After my 60 days of cruising on SV Kismet in Indonesia, I flew to Singapore for a 3-day visa run and to stock up on things to bring back for the boat. On the day of my return flight, I came back to the airport with my backpack and cardboard box of goods to check. I arrived at the airline check-in counter, handed over my passport, and placed the box on the scale. The airline lady flipped through my passport and informed me I did not have sufficient space in my passport to enter Indonesia.
My passport had been filling up with stamps for some time and I was planning to renew my passport when I went home for the holidays, not thinking this was a legitimate reason to be denied entry into a country. However, it seems Indonesia took my lack of passport space very seriously and the airline lady confirmed with Indonesian immigration that I would be denied entry upon arrival. So, it looked like I wasn’t going back to Indonesia until I got a new passport sorted.
Unfortunately, the US government does not allow for additional passport pages to be added but the US Embassy can provide an emergency passport, issued within 24 hours and good for one year, in case a passport becomes stolen or unusable. So, I called the US Embassy in Singapore and explained my situation and was annoyed to find out that Indonesia does not accept emergency passports.
The only way I was getting back to Indonesia would be to do a full passport renewal, estimated to take up to 10 business days from the day I submitted my application at the US Embassy. I asked her when the next appointment was and she instructed me to check online and that I could also send an e-mail to the office of American Citizen Services to see if they could squeeze me in sooner. So, I sent off the email and went online to check the next available appointments. Panic set in as I saw the next appointment wasn’t for another two months.
I called Kevin on SV Kismet to let him know I would be missing my flight and was unsure when I could return. He was understanding and suggested I should look into the ferry that goes from Singapore to the closest Indonesian port of Batam. So, I frantically picked up my box and hopped on and off the subways on my way to the port. I arrived at the ticket counter and was relieved to find multiple departing ferries scheduled that day and I handed over my passport and credit card.
Then, I remembered a story of some sailing friends who had checked out of a country and needed to reenter, without checking into a different country and the legal bureaucracy and struggles it caused them, ultimately getting them deported. I realized that if I was able to check out of Singapore and get on this ferry, officially getting denied entry into Indonesia would probably cause me even more issues down the road. So, I told the ticket counter I changed my mind.
I found a quiet space to sit down and think of a solution. Without any available appointments at the US Embassy, I could potentially be stuck in Singapore for a while. Although I love Singapore, it’s expensive and it’s easy to spend $80-$100 per day between food and hostel accommodation. So, decided to check the US Embassy website in Malaysia and was relieved to find the next available appointment was the following Wednesday and got a time slot for 11 am. I sent the Embassy an email to see if they could fit me in sooner and flipped through my passport, finding a tiny quadrant that might just be big enough for one last stamp.
Next, I looked at the timetables for buses going to Kuala Lumpur and found one leaving in 40 minutes. If I caught the subways just right, I might be able to make it! I frantically grabbed my box and power walked back to the train station, took two different subways, and found the bus waiting outside of the station. My hands shook with adrenaline as I typed in my credit card information into the app, buying my ticket as I boarded.
An hour later, we arrived at the border crossing and departed the bus to check out of Singapore, then got back on to cross the river and enter Malaysia. Once across, we exited the bus once more to go through immigration. The immigration officer also informed me my passport was too full but I showed him a printout of my appointment confirmation at the US Embassy and he shrugged his shoulders, stamping the last tiny void. Then, customs asked me to open my cardboard box which, from the logo printed on it, I soon realized was previously used to import alcohol, a big “no-no” in a Muslim country. To their relief, my box only contained a variety of sauces and diving gear and they let me go, confused as to why I would be traveling with such items.
Once back on the bus, I hop on my phone to sort out accommodation in Kuala Lumpur, noticing a new email notification and my heart sank as I learned the US Embassy in Singapore could fit me in the next morning, at 8 am. My rushed decision to leave Singapore was now costing me almost a full week of delay. Since it was a direct bus, hopping off and going back wasn’t an option so I sat for the next 4 hours regretting my decision to act in such a desperate mindset.
Luckily, I was able to get an apartment for the week in Kuala Lumpur in my favorite building which also happened to be near where the bus dropped us off. It was nearly 8 pm by the time I arrived, filthy from running around all day, tired from carrying this heavy box, and famished from hardly eating. After dinner and a shower, I tried to reaffirm that I made the right decision to come to Malaysia and trusted that everything would work out.
The next morning, I woke up at 8 am and received an e-mail from the Malaysian US Embassy saying they could fit me in that day if I could arrive before 9:30 am. I had 1.5 hours to get my passport pictures and paperwork printed and get to the Embassy. I quickly used the US Government website to reformat a recent picture of myself (since I was in no condition to take a picture for a document I would need for the next 10 years), and miraculously found a printing store open.
I took a Grab (southeast Asian Uber) to the print shop which luckily had an ATM located next to it. I handed over my files on a USB stick and the woman working said she didn’t think the photo met the formatting requirements for a passport photo, there wasn’t enough space between my head and the edge of the photo. I insisted that, although I agreed with her, I had used the US Government website to format it and to print it as fast as possible.
With the documents in hand, I got in another Grab who dropped me off exactly at 9:30 am in front of the US Embassy. I was so relieved that I almost cried but my heart sank as I saw the line of over 100 people standing in line outside. The security guard spotted my American passport and motioned me to go directly to the window. I handed over my proof of appointment and driver’s license, then passed through the security clearance without waiting at all. American passport perks!
I walked across the courtyard and entered a building filled with people applying for American visas. I was greeted, given a number, and sat down, noticing that several people standing in line were looking enviously at my American passport. I had a moment of gratitude for the immense privilege of being born where I was and the opportunities that were given to me because of this.
Soon, my number was called and I presented my documents and explained my situation. The woman looked through everything and stopped, noticing my passport photos, commenting that she wasn’t sure if they would be accepted because there wasn’t enough margin around my head. I assured her that I used the US Government website to format the pictures but she went to go check with her supervisor. Once again, I waited there, mentally kicking myself for being in a rush and not letting the print store take backup pictures. Luckily, the woman said they would be accepted and I prayed there wouldn’t be any further issues once my application reached the US for processing.
The woman at the counter informed me I would receive an e-mail once my passport was ready and the expedited processing time was normally 10 business days. I checked to make sure there weren’t any federal holidays in either the US or Malaysia and that 10 days meant two weeks. Now I just needed to figure out what to do in Malaysia for this unplanned visit!