Today we went to the Registry Office to start the trámite to get our Libreta de Matrimonio - the little book which serves as proof of marriage, and in which Faustita will be registered when she arrives.

The lady at the desk told us to go to Window 12 and buy a blank libreta, then go to the 1st floor to Matrimonios to have it officially filled in.

So we went to Window 12, and showed them our certified copy of the registration in Argentina of our marriage (to get this we needed a lawyer, who asked a judge to decree that the registry office write our marriage into their book).  They said that, actually, no, we had to go first to Matrimonios on the 1st floor, to get an authorization.

So we went to the 1st floor, found Matrimonios, took a number, and waited patiently, along with a handful of other losers who, like us, didn't realise that the way to get to get things done was in fact to "ask a quick question" at the desk, thereby jumping to the front of the queue. But after about half an hour or so, they finally called our number.  The nice lady listened patiently, and then said that, actually, no, at the moment they don't have libretas for extrañas jurisdicciones (i.e. foreign marriages), and we needed to go to the 2nd floor, go to Registraciones office and explain to them what our situation is, and they would tell us what to do.

So we went to Registraciones on the 2nd floor and explained ourselves.  They told us that what we needed to do was go to Window 12 on the ground floor to buy a blank libreta and then take it to Matrimonios on the 1st floor, then come back in 48 hours for the completed libreta.

So back to Window 12 we went, and explained again.  The nice man said that, actually no, they need an authorization from Matrimonios on the 1st floor, so we had to go there first, then come back and pay for the libreta, then return in 72 hours for the completed libreta.  We explained that, actually, we'd already done the Window-12-1st-Floor-2nd-Floor-Window-12 cycle once, and that perhaps he might know a way to escape from the bureaucratic oubliette we'd unwittingly fallen into.

He really was a nice man, it turned out, because he picked up the phone and rang the 2nd floor, who apparently told him to go to hell.  So he came with us to the 1st floor, and went into a secret office to consult with shadowy figures inside.

We waited outside for a few minutes, then the nice man came out again and said to wait a bit longer and somebody would let us know what to do - he said that the bosses of two departments were fighting it out on the phone, but they would sort it out and let us know.  And he disappeared down the stairs.

We waited a little longer, wondering if we had time to find a toilet, but then a lady came out and told us to go to the 4th floor, and ask for a Señora Iris.

So up we went, found Señora Iris, who asked us to follow her.

We followed her into the lift, she hit the button for the ground floor, and we went back to Window 12.  Then she asked the nice man at Window 12 for thelibreta, who said ok, and asked us for 30 pesos and we had to give him a copy of our registration (a quick trip out to a nearby photocopy place meant we didn't have to give him our original).

We handed him the photocopy, he put it with a blank libreta, and handed it directly to Señora Iris who was still waiting there.

Then we went back up to the 4th floor with Señora Iris who asked us to take a seat, which we took.

And waited a few more minutes.

Then Señora Iris appeared, with the libreta all filled in and officially stamped and signed! 

So that was it, we're really truly married in Argentina, and we didn't even get to a full year after our actual wedding!

  

¡Yay for Señora Iris!