maortega15

This thread reminds me a little about this video

WorldLux

I'm thinking more of Monty Python: "Bring out your dead!..."

miamiflyer8

What if a non-citizen mother gives birth in a US embassy when applying for a visa or something, would the baby get US citizenship given that it was technically born on US soil.

Kamalaasaa

You have my sympathy, although US citizens are not guaranteed entry to any and every taxpayer-funded entity (military bases being an obvious example).

nmh1204

it's not american soil, the building belongs to america, but for diplomatic reasons, the sovereign nation it is in, does not enforce its law, which it is entitled to do

milepig

There are some beautiful embassies in DC. I've been to receptions at the Canadian Embassy building - striking location and there was a Mountie we got our pictures taken with. Also, the British Embassy, which was a let down - just sort of a big open room in a 1960ish building. One of the Scandinavian countries has an amazing modern building - all wood and set back in the trees - Finland, maybe?

Then there are the one's for countries you've never heard of...some of them look like their about to fall down and with dead landscaping.

This is certainly true of various Visa offices in Chicago. The Indian office is spot on DMV, right down to the guy at the front who demands to review your paperwork, the long rows of plastic chairs, the "next customer" number board and the surly workers who seem to look for any reason to deny you a Visa.

China is even funnier. Hidden away on an upper floor of a generic office building, the guard at the front door of the building just sighs and hands you the special sign in sheet for the Visa Office. You then go up to a dusty office that's crammed with people. Complete with security equipment that's turned off and shoved into a corner, along with a pay-per copy machine with a "broken" sign on it that clearly been there for years. The latter is important since there are several signs saying you need an extra copy of your passport information page, a fact that is included in NONE of their online instructions. They clearly have a deal going with a commercial visa broker down the hall who will gladly make those copies for only $2.00 per sheet.

emma69

I've been to a few really lovely embassies belonging to various nations, including one in Tokyo that had a fantastic little Japanese garden in the middle. But most are grey concrete offices that are very boring!

There's an embassy in the building in which I work, a few floors below me. I imagine it looks pretty identical to where I sit day in and day out! And I wonder about that one practically too - since surely they can't 'own' the space in the same way a free standing building could be?

rickg523

You didn't take them to the Cthulhu sanctuary and temple on the fifth level below the Pentagon's central courtyard?

JY1024

The USA forum was only created a few years ago, so we will now shift this discussion over there. Thanks. /JY1024, TravelBuzz co-moderator

GUWonder

Indeed it's not American soil, regardless of who owns the building. But part of the host country enforcing its laws includes enforcing its multilateral and bilateral treaties/conventions. It's the legal agreements that give birth to the waiving of jurisdictional application by the host country, when it comes to diplomats and diplomatic facilities.

cestmoi123

I don't see the idea that certain government functions require an appointment to be that unreasonable. If there's no appointment, then no reason to allow you into the building.

Toshbaf

Maybe just take a selfie on the outside and move on?

BuildingMyBento

Can't add pages anymore...thus, no reason for me to visit.

Besides, US consulates/embassies aren't welcoming to anyone (which is purposeful under a veil of security).

GUWonder

Given how difficult it has become to get a timely appointment for some American citizen services, I'm increasingly finding the appointment requirement for US citizens to be unreasonable. Given the appointment system can be used by the government to deny or otherwise frusrtrate US citizens' ability to exercise some rather fundamental rights in a timely manner, I am increasingly finding the appointment system for US citizens to be unreasonable. Given the appointment system doesn't work so well for US citizens who may have large number of dependent, immediate family members of such age in such location under such circumstances that further family separation isn't an easy or inexpensive option, I am finding the appointment requirement for US citizens to be unreasonable. At first when this online appointment regime was implemented, I wasn't finding it that unreasonable. Now, it's a different story.

This appointment requirement has become a matter of US citizens paying the same or more, waiting the same or more and getting no more than before from our embassies/consulates. And for our citizens who are only resident outside of the US, this kind of regime adds insult to injury given our citizenship-based taxation and other extraterritorial arrangements already make US citizens abroad a sort of second class US citizen and a second class resident abroad in some ways.

FlyingHoustonian

Careful with that; most have signs prohibiting photos even outside and the local cops will sometimes enforce it if you are too obvious. In most cases you would be taking a picture of a tall wall anyway...

I actually watched the Chilango cops stop a guy at the US Embassy in MExico City a few weeks ago while he tried a photo. Have seen it at others as well. I of course got a photo at the State of Texas trade office in the Sheraton next door

I have been in over 40 US Embassies and Consulates over the last 10-12 for briefings based on some different work I was involved with---as others have noted you are not missing much in most cases. Some have some nice gardens like the Consulate in Fukuoka but are still sterile inside. The lobby in London was nice at one point 12+ years ago but that might have changed. WAs in the Merida consulate a few weeks ago and it fit the mold of standard gov't office building too.