Medical Exam.
March 12, 2001
Not an adventure like Wim a couple of day's ago.
So you can see it can be routine also.
Monday traffic to Amsterdam is always a mess so I left at 6AM to ensure arrival at 8:30AM although it is only one hour from my house. I managed to be there at 8:15 so not bad. There where already about 8 people waiting outside the gate. Just before 8:30 several people started to ring the bell. There was no answer.... DUH..... Ok after a few minutes the guard came out and unlocked the gate. The first person rang the bell and stated his purpose, the guard buzzed open the gate. Other people in line also went through the gate and he made them go back outside and each had to state their purpose ( felt like a game show on TV). Inside the gate was another line to enter the building. One man was upset and requested to be let in because he had an 8:30 appointment. The guard said... Oh I do not mind you have to wait..... hahahahahaha SO I think a lot of people had instructions to be there at 8:30.....Yah, and the instructions say 8:30 SHARP. (so you can line up twice!)
Learning from experience, I left my little knife home so no sound of the detector..... Then I was directed to a window and my name was put on a list. Ok another wait started... But in about 10 minutes I was called to a window and had to hand over all my papers. (see the list of form OF-171 here). The man said to me he wished all people had their papers organized like me. I relaxed a little. Just had everything in the right order and it was all there and it was nice to get a positive comment about all our hard work. After handing over all the papers I was given a form with my picture attached to it, another form to check my vaccinations and a piece of paper with instructions and a map where to go for the x-ray and the medical exam at a doctors Office.
With the instructions and the map I left the consulate, it was a 10 minute walk to the place where the x-ray's were taken. (sorry folks we do not have the so called blocks here.......) There was nobody there so I rang the bell. A woman appeared and asked me for my passport and the sheet of paper with my picture on it. She instructed me to remove my shirt and took the picture. (I was smiling to be sure is would be a nice one....) Then I had to wait until the picture was developed and after I paid 87,50 guilder ($37) I could go to the doctors office. I left the x-ray place about 9:30 and had to be at the doctors office at 11. The walk was about 5 minutes..... again no blocks......:).....
The doctors office was in a old building and a different doctor than WIM, so they have a choice of doctors. After ringing the bell and stating I came for a medical examination requested by the consulate, a woman's voice told me to go to the 3th floor and only the patient was allowed. I could see why when I arrived. There was a very small waiting room(more like a hallway) with 4 chairs in an awful old building. I think this was a family's house before it became a doctors office. The toilet door was also in the waiting room (hall), so no privacy for filling the cup! Also it was very unorganized. The doctors assistant was a little bit of a bitching old lady..... She sent a woman away with the lecture that she must follow the consulate instructions and get your x-ray before you come here! Because I knew she had to take my blood-samples I was giving her my best smile.... Oh yah it helped.....piece of cake, did not feel a thing.
After giving a medical history, did a test for eyes and ears and asked me questions about my present health and the health of my family. And with the ear test I played a joke on her. She was whispering numbers in Dutch and I answered in English.... I got a smile back.... so after all she did have a sense of humor.
What was so weird about giving a urine sample was that I saw the same metal jar a few times going in and out of the toilet with other people. One woman used it before me and another woman after me...... So if my urine test reveals I'm pregnant I will hear soon...... Then the doctor did some regular exams, nothing special--look in your mouth, feel your stomach, listen to your breathing, heart and get your blood pressure. And that's all it was. After I paid the fee of 220 guilder ($93) I was done and could go.
That's all there is.......so keep cool......no stress........ you have enough time to walk between the consulate, x-ray and the doctors office. I was on my way home at 11AM with a big smile on my face knowing all that is left is to pick up the visa in 7 days.
Klaas.
ABOUT THE VACCINATION REQUIREMENTS
You need some vaccinations prior to the issuance of an immigrant visa.
I went to my home-doctor and the health insurance company did pay the bill. Ask for a statement you had the required shots and bring it with you for the medical exam. Otherwise the assigned doctor at the medical exam will give the vaccinations, you have to pay him cash.
Read the Dutch requirements click here.