Do you know what “Quintupled” Means?

According to Merriam-Webster, the word "Quintuple" means "to become five times as much or as numerous."

It is not at all pleasant when a budgeted expense suddenly, and without warning, more than quintuples!

This is exactly what happened to me when I applied to renew my visa for the coming year. I had already paid a new fee of $10 to a local doctor to write a health certificate, stating that I pose no threat to the public health, and I was ready to pay the $82 processing fee that I have paid the past 2 years to have my visa extended for another year. When I arrived at the "Office for Foreigners" on September 1, I was told that a law changed. I could no longer receive the type of visa I've received previously. The new type of visa required that I pay an ADDITIONAL fee, which equates to $175. OK. I wasn't happy about having to pay triple the original amount ($257 in total now, if you're keeping track), but there was nothing I could do about it.

A few days later, I received a phone call from an official at the Office for Foreigners. He asked if I had Romanian health insurance. I pay for international health insurance through the Global Mission department of the Church of the Nazarene. That didn't matter to him. For this new type of visa, I need to have proof of coverage by Romanian health insurance. This would cost $48 for the first month, and $12.50 for each of the remaining 11 months of the year.

Of course, I can't take care of any of this in Sighișoara where I live. I need to take the bus to a neighboring city. And each round-trip bus ride adds $7.50 to the price. I'll be making my fourth trip in a few weeks to pick up my new new driver's license-sized Romanian ID card. It will look exactly like my old one, but it will cost quite a bit more.

So, if you've been keeping track, I was planning to spend less than $100 for a year's visa, but I'll end up paying over $500. Since I do not receive any direct funding from the Church of the Nazarene, I am responsible for raising this money, along with all other living expenses. If you would like to help with this unexpected expense, you may do so by following this link.

October 5 Update: I received a call today, informing me that I need to go back to the Office for Foreigners yet again before I can receive my card. This time, they need to take my picture and signature again (which they already did on Sept. 1) and to also get my fingerprints. Although this won't cost me anything, I can add another $7.50 for round-trip bus tickets to the price tag which continues to rise.

October 14 Update: On Monday, I went to the Office for Foreigners to give them the requested signature, photo, and fingerprints. When I left, they said everything in my file was in order. But on Wednesday, they called once again to let me know that they realized that a document that I had brought to them on September 1 was not valid because it was not notarized. (Until now, it was not necessary for this document to be notarized, so I spent $6.50 on it rather than $20 for the notary. A law just changed on October 1, making it necessary to have it notarized.) They told me I had to get this to them by Friday morning. So, all day Thursday, I was rushing to get this document ready. After the document was notarized, they told me how much it would be. Rather than being the expected $20, the price had increased to $62!

I then took the document to the Office for Foreigners, adding another $7.50 for transportation. Before I left, I called to see how late on Thursday they were open. They told me until 6:30 pm. I arrived at 4:50pm, entered the building, but the door to the Office for Foreigners was locked! After searching the abandoned halls of the building, I finally found someone who was able to accept my document. Once again, I was told that everything is in order, and that I'll be receiving my visa in 2-3 weeks. We'll see.

The current running total for expenses (for which I had budgeted $100) is $566 - now almost 6 times more expensive than last year!