Originally Posted by
FlyingUnderTheRadar
Years ago I needed extra pages to my passport so transit between countries with less than ideal Arab-Israeli relationships. I walked into the US Embassy in Cairo. I have to say it was impressive to have a Marine greet me.
That said given the world has changed I am not surprised access is difficult especially as now Visas are needed by many people one can not just show up like I did.
My only visit to an US Embassy was in Stockholm in 1999 to file for Mrs. Swede's Green Card application. We arrived about 10 minutes before the Embassy opened, and there was already a crowd waiting at the guard house at the gate. Exactly at the top of the hour, a Marine comes out and says, "US citizens, please." We make our way through the crowd, show my US passport, check-in with a very courteous Marine, go through security, then go into the Embassy.
To make things even better, Mrs. Swede's Green Card took just six weeks (including the Christmas holiday, to boot) from submission to a stamp in her Swedish passport.