COUNTRY PROFILES
This is the first of a series of profiles that our notaries and the rest of the team will be preparing about the various jurisdictions our clients deal with. The idea is to offer an overview of the most common types of documents that our public notaries are requested to notarise for a specific country and the typical requirements of that country’s authorities, especially when it comes to the format and need for legalisation of documents issued by public notaries in England and Wales.
COUNTRY PROFILE – CUBA
| AT A GLANCE – NOTARISATION AND LEGALISATION FOR CUBA: | |
| Official language(s): | Spanish |
| Legalisation requirements: | Foreign Office apostille and Cuban Consulate legalisation. The Cuban Consulate usually takes 24 hours to process legalisations. |
| Translations required?: | Yes, the translations must be legalised by the Foreign Office and by the Cuban Consulate in London before being sent to Cuba. |
| Legalisation fees: | Foreign Office charges £30 per document for their standard postal service or £75 per document for their London-based same-day service Cuban Consulate in London charges £83 per document. N.B. All legalisation fees are based on information available at the time of writing but can change from time to time. |
| Address and contact details: | Cuban Consulate: 167 High Holborn, London WC1V 6PA T: 020 7240 7463 Cuban Embassy: 167 High Holborn, London WC1V 6PA T: 020 7240 2488 Website: http://www.cubadiplomatica.cu/reinounido Nearest tubes: Holborn or Tottenham Court Road |
COMMON DOCUMENTS AND REQUIREMENTS:
The two most common types of documents our notaries are requested to notarise for Cuba are papers for couples who wish to get married in Cuba and, for businesses, constitutional documents of UK-registered companies required for submission to Cuban government departments (e.g. CECMED) or to the Central Bank of Cuba (Banco Central de Cuba).
For weddings in Cuba, the most typical documents needed are birth certificates, divorce decrees and certificates of non-impediment to marry or declarations of single status. The documents required can vary slightly depending whether or not one of the marrying parties is Cuban.
For UK companies that are looking to do business in Cuba the most requested documents are the certificate of incorporation and memorandum & articles of association of the company, but other additional documents are often requested, such as an extract of information from Companies House confirming the list of current officers of the company. When certifying the articles of association of a company, it is important to bear in mind that, if they make reference to the ‘model articles’ or, for older companies, to Table A, it might be necessary to present those together with the articles of association of the company.
Regardless of the type of document or transaction, when a document is issued in the UK and needs to be used for official purposes in Cuba, the Cuban authorities will expect the document to have undergone the following process before leaving the UK:
- Translation into Spanish
- Notarial certification of the Spanish translation
- Legalisation at the Foreign Office of both the original document and the notarised translation (the legalisation of the Foreign Office is called an ‘apostille’)
- Legalisation at the Cuban Consulate in London of both the original document and the notarised translation
Additionally, if the original document is not a document issued by a UK public official (or other person whose signature can be legalised by the Foreign Office with an apostille), then the original document will also need to be certified by a notary public before it is submitted to the Foreign Office for legalisation with the apostille.
The translations must be undertaken by a duly qualified translator and the Cuban Consulate in London checks them to ensure their accuracy. When notarising the translations, a notary public may certify the translations directly if he or she speaks Spanish, or may otherwise certify the signature of the professional translator (or translation company) who has arranged the translation.
It is important to bear in mind that, for these purposes, the original document and the translation count as separate documents and therefore need an apostille and a Cuban Consulate legalisation stamp on each.
Our notaries are very familiar with the procedure to have documents certified and legalised for use in Cuba, as well as the associated fees and time frames. Do not hesitate to get in touch by e-mail, telephone or via our contact form if you need assistance with documents for Cuba.
A COUPLE OF FACTS ABOUT CUBAN NOTARIES:
- What are notaries called in Cuba? Notario (a male notary) and Notaria (a female notary).
- What system of notaries does Cuba have? Cuban notaries are civil-law notaries, also known as Latin notaries.
- What to do if you need a notary in Cuba? If you are a UK business and need the services of a Cuban notary, or other professional services in Cuba, UKTI may be able to offer you advice.