Resident Permit Process

In order to stay in Romania more than 90 days you need to apply for a temporary Visa or in our case a residence permit. We did this last year and now are having to do it once again as the first was only valid for one year. The process moved fairly smoothly last year, considering the Romanian system and all the horrid warnings we were given. Then one year later, we thought it would go just as smooth, if not smoother. But we were wrong! The last few months has been an ongoing process of trying to renew (or extend) our permits for one more year; one more final year. It feels like we have been taking steps forward and taking steps back each stage along the way as if we are involved in some complicated dance with the foreigner's office in Bucharest. Granted some things have been our fault, but some things have been due to misinformation. We cross our fingers and pray that it is almost over. We have turned in all the required paperwork only now to wait for the office to issue one more piece of paper that we need to go and pay one more, hopefully final, payment. We will do this next Monday. We probably will never be able to explain to you what an ordeal this was and expect you to understand unless you have been in this situation in a country like this. One day we hope to journal everything that has happened down in hopes of laughing about it later and appreciate the card in our hand that gives us the permission to live in Romania. But today it is one big headache that we can't wait to go away.