[Update 7] My passport may be refused by the Dutch embassy | Not the best news...

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For those new to this story, you can read original post and update 1, and update 2 and update 3 and update 4 and update 5 and update 6 by clicking on the links for more info. Otherwise you may not understand what I'm talking about here.

Since the last update it has been a bumpy ride

Of course we did not expect anything else before we started this process to try to get my passport approved, but still when it is actually looking good and there are again some bumps on the road it feels not nice. Some other obstacles and no cooperation from the people that should cooperate.
Not long after we did the taxes we got an email from the person that my boyfriend is in contact with, that he cannot provide us the email address from the new contact person of our case. Bummer, but ok. But after this he also sent me an email that we can not apply for removal of the debt because it's been too long already. So after this news our happy feelings were gone with the wind once again, and I felt quite desperate for some hours.

Luckily my boyfriend did not let it get to him immediately

And he started to read the email again and again, let it sink in and then he decided he would look up the law that was mentioned in the email. The man said it was not possible to apply for removal also mentioned the specific law that this decision is based on. We did not think of this before, but he went online to research and try to understand every article in this law. It took some hours to investigate, and when he found several articles in this law that we can use against them to convince them they should remove the debt anyway. Because everything that we could not deliver was due to their neglect.

After a while there was this big document including the articles of that law and our defence

We realized that we had to make clear that according to their law they were the first to omit paying us the normal welfare when the business arrangement was finished. We knew they had told us this, but we did not know it is an actual article in this law. Now we understand why they had to approve our appeal back then, because there was no way around it, I guess. So knowing this, we went on with the document. Well, actually the honor goes to my dear boyfriend, he worked for days on the final version (after six previous versions). I was only thinking with him and looking up some information that he requested. Thankfully, because I could not really cope well after this news. Their first mistake was the reason that everything had a domino-effect. And we also remember the lawyer in Holland saying very firmly: "You have a strong case against them". This in mind, we can not just give up!

Someone we know offered to have some people with legal jobs look at it

So she replied yesterday that they feel for us, but the document is too long. But with this she send a document as an example (with several points in it also) we can use, because otherwise they may not even read the document. This is on the to-do-list for tonight, unfortunately work to do, again. But we are thankful that she offered this, and hopefully it will help us get our rights.

I mentioned last time that they actual person on the case did not respond

Well, this person still hasn't respond to anything! Via his colleague (that my boyfriend emailed) he knows that we are trying to contact him, and also because of the lady that should be the contact person on our case according to the embassy forwarded my email to him. I did not even mention the passport thing there, but I requested a specification of the debt. Friday this has been two weeks since I received the notification that my email was sent to him. And this was after she waited two weeks to send this to me. A little bit of math tells you that four weeks have passed (of the eight granted to me) with them once again being in neglect. So now I am finishing an email to the embassy where I will inform them about their neglect, and ask if they have a solution, or maybe can interfere. And I will also ask them about the 129 euro I paid to them for the application, if I get this back if we don't get to a solution within the deadline. I guess I won't but I want to check it. If I will get it back, the timeframe will feel a bit less like a robe around my neck, because I will be able to apply again later paying the costs again. But if I don't receive the money back and this municipality is not cooperating, I will lose money again due to their fault. And that makes me quite angry. I mean, when does this stop?

People advised us to look for a Dutch speaking lawyer

They are apparently much cheaper than in Holland, and they know the Dutch laws. So After this document we need to polish is finished, I hope that by friday (or otherwise the weekend) I will find some of these lawyers, and then I will contact them to ask for advice what to do, and we will probably have to take them to court. And that feels like it will be expensive anyway living in another country. But first things first, do some investigation. I can't imagine that a lawyer here will be cheaper in the end, because of going to court in Holland. But I am no expert, so I can only find out when I ask around. Apparently the embassy (according to a colleague of my boyfriend) can provide legal assistance. I can't find this online, so I will ask in the email to the embassy if this is the case.

Not the best update, but at least it's keeping us busy