Passport Control, Chapter One

This (poorly-focused) photo of a page from my passport shows my current visa in black ink at the top left. Also visible in green ink are the visa and proof of exit from my stay here in the summer of 2005, a short and mostly unpleasant trip except for the fact that Mark and Rebecca were here at the same time and we got to do fun stuff together like watch _Pimp My Ride_ on MTV at the place where they were staying and go to dinner at Jan's.

It is not at all uncommon to be asked to show your identification when entering governmental offices and institutions, such as the university, or when one is a visitor to secured areas such as office buildings or schools. This process, along with security checks such as passing through metal detectors and having one's bags searched or x-rayed, can be lengthy and one spends a lot of time standing in line with other people who are also waiting to be permitted entrance.

During these times that I have spent waiting I have done a lot of observation, specifically of the various types of identification people supply when asked. Foreign nationals present their passports, which come in many different colors so it is always a fun game to guess the nationality of the bearer before you see the country's name listed on the cover. Britain (red) and South Africa (green) are easy but Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the U.S. are harder (various shades of blue).

Another document presented by residents of the State of Israel--for all that "residency" can involve in this complicated place--is the Teudat Zehut, or Identity Card. These also come in colors: blue for Israeli citizens or for those granted permanent residency in Israel who hold citizenship in other countries, green for Palestinians. I have also seen orange but despite a search on Wikipedia am still not totally sure to whom those are issued.

I was born outside of Chicago, Illinois, and am a citizen of the United States of America. I travel on an American passport, which I carry everywhere with me while I am here in Israel. I am also eligible for a passport issued by the European Union based on my grandfather's citizenship in the former Czechoslovakia and am in the process of applying for this document since there are countries in the Middle East where those bearing American passports are not permitted to travel.

I am currently a legal temporary resident of Israel and hold a 90-day tourist visa which expires on January 9, 2008. Since my departure for Ghana is not until February 1--if at all, this remains unclear--and my return ticket to the States is for May 12, I need to renew my visa in order to stay in this country legally. Many students in my Hebrew class are in the same situation and have been making phone calls, appointments, and complaints at the office of the Ministry of the Interior here in Jerusalem in order to try and get their affairs straightened out.

To have my visa renewed it is compulsory that I present my passport, a letter of verification from the organization with which I volunteer stating that I do not get paid, the renewal application, a photograph of myself, and 150 shekels (a unique pleasure for Americans since citizens of many other countries are allowed to renew their visas free of charge). Other documents people have been asked to produce include their return plane tickets and proof of their religion.

In San Francisco, as anywhere in the U.S., I am allowed all the rights and freedoms of an American citizen. I am finding that is not the case here and have experienced a number of situations in which my actions are curtailed by my alien status. This gives me a lot to consider as far as what life as a non-citizen resident, legal or illegal, might be like in my own country.