Passierschein A38

Etymology
From the 1976 animated film The Twelve Tasks of Asterix. One of the tasks Asterix and Obelix have to solve is finding the permit A38 in The Place That Sends You Mad, which is riddled with extreme bureaucracy and turns the two nearly insane.

Noun

 * 1) An imaginary permit that is impossible to get.

Usage notes
Used in reference to overly bureaucratic institutions or procedures.