What to Do If a Government Office Keeps Sending You in Circles

Office A says you need a stamp from Office B. Office B says that is Office A's job. You are stuck in a loop, and each visit costs you half a day. The moment you realize you are being sent in circles, stop moving and start documenting. Ask each office to give you their refusal or referral in writing, and ask them to cite the specific regulation or internal rule they are relying on.

Once you have written refusals from both sides, you have leverage. Escalate to a supervisor, file a complaint with the ombudsman or citizen services office, or contact the institution's public hotline. Bureaucratic circles break when someone creates a paper trail that makes the dysfunction visible.