If you immigrated to Cluj in the past couple of years, you might be disappointed that the immigration service is in a cold and wet garage, and that you wait outside the doors on top of a couple of parking spaces. People stand and wander outside what seems like a former storage closet, sometimes forming a line, sometimes haphazardly waiting their turn. Who was first? Who knows. You might end up waiting there for hours, only to find the place closed. When it closes, you might hear someone shout, with a mix of a British and Australian accent most likely, “we’ve been waiting hours!” You’ll be told to go away unless you have a program, or appointment.
Hunters and gatherers might be used to this. It is like fishing in a cold basement, sometimes you stand there uncomfortably for a long time, staring into a blank nothingness, and catch nothing but a cold.
Other times, waiting in the cold is worth it. If you get there early enough, you might get seen.
But if you go to CAS or ANAF, you will experience a more ordered experience. after you press a button, you will receive a ticket. Then, when your number is called, you will be seen. (Well, theoretically. Sometimes, those at the end of the line are told to come back the next day.)
C.A.S. CLUJ NAPOCABon Nr: FP99VALIDAREA CALITATI DE ASIGURAUrmariti ghiseul: 1,2,3Persoane inainte dvs: 982026/02/03 09:10:10Va rugam asteptati-va randul!
The first line of your ticket will say where you are waiting. C.A.S. Cluj-Napoca. ANAF (followed by the department).
The next area will have your number. Bon nr: V099
Then, a line with a few more hints about why you’re there, so if you ever show your ticket to someone, they can see you are in the right line. (In theory. In practice, I have never been askd for my ticket because most people are honest. However, if you are dishonest and cut in line, you will ruin it for everyone and might end up on a missing poster in your home country.)
Then, there is even an indication of which “ghiseul” you will be seen at. It might be 8,9,10 or 1,2,3. I remember staring for hours for similar numbers, hoping to predict which window I would be seen at. Only after about a dozen times of waiting in these lines did I realise the ticket told me… so I should have known where to wait.
Then, my favorite line, “Persoane inainte dvs.” People in front of you. Of course, this doesn’t change dynamically, it is the people who are waiting in front of you at the time you take the ticket. Can’t you figure this out from the number of the ticket? Not always. Sometimes the three hundreds and the five hundreds will be seen on the same window, but the four hundreds and the six hundreds at another. (The first digit of your ticket number gives a clue to wait your query is about, for the person at the window.)
Then there is a date and a time that you took the ticket. Just in case you drop your ticket, and mix it up with an old one.
Finally, there is a polite request. “Va rugam asteptati-va randul!” Please wait in line!
Here’s a tip though, they never seem to read the number out loud. There isn’t even a polite ding when the number changes. You just need to keep your eyes on the board, to see if your number shows up.
Of course, you can do many things online these days, so there isn’t always a reason to wait in line. But, if you do need to pick something up from a window, look for the machine that gives out the tickets. (They used to have one at immigration when it was inside the building and not in the parking lot, but anyway.) And appreciate the little pieces of information it gives.