I have been settling in nicely to my new life and have just about got all the things I need to feel at home – SSN, bank accounts, credit card, store card and driver’s license.

That last one though isn’t quite complete. This is because while I have passed my driving test, I don’t yet have my driver’s license photocard. Yep, although I passed on November 9, 2009, to date I’m still making do with a paper temporary license. This is of no use whatsoever as valid ID, so whenever I need to show some, I have to whip out my green card. I don’t like having to carry it around because to be honest it’s a precious document.

Why the hold up anyway? Apparently California DMV need to verify my eligibility to reside in the United States before they can issue the card. The fact that I showed them my green card when I applied for my license is apparently neither here nor there. Nope, they need further proof. Where this proof is coming from is anyone’s guess but it’s certainly taking some time.

In this day and age you’d think that one government agency could run a check on someone’s status with another agency at the touch of a button, right? Yeah, well this is the modern United States so no, no you can’t.

I was given a number to call at the DMV HQ in Sacramento for the ‘verification department’. However, this number would just ring… and ring… and ring until I got sick of it. I have now taken to writing letters to the inquiries department. The first was sent at the end of January (no reply) and the second sent this last week. From now on I am going to write to them every week. Hopefully somebody somewhere in the bowels of the DMV will get sick of my constant whining and do something about it.

Then again, this is the DMV we’re talking about…