Consulates

Registering a US death with Cuba: fee-exempt transcription

Death transcription for a Cuban citizen who died in the US: Modelo 13/30 form, authenticated and translated certificate, the fee exemption, and how repatriating a body or ashes starts.

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Registering with Cuba a death that occurred in the United States

When a Cuban citizen dies in the United States, the death is recognized in Cuba through death transcription (transcripción de defunción) at the Cuban consular office in Washington, DC, the only one in the country. According to the consular page, the death “debe ser transcrito en la Oficina Consular cubana, para su asiento en el Registro de Actos y Hechos de Cubanos en el Exterior” (must be transcribed at the Cuban consular office for entry in the registry of Cubans abroad). The procedure is fee-exempt: Cuba’s Resolución 38/2023 exempts death transcriptions and the legalizations, translations and certifications in the file, and the consular page confirms the legalization exemption “hasta nuevo aviso” (until further notice; checked October 3, 2026). What is still required: the US death certificate authenticated by the state and by the federal Department of State, a notarized translation, and the deceased’s Cuban documents.

Versión en español

Costs: what is exempt

Item	Status	Source
Transcription of the death	Exempt	Resolución 38/2023, Cuarto (d)
Legalizations, translations and certifications in the transcription file	Exempt	Resolución 38/2023, Cuarto (o)
Legalizations tied to death transcriptions	Exempt “de forma excepcional y hasta nuevo aviso” (exceptionally, until further notice)	Consular page (measure since COVID-19)
Legalizations, translations and official declarations to move the body or ashes to Cuba	Exempt	Resolución 38/2023, Cuarto (o)

Sources: Resolución 38/2023 (signed June 29, 2023) and the consular services page, checked October 3, 2026.

Two details in the Resolución: the item (o) exemption covers Cuban citizens who died “en la jurisdicción consular” (within the consular jurisdiction), and the item ends with a condition: that the services do not create “erogaciones a cargo del presupuesto de la Oficina Consular o del Estado cubano, salvo autorización expresa” (expenses for the consular office’s or the Cuban State’s budget, unless expressly authorized) by the Ministry. The exemption refers to Cuban consular services; the consular page does not mention what the US state and federal authentications or the notarized translation cost. The consular page, checked October 3, 2026, does not say whether the $20.00 non-personal fee applies when the transcription is sent by mail; confirm with the office.

Timeframe. The Spanish-language consular services page, checked October 3, 2026, does not publish how long transcription takes.

Documents the consulate requires

Death transcription request: Anexo 15, Modelo 13/30 Modificado, properly completed.
Original death certificate, authenticated by the Department of State of the state that issued it and by the federal Department of State.
Spanish translation of the death certificate, certified by a Notary Public.
Photocopy of the deceased’s Cuban identity document and Cuban birth certificate.

Watch the form name. In this section the consular page writes “Modelo de Solicitud de Transcripción de Nacimiento” (birth transcription form), but the form it links at that same point is Anexo 15, “Solicitud de Transcripción de Defunción”. For this procedure, use the death form.

If you need certified copies of the US death certificate, see the guide to vital records by state.

What Modelo 13/30 Modificado asks for

Block	Details
The deceased	Given name(s), surnames, sex, place and date of birth, passport or identity number, age at death, Civil Registry of birth with tomo and folio, marital status, occupation, father’s and mother’s names, permanent address
The death	Date and time, place (hospital or home, with full address), cause of death, illness or condition that directly caused it, name of the physician who certified the death, place of burial
US certificate	Civil Registry “o su equivalente extranjero” (or its foreign equivalent): name, place, municipality, province, country; tomo, folio and date
Requester	Full name, passport or identity number, relationship to the deceased, and address

Step by step

Obtain the original US death certificate.
Authenticate it with the Department of State of the issuing state and with the federal Department of State.
Translate it into Spanish and have the translation certified by a Notary Public.
Fill in Modelo 13/30 Modificado and gather photocopies of the deceased’s Cuban identity document and Cuban birth certificate.
File the package through one of the three channels on the consular page:
- In person: 2639 16th St NW, Washington DC 20009, Monday to Friday 9:00 AM to 12:00 noon (Nota Informativa No. 1/2024, since March 4, 2024).
- By mail: Embassy of the Republic of Cuba, 2630 16th St NW, Washington DC 20009 (2639 is the walk-in office, 2630 the mailing address), with an unsealed prepaid return envelope (the page recommends tracking and a 9.65 USD stamp).
- Through an agency with a contract with the consular office.

Repatriating the body or ashes to Cuba

The consular page, checked October 3, 2026, does not publish a list of steps for repatriation. What it says is: “Cuando se desee trasladar el cadáver o las cenizas de un ciudadano cubano fallecido en el exterior hacia Cuba, aconsejamos que los familiares se comuniquen directamente con los servicios funerarios locales, que le informarán los trámites y diligencias a seguir para estos casos ante nuestra Oficina Consular” (relatives should contact local funeral services directly, which will explain the steps before the Consular Office).

Following that guidance, the starting point is the local funeral home in the United States. On fees, Resolución 38/2023 (Cuarto, item o) exempts the legalizations, translations and official declarations needed to move the body or ashes to Cuba, on the condition that they create no expense for the consular or Cuban State budget.

If the person died in Cuba

Transcription is for deaths that occurred outside Cuba. If the person died in Cuba, the document is the death certificate (certificación de defunción), requested from Cuba with the Anexo 7 form: $20.00 request fee (plus $20.00 by mail) and $100.00 on delivery, according to the consular page checked October 3, 2026. The form accepts the “Registro Civil donde se inscribió la defunción o, en su defecto, la funeraria” (the Civil Registry where the death was recorded or, failing that, the funeral home) where the wake was held. It works the same way as the Cuban birth certificate from the US; the fee for every certificate is in the Cuban civil registry certificates table.

Certificates for inheritance matters in Cuba

The consular page lists two certificates requested from Cuba through the same system, at $100.00 each (checked October 3, 2026): Actos de Última Voluntad (last-will records) and Declaratoria de Herederos (declaration of heirs). Resolución 38/2023 (Annex II, Article 10) requires the request to include the deceased’s death certificate; if it is not provided, the office says it must be obtained and charges for it as a separate service. See the list of Cuban consular procedures. To act in Cuba on the family’s behalf, the consulate offers notarial powers of attorney: see the Cuban power of attorney.

Questions

For questions: (202)-797-8518 or recepcion@usadc.embacuba.cu, Monday to Friday 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, according to the consular page.

Official sources

Embassy of Cuba in the US — Servicios consulares (sections “Transcripción de defunción” and “Traslado de cadáveres a Cuba”)
Anexo 15 — Modelo 13/30 Modificado, death transcription request
Resolución 38/2023 on the consular fee schedule — Cuarto (d) and (o); Annex II, Article 10

Last verified: 2026-10-03. General procedural information for educational purposes. Requirements and exemptions are set by the Cuban Consular Office and can change without notice. Verify directly with the Cuban Consular Office in Washington, DC, and with the funeral home. Not legal advice.

Frequently asked questions

Why must the death of a Cuban citizen in the United States be registered in Cuba?

The Cuban Embassy’s consular services page in Washington says that for the death of a Cuban citizen in the United States to be recognized in Cuba, it must be transcribed at the Cuban Consular Office for entry in the Registro de Actos y Hechos de Cubanos en el Exterior (the registry of acts and events of Cubans abroad).

How much does death transcription cost?

Cuba’s Resolución 38/2023 exempts transcriptions relating to death (Cuarto, item d) and consular services tied to the death of Cuban citizens: legalizations, translations and certifications in the transcription file (item o). The consular page, checked October 3, 2026, adds that since COVID-19 all legalizations tied to these transcriptions are done free of charge, exceptionally and until further notice.

What documents are required?

The completed Modelo 13/30 Modificado (Anexo 15); the original death certificate authenticated by the Department of State of the issuing state and by the federal Department of State; a Spanish translation certified by a Notary Public; and photocopies of the deceased’s Cuban identity document and Cuban birth certificate.

The requirements list mentions a birth transcription form. Which one do I use?

In the death section, the consular page writes Modelo de Solicitud de Transcripción de Nacimiento (birth transcription form), but the form it links at that same point is Anexo 15, Modelo 13/30 Modificado, Solicitud de Transcripción de Defunción. That death form is the one for this procedure.

How is a body or ashes repatriated to Cuba?

The consular page advises relatives to contact local funeral services directly; they will explain the steps to follow before the Consular Office. Resolución 38/2023 (Cuarto, item o) exempts the legalizations, translations and official declarations needed for that transfer, provided they do not create expenses for the consular office’s or the Cuban State’s budget.

What if the person died in Cuba and I need the death certificate?

That is a different procedure: the death certificate is requested from Cuba with the Anexo 7 form, with a $20.00 request fee (plus $20.00 by mail) and $100.00 on delivery, according to the consular page checked October 3, 2026. The form accepts the Civil Registry where the death was recorded or, failing that, the funeral home where the wake was held.

Which inheritance-related certificates can be requested from Cuba?

The consular page lists the Certificación de Actos de Última Voluntad (last-will records) and the Certificación de Declaratoria de Herederos (declaration of heirs), at $100.00 each (checked October 3, 2026). Under Resolución 38/2023 (Annex II, Article 10), the request must include the deceased’s death certificate; if it is not provided, the office says it must be obtained and charges for it as a separate service.

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