Consulates

Legalizing US documents for Cuba: no apostille, $140 each

Cuba is not part of the Apostille Convention: how US documents are legalized at the Cuban consulate in Washington for use in Cuba, with notarized translation, authentications and $140 per document.

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Legalizing US documents for use in Cuba

Cuba is not a party to the Apostille Convention, so a US document that will take effect in Cuba (a birth certificate, a single-status certificate, a divorce decree) is not handled with an apostille: it is legalized and certified at the Cuban consular office, the only one in the country, at the Cuban Embassy in Washington, DC. Before reaching the consulate, the document is translated into Spanish with a notary’s certification and authenticated by the state that issued it and by the federal Department of State. The consulate charges $140.00 USD to legalize the original and $140.00 USD to legalize the translation, plus $20.00 USD if filed by mail, paid only by USPS Postal Money Order (fees published by the Cuban Consular Office in Washington, checked October 3, 2026).

Versión en español

Why an apostille does not work

The Hague Conference’s Apostille Convention status table lists 130 contracting parties, and Cuba is not among them (checked October 3, 2026). Cuba’s rule is in Resolución 38/2023 of the Foreign Ministry (MINREX), Annex II, Article 12: “Todos los documentos expedidos en el extranjero para surtir efectos en Cuba deben ser legalizados y certificados por las oficinas consulares” (all documents issued abroad for use in Cuba must be legalized and certified by consular offices). The same article requires a Spanish translation at offices whose jurisdiction covers territories with official languages other than Spanish, and that “tanto el original como la traducción” (both the original and the translation) be legalized and certified.

If the document is going to a country that is a party to the Convention, the process is different: see how to apostille a US document.

The chain, step by step

The consular page describes the chain this way: foreign documents to be used in Cuba “deben ser traducidos al español y certificados por un Notario Público; luego deben ser autenticados por el Departamento de Estado del Estado que los emitió y por el Departamento de Estado Federal” (must be translated into Spanish and certified by a Notary Public; then authenticated by the Department of State of the issuing state and by the federal Department of State).

Original or true copy. Documents issued in the United States “deben ser originales o copias fieles de los originales, debidamente firmados” (must be originals or true copies of the originals, properly signed).
Spanish translation, certified by a Notary Public.
State authentication: the Department of State of the state that issued the document.
Federal authentication: the federal Department of State.
Legalization and certification at the Cuban Consular Office, with the Anexo 22 request and a photocopy of an identity document of the person responsible for the document (“Puede ser la fotocopia del pasaporte”: it can be a copy of the passport).
Payment by USPS Postal Money Order and filing through one of the three channels (below).

For foreigners marrying in Cuba, the page uses shorter wording: the Department of State in Washington DC “debe autenticar los documentos originales (inglés)” (must authenticate the original English documents), and the translation must be notarized “por un notario público, del Estado en que reside” (by a notary public of the state where you live). The general section also mentions authentication by the issuing state; if your case is a marriage in Cuba, confirm with the office which version applies.

Costs

Item	Amount (USD)
Legalization of the original document	$140.00
Legalization of the Spanish translation	$140.00
Non-personal fee (mail only)	$20.00
One document with its translation, in person	$280.00
One document with its translation, by mail	$300.00

Fees published by the Cuban Consular Office in Washington on its consular services page, checked October 3, 2026. The $280.00 and $300.00 figures are published by the page itself.

In Resolución 38/2023, United States column, consular legalization of documents such as foreign civil-status certificates, powers of attorney and translations costs $70.00 (section 24.a) and their certification another $70.00 (25.a), with the note that for documents to take legal effect in Cuba “debe procederse a la legalización y certificación de cada uno” (each must be legalized and certified). Those two lines add up to the $140.00 per document the consular page charges; the breakdown is our reading.

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

The request form (Anexo 22)

The Solicitud de Legalizaciones de Documentos of the Cuban Consular Office in the United States asks for:

Full name of the applicant
Citizenship and marital status
Date of birth and profession
Permanent identity number or Cuban passport number
If Cuban, the migration category: “residente en el territorio nacional o emigrado” (resident in the national territory or emigrated)
Address in the United States, email and cell phone number
The document to be legalized

The “migration category” on the form is the Cuban migration status the form itself names (resident in the national territory or emigrated), not US immigration status.

