Passport, safe conduct and the trials of the immigration office

Generally speaking, I'm not the fondest proponent of the public services in Costa Rica. I gather every country is the same most of the time but in my case these services feel like they were stablished only to prove that the accumulated store of human patience does indeed run limitless. As does the infinite abyss of bureaucratic paperwork. 

Today we are trying to do the paperwork for my son's passport. It really started months ago when we began the process of asking for an appointment online. 

This is the thing, just because you have an appointment it doesn't mean you actually have a set time that you will be tended to. 

The appointment is more of a guideline. More on that later. 

Once we got here we begin the "Security clearance" dance. 

Empty your pockets, show me your hands, walk through the gate.  You beep. Oh you still have your belt on. Yeah love along. 

A kid with a stroller walked in behind me. All metal. He beeped to high heavens. Yeah let's not check him. That would be harassment. Clearly if you want to smuggle big quantities of metal your best bet is to hide it in crutches. Just saying. 

Inside though we make it on time for our 8:15 appointment. That actually means we had to be here by 8. Only to be told at 8:20 that the queue is so far ONLY for appointments that are scheduled before 8:05

That's the queue at 8:39. They are still serving people from before 8:06. 

The little LED sign though? Totally useless it tells you what paperwork you had to bring in to be here. I mean once you are here, what good is that when 90% of the paperwork can NOT be obtained in this building?

I guess it helps in filtering out those people that were clueless enough to be here without even the most basic of requirements, but I believe it would better serve by stating <Now serving XX:XX>

It does beg the question though, how can this be the case EVERY single day at the immigration office?  If it is always this packed has no one really asked how to reduce the times, increase efficiency and drive costs down?

Probably they did. And since this is the government got summarily dismissed for questioning the status quo. 

8:45, queue has disappeared. I'm told it's because they asked everyone that had to be here after 8:10 to sit the hell down. 

As such people started queuing again immediately afterwards. Again.