Cuban special powers of attorney by purpose
The Cuban Consular Office in Washington, DC publishes nine model requests for special powers (poderes especiales), Anexos 23 to 31, one for each common act in Cuba: buying or selling a home, buying or selling a car, getting married, a notarial divorce, a donation, releasing cargo from a shipping container, a deed of authorization to correct a civil registry entry, and a generic model. A special power costs $150.00, plus $20.00 per sheet, under the US column of Cuba’s consular fee schedule, Resolución 38/2023 (checked October 19, 2026). This guide sets out what each model asks for.
For the general power of attorney, the full notarial fee table and the legalization of US documents, see our guide to the Cuban power of attorney (poder notarial).
What the consulate says special powers are for
The consular services page says notarial services let the applicant “autorizar a otra persona en Cuba a realizar en su nombre acciones concretas o referidas a un bien u objeto, ya sea de vivienda, registros de vehículos, donación de inmuebles, permutas, venta de auto, divorcio, etc.” (authorize another person in Cuba to carry out specific actions on their behalf, or actions about a property or object, such as housing, vehicle registration, donation of real estate, home exchanges, car sales, divorce and so on). For special powers it adds: “revise los siguientes anexos en este sitio antes de visitar nuestra Oficina Consular” (review the following annexes on this site before visiting our Consular Office).
The nine forms at a glance
| Anexo | Purpose | Specific data the form asks for | Copies or conditions on the form |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | Buying a home (compra de viviendas) | Address of the home to be bought; clauses to include in the power | Photocopy of the home’s property title |
| 24 | Buying or selling a car (compra venta de autos) | Parents’ names of both parties; make, model, year, color, engine number, chassis number and plate | Copies of the car’s title (propiedad) and registration (circulación) |
| 25 | Getting married (contraer matrimonio) | Data of the future spouse (contrayente), including parents’ names and level of schooling | None listed |
| 26 | Notarial divorce (divorcio notarial) | Spouse’s data; date of the marriage; registry tomo and folio; municipal civil registry; children, parental authority, child support and visitation | None listed |
| 27 | Donation (donación) | Data of the recipient (donatario); address of the donated home | Representative cannot be the beneficiary; photocopy of the property title is mandatory |
| 28 | Releasing cargo from a container (sacar carga de contenedor) | Detailed reasons for being represented; container number, bill of lading (BL), the total consigned, its numbering and the total kilograms of unaccompanied baggage | None listed |
| 29 | Deed of authorization (escritura de autorización) to correct a civil registry entry | The minor’s name, birthplace, date of birth and age; tomo and folio of the entry to be corrected; the procedures the power is for | None listed |
| 30 | Selling a home (venta de viviendas) | Address of the home to be sold; clauses to include in the power | Photocopy of the home’s property title |
| 31 | Generic special power (poder especial) | Parents’ names of both parties; clauses to include in the power | None listed |
Source: the model request PDFs linked from the “Notariales” section of the Cuban Consular Office’s page, checked October 19, 2026.
What every form asks
All nine forms carry the heading “Oficina Consular de Cuba en Estados Unidos” and two similar blocks (Anexo 25 asks the grantor’s migration status only if the grantor is Cuban; Anexos 24 and 31 have no sex field):
- Poderdante (the person granting the power) and apoderado (the representative in Cuba): full name, place of birth (municipality and province), date of birth, marital status, citizenship, occupation, address and Cuban permanent ID number or passport number.
- Migration status of each party: “residente en el territorio nacional o emigrado” (resident in Cuba or emigrated).
- The poderdante’s e-mail and cell phone, the request date and the poderdante’s signature.
Home purchase, sale and donation (Anexos 23, 27 and 30)
The purchase and sale models ask for the address of the home and leave space for “cláusulas a incluir en el poder” (clauses to include in the power). Both say to present a photocopy of the property title of the home (“fotocopia de la propiedad de la vivienda”).
The donation model adds a block for the donatario (recipient) and the address of the home being donated. Its note says “no puede ser el apoderado la persona que se va a beneficiar, es obligatorio presentar fotocopia de la propiedad de la vivienda” (the representative cannot be the person who will benefit; a photocopy of the home’s property title is mandatory).
Car purchase or sale (Anexo 24)
This model asks for the names of the parents of both the poderdante and the apoderado, and a vehicle block: make, model, year, color, engine number, chassis number and license plate (matrícula). It says, in capitals, that the applicant must provide a copy of the car’s title and of its registration (“copia de la propiedad de auto y de la circulación del mismo”).
Marriage and notarial divorce (Anexos 25 and 26)
The marriage model adds the future spouse’s data, including the names of that person’s parents and their level of schooling (nivel de escolaridad). To have a US marriage recognized in Cuba instead, see registering a US marriage with Cuba.
The notarial divorce model asks for the marriage data: the other spouse’s personal data and, if Cuban, migration status; the date the marriage was celebrated; the registry entry (tomo and folio); and the civil registry of the municipality. A section headed “especificar si tienen hijos” (state whether there are children) asks who will hold parental authority (patria potestad), the child’s name, child support (pensión alimenticia) and the visitation arrangement (régimen de comunicación).
Shipping container (Anexo 28)
The container model asks the applicant to “especifique detalladamente los motivos” (state in detail the reasons) for being represented, and then describes the shipment as unaccompanied baggage sent to Cuba (“despacho de equipaje no acompañado”): the container number, the bill of lading (BL), the total consigned (“consignando un total de”), its numbering and the total weight in kilograms.
Deed of authorization to correct a registry entry (Anexo 29)
Its full title is “Solicitud de poder especial para escritura de autorización para subsanar asiento de inscripción en el Registro del Estado Civil” (special power for a deed of authorization to correct an entry in the Civil Registry). It asks for the data of the entry to be corrected: the minor’s name, place and date of birth, age, and the entry’s tomo and folio, then asks which procedures the power is granted for.
A separate power covers a minor’s Cuban passport and travel abroad: Anexo 21, explained in our guide to the Cuban minor’s passport and travel authorization.
Generic special power (Anexo 31)
For acts without their own model, Anexo 31 is a generic special-power request. Besides both parties’ data, it asks for the names of their parents and leaves space for the clauses to include. The consular page names home exchanges (permutas) and vehicle registrations among notarial matters but does not publish a dedicated model for them.
Fees
| Item (Resolución 38/2023, US column) | Fