Bemused by bureaucracy

I find that one of the biggest challenges of living in another country comes when I need to understand how any of its bureaucratic systems work. What are the regulations for immigration, visas, tax, social security, banking, driving, vehicle ownership, etc.?

I have always been fortunate to work alongside local people who patiently guide me through the various requirements and do a lot of the 'leg-work' to make sure both the organisation and the individuals are in compliance. Sometimes though you find that even they don't understand what is going on, which can be both reassuring and a bit alarming at the same time.

Last year I blogged about the process we had to go through to get all the vehicles checked and issued with a sticker which showed that all the paperwork was in order. I was aware that this sticker was dated 2012 so expected that at some point it would expire and we would need to go through the whole process again for 2013. I asked our Chadian staff on several occasions whether this was necessary and they kept telling me that the 2012 sticker was still valid.

We then heard, via the international grapevine that exists, that the police were embarking on a rigorous process of stopping vehicles and checking paperwork. Initially this was not a concern as we knew that our paperwork was in order but it then transpired that the annual checks needed to be re-done.

And so began another week where two staff spent the most part of every day trying to get the seven signatures that are required for each vehicle, which show that everything is in order. The first time they went they returned to the office very quickly as the police compound where this work is done was so full of vehicles that had been impounded for not having the right paperwork that it was impossible to get anywhere near the place. Then one day they came back after a few hours saying that they had waited for a while only to eventually be told that all the people who processed the paperwork were in a meeting for the day.

From what I hear the process sounds as chaotic and confused as it was last year but by Friday lunchtime we had received a 2013 'Fiche de Sortie' for each vehicle. For now that is one less piece of Chadian bureaucracy I need to try and understand, unless the requirements change again. Something I wouldn't like to rule out.