So, I am confused and slightly angry.
I just booked my tourist visa appointment.
I got an appointment time of 08:00 EST.
My confusion is, is this time PM or AM? If it's PM, will the consulate at Toronto open at 8PM? Why aren't they mentioning that it's PM or AM?
When I add it to the calendar (in e-mail) it tells me it's PM, and when I see that calendar in Google Maps, it tells me it's AM. Like really, why is it so confusing :(
How do I deal with this kind of time?
The leading zero in 08:00 implies that the time is given in a 24-hour clock, so it is not necessary to specify AM or PM. Your appointment will be at 8 in the morning.
Note that it is common, but usually erroneous, to specify EST during daylight saving time. Your appointment will be at 8 AM according to daylight time or standard time, whichever is in effect on the day in question.
Whenever I see leading zeroes in times without an AM/PM qualifier (e.g. "08:00") in the USA, they always refer to 24-hour time. This means that your appointment is almost certainly at 8 AM.
I would give them a quick call to be certain.
I actually called the third party responsible for scheduling appointments, they told me that it's AM. They sounded pretty obvious about it, like, of course, it's AM. But I am like, you can't be sure unless it's explicitly 'stated' you know. I hope they do attach an AM or PM in the future to make it easier for both sides.
