NYC Consulate - Backlogged?

[UpstateNY]

I wonder if it matters as to which person you meet with at the Consulate?

[UpstateNY]

jennabet- how do you know about the plane ticket speeding up the process? I emailed the consulate and asked for the status of my application as I have an upcoming trip to Italy - which I do in June - and they replied that they are so busy they are not even providing updates to application statuses.

[ccam]

Sorry, I can't read the name of the gentleman that I met with at the NY Consulate. I did amend a few documents to clear spelling and date of birth discrepancies prior to my appointment. Everything was in order except for my own birth certificate which I didn't realize was in short form. He gave me a note and told me to drop off my birth certificate in long form attached to his note once I received it. At the appt, he did tell me his supervisor reviews all documents once the package is complete and then it takes about 3 months. Best of luck!

[jennabet]

UpstateNY, in my case, I was actually moving to Italy -- not just going over for a vacation. I submitted my documents in May and told the consulate at that time that I would be leaving the country by the end of the year as I was not going to renew my lease. After that, I contacted them twice a month for a status update and kept reminding them of my plans. In November after I had purchased my ticket, I called them one more time and they instructed me to go ahead and apply for my passport. It took six months to get the passport and everything worked out fine.

[jennabet]

They more or less worked around my time frame because I had solid plans.

[johnnyonthespot]

Jenna, I think you were one of the early applicants, nearly 10 years ago, correct?

Nevertheless, my impression is that New York moves fairly quickly on applications that are clean and free of discrepancies. My own application included documents from New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Florida, and Roccasecca (Frosinone), Italy. My final submission was made late June, 2008 and I received my letter of recognition less than three weeks later in mid-July, 2008.

While things may be a bit slower right now, they are nothing compared to the one-to-two years turnaround time that they used to quote.

[jennabet]

Yes, Carmine, it was in 2001. I also had a clean case -- no discrepancies. Good to know the wait time is no longer two years but I also think that if you have plans to move over there that involve **SPAM** a house, not renewing a lease, etc., and you give them a time-frame, they will still expedite those kind of cases. Afterall, the reason they accepted your documents in the first place is because you are an Italian -- and Italians have to have a place to live -- either here or there. Of course, it's always better to already have your passport before you decide to move over there but circumstances don't always allow it.

[jennabet]

Don't know where the word "SPAM" came from. It replaced the word "**SPAM**".

[jennabet]

Sorry, but this forum doesn't like the Engligh word for "vende". This is funny.