We were warned already in the Obuda municipality back in June that with both parents holding foreign non-EU passports Maia's birth certificate will need to wait for 30 days before being issued. What we did not understand is when the 30 days start running.

The explanation of the municipality officer was that we need not worry, all the papers will be passed by the hospital to the municipality in District XIV where the hospital is. From there, she explained, they will be forwarded to the mysterious high authority which deals with foreign baby birth certificates. This authority would then take 30 days and send everything to the Obuda municipality where we are registered currently.

Ever skeptical for Hungarian, as any other, bureaucracy, I begged Emese to call the Zuglo municipality and ask what is the status of Maia's papers. She did on Tuesday. Surprisingly they told her that the papers are with them, but they are not doing anything with them until the parents appear to them in person.

It was a tough requirement, so Emese asked whether one parent wouldn't be enough. Yes, was the answer, but a handwritten authorization should be issued by the second parent. That is how I ended up driving up to Zuglo with a piece of paper in hand written by Emese, authorizing me to pick any documents related to Maia.

Not knowing what to expect, and based on my experience with authorities in Hungary, I made a last minute change of clothes, putting on a black jacket, a shirt and long trousers. It always helps looking more solid and speaking English in front of Hungarian bureaucrats. Somehow they treat you with more respect.

Another, pleasant surprise, was the fact that the receptionist at the Zuglo municipality spoke English - probably because she was the youngest on staff. It took less than 10 minutes before my number showed on the electronic screen and I was invited to one of the small municipal offices.

There sat an impressive lady, seemingly in her late 40s, in a short skirt and somewhat glossy stockings, looking very serious and busy. No surprise this time - she spoke no word of English. The room was arranged in an interesting way - there was her desk, and a small chair, on which she had put her handbag. No chair for a visitor - so I had to stand and look at hear from a superior point of view. I hope she liked it.

After looking through my authorization, Emese and my IDs, she picked Maia's file from somewhere under her desk. Then she pointed to the corridor behind my back and muttered something, which I understood as "please, take a seat". I walked out in the corridor, but continued standing, trying to look well intentioned but serious.

After 5 minutes another, much younger woman appeared. She spoke English. INterestingly, she demonstrated a mixture of two quite opposite attitudes while talking to me. On one hand she appeared very kind, willing to help and curious to talk to a foreigner. On the other, I could sense the usual superior attitude, so typical for Central and Eastern Europe, of an official talking to an ordinary citizen, from the standpoint of administrative power, and having the unconditional last word.

I tried my best to discourage the second type of attitude by enforcing and appealing to the first - a well tried winning strategy. Whenever she would say "you need to leave your phone with us and wait for our call", I would smile not understandingly and suggest that I give them a phone call.

Something a Hungarian would probably not be allowed was possible for me: asking questions like: "Why does it take so long?" and "But maybe we could get this approval a bit quicker?". I could see how amazed they were - not used to giving any explanations in their normal communication with visitors.

It took a phone call to Emese to clarify that I will not be getting anything from them. It turned out they simply wanted to see may face and that was enough. And the handwritten paper was unnecessary, it turned out , because "you are the father of course". Apparently Emese had spoken to someone else on the phone. It is scary to think that every official can have his/her own version of what is needed and what needs to be done. And these procedures are not written anywhere of course - so there is no way to check them and be prepared.

My outfit had its effect though. In the last moment I convinced them to give me the name and telephone number of the person in the mysterious high authority, who would be sitting on Maia's birth certificate for 30 days. A tabu in other circumstances, as I understood - no plebs would be allowed to communicate directly with this authority.

Two more things were key to this success: my diplomatic card; and the innocent invention that "of course it would not be myself calling, but there is someone from my organization... which works through the ministry of foreign affairs... and because we are all diplomats and need to travel... there is a special service to speed things up..." etc. etc.

Actually I truly believe what I told them makes sense. Holding a new born baby's certificate for 30 days because the parents are foreigners is an absurd. For what else can they do but issue it after all? Without this certificate a baby cannot have an identity document of any kind, so they would not even be able to expulse her from the country, i case that's what they decide after the 30 days. So this is all Catch 22, and I wonder who and when can help Hungary - and Bulgaria, and all poor countries around this region - get out of this post-communist administrative mess. Apparently not the EU - as Hungary is a member already.

May be things work better in Estonia - Marje is that so?