Foreigners marrying in Cuba

The consular page has a section on the documents a foreign citizen legalizes to marry in Cuba. Each document with its translation costs $280.00 USD in person, and filing by mail adds the $20.00 USD non-personal fee (checked October 3, 2026). The page also asks for a photocopy of an identity document (passport, ID or driver’s license).

Situation	Documents to legalize	What the page publishes
Never married	Birth certificate + single-status certificate or sworn statement (authorized by the civil registry or a notary public)	$280.00 each; total 560.00 USD in person or 580.00 USD by mail
Divorced	Birth certificate + divorce certificate or decree	$280.00 each; total 560.00 USD in person or 580.00 USD by mail
Widowed	Birth certificate + marriage certificate with the former spouse + former spouse’s death certificate	$280.00 each (three documents)
Widowed of a Cuban spouse	Birth certificate + marriage certificate with the former spouse ($280.00 each) + former spouse’s death certificate and the death transcription request form	Death certificate and transcription: “exento de pago” (free of charge)

For a foreigner widowed of a non-Cuban spouse, the page lists three documents at $280.00 but prints the same 560.00 USD / 580.00 USD total it uses for two documents; confirm the amount with the office before buying the money orders.

How to file and pay

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, with an unsealed prepaid return envelope per applicant (the page recommends tracking and a 9.65 USD stamp). 2639 is the walk-in office; 2630 is the mailing address.
Through an agency with a contract with the consular office (lists by state on the consular page).
Payment: USPS Postal Money Order only; with any other money order “su trámite será devuelto” (the request will be returned). The money-order model (Anexo 1) shows Pay to: Embajada de Cuba en Estados Unidos; Address: 2630 16th Street NW Washington, D.C. 20009; and the service paid for in the Memo line.

Official sources

Embassy of Cuba in the US — Servicios consulares (section “Legalización y Certificación de Documentos Extranjeros”)
Anexo 22 — document legalization request
Anexo 1 — Postal Money Order model
Resolución 38/2023 on the consular fee schedule — sections 24 and 25; Annex II, Article 12
HCCH — Apostille Convention status table

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

Frequently asked questions

Can I apostille a US document for use in Cuba?

Under Cuba’s rules, an apostille does not replace the consular procedure. Cuba is not among the 130 contracting parties to the Apostille Convention in the Hague Conference status table (checked October 3, 2026), and Cuba’s Resolución 38/2023 (Annex II, Article 12) says all documents issued abroad for use in Cuba must be legalized and certified by Cuban consular offices.

How much does it cost to legalize a US document at the Cuban consulate?

According to the Cuban Embassy’s consular services page in Washington, checked October 3, 2026: $140.00 USD to legalize the original certificate and $140.00 USD for the Spanish translation, plus a $20.00 USD non-personal fee if done by mail. For one document with its translation: $280.00 in person or $300.00 by mail, figures the page itself publishes in its section for foreigners marrying in Cuba.

In what order does the authentication chain go?

The consular page describes it this way: foreign documents to be used in Cuba must be translated into Spanish and certified by a Notary Public; then they must be authenticated by the Department of State of the state that issued them and by the federal Department of State. They are then legalized and certified at the Cuban Consular Office.

Does the translation also have to be legalized?

Yes. Resolución 38/2023 (Annex II, Article 12) requires a Spanish translation of the original at offices whose jurisdiction covers territories with official languages other than Spanish, and says both the original and the translation must be legalized and certified. The consular page charges $140.00 for each.

What documents does a US citizen need to marry in Cuba?

The consular page lists, for a never-married foreigner, the birth certificate and a single-status certificate or sworn statement; for a divorced foreigner, the birth certificate and the divorce certificate or decree; for a widowed foreigner, the birth certificate, the marriage certificate with the former spouse and the former spouse’s death certificate. Each document with its translation costs $280.00 in person (checked October 3, 2026). If the deceased spouse was Cuban, legalizing their death certificate is free of charge.

Does the migration category on the form mean my US immigration status?

No. Anexo 22 asks for the migration category only if the applicant is Cuban, and the options it names are Cuban ones: resident in the national territory or emigrated (residente en el territorio nacional o emigrado).

How long does legalization take?

The Spanish-language consular services page, checked October 3, 2026, does not publish a timeframe. For questions: (202)-797-8518 or recepcion@usadc.embacuba.cu, Monday to Friday 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

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