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Legalisation of documents from Cuba for use in the Netherlands

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You want to use a document from Cuba in the Netherlands. You must first have it legalised by the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Then you must have it legalised by the Dutch embassy in Havana.

Attention: If you want to use a Dutch document in Cuba, see Legalisation of Dutch documents for use abroad.

Good to know

  • Documents in Spanish must be translated for use in the Netherlands.
  • Your document must be original and complete. If it refers to other documents or annexes, these must be included.

Legalisation of documents from Cuba is a three-step process.

Step 1: Having your document translated

If your document is in Spanish, you must have it translated into Dutch, English, French or German by a sworn translator.

  1. Have the document translated by a sworn translator.
  2. Have the original and the translation legalised.

Go to step 2.

  • Have the original document legalised in Cuba.
  • Have the legalised document translated by a sworn translator in the Netherlands. You do not need to have the translation legalised. You can find a sworn translator on the Legal Aid Council website.

Go to step 2. 

Step 2: Legalisation by the Cuban authorities

Have your document and, if applicable, the translation legalised by the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Step 3: Legalisation by the Dutch embassy in Havana

Have your document and, if applicable, the translation legalised by the Dutch embassy in Havana.

To have a document legalised you do not need an appointment. 

You can come by without an appointment on the following days and times:

  • Monday, Tuesday and Thursday between 11:00 and 11:30 AM.

Please check the closing days of the embassy before you come.

The overview of consular fees tells you how much you will have to pay and which payment methods are accepted.

You can collect our document after 1 week. When you visit the embassy, the embassy will tell you when you can collect your document.

The embassy does not send documents by post. 

Once your document has been legalised it is fit for use in the Netherlands. 

It is then also fit for use in Aruba, Curaçao, St Maarten, Bonaire, Saba and St Eustatius.

Don’t have the document you need? 

Find out below where to obtain a document that you need but do not yet have. 

You can get a Cuban birth certificate (certificación de nacimiento) from any of the following 4 authorities in Cuba:

  1. the civil status records office in the municipality where the birth took place
  2. the civil status records office in Havana
  3. the Consultoría Jurídica Internacional
  4. the Bufete de Servicios Especializados (in Spanish)

Cuba only issues original birth certificates. When requesting a document, explain that you need to use it abroad.

Getting a Cuban birth certificate in the Netherlands

Cuban nationals living in the Netherlands can get an original birth certificate in any of the following 4 ways:

  1. from the Cuban consulate in Rotterdam
  2. through a family member or friend in Cuba
  3. directly from the Consultoría Jurídica Internacional
  4. directly from the Bufete de Servicios Especializados (in Spanish)

You can get civil status documents from any of the following 4 authorities in Cuba:

  1. the civil status records office in the municipality where the event occurred
  2. the civil status records office in Havana
  3. the Consultoría Jurídica Internacional
  4. the Bufete de Servicios Especializados (in Spanish)

You can request official copies of:

  • a marriage certificate (certificación de matrimonio)
  • a divorce certificate (certificación de divorcio)
  • a death certificate (certificación de defunción)

You can get a certificate of unmarried status (fe de soltería) from the local civil status records office. The certificate is valid for 180 days from the date of issue.

If you need to obtain another type of document, find out from the local authorities where you can do that.

After legalisation

Verification of your document in the Netherlands

Legalisation does not prove the authenticity of a document or the truthfulness of its content. A municipality in the Netherlands, the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) or another authority may decide to verify these things. Legalisation of your document simply means that your document bears the correct signature.

How recently must your document have been issued or legalised

Organisations have different requirements for how recently your document must have been issued and legalised. For more information, contact the organisation in the Netherlands requesting the document.

Contact

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

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