh we don't have it yet.. But we're expecting it any time now, just you wait! School starts in April so it's pretty busy around here you know. Actually, you might have to end up entering on a temporary visa and changing your status to college student once you get here..
Me: Wait, what? Hmmm.. *checks Consulate website* But this says I need a COE for a temporary visa too! Let me give these fine folks a call. *calls Chicago Consulate*
Nice Consulate Guy: Yep, you're right, you can't get that visa without a COE. I've maybe heard of people going over under the visa exemption as tourists and then getting a visa later, but you'd generally need to leave the country to get it. But in my experience, Japan pretty much runs visa stuff to the very last minute, so just be a little more patient.
Me: *Thinks for a while...*
*Yesterday*
Me: It's only like two weeks til we're leaving.. I'm getting a little nervous about all this.. Hey Sophia, I can't get that temp visa, what should I do if the COE doesn't get here?
Sophia: Just tell Narita you're sightseeing, and then go to the Tokyo Immigration Bureau!
Me: That seems like a bad idea.. I'm pretty sure that nice consulate guy said it was pretty hard to do/unlikely to happen.
Nice Consulate Guy: That's right. The law technically says you can't really do that unless you're in unavoidable crazy circumstances. Otherwise you'd have to leave the country to get a visa. Oh, and btw, *long list of reasons why it's a horrible idea to try and pass yourself off as a tourist when you're actually a college student, including the possibility of not being able to board the plane or being denied entry to Japan to begin with* (BTW, didn't you just call here like last week?)
Me: Oh jeeze T_T
Chris Payne: And plus they could just look at your plane ticket and see you're staying way more than 90 days. This is bad news yo.
Me: Sophiaaa, what makes you think it's gonna be so easy to get into Japan with no visa and get DK to let me stay with no visa, and get the Tokyo Immigration Bureau to give me a visa? Send me my COE as soon as you get it!! And if you don't get it by next week, well... I think I'd rather postpone my flight than try and go with no visa.. T__T Two weeks is a long time right? It'll get here deshou? Hrmmm....
*TO BE CONTINUED*
2 comments:
oh my gosh...poor dear Natalie! I'm really crossing my fingers and praying that it gets to you like...ASAP YO. I think United lets you postpone flights or something as long as it's within two weeks...I can't remember, but I know my friend JUST had this problem with her France visa not working out, but you might want to see what the guidelines for all that stuff is.
Oh geez oh geez oh geez...I have faith!!
T_T Thank you for the support Jen!! I must have faith as well.. it makes all the difference.. Belieeeve in the COE!!
Belieeeve so I still get to fly with you guys!
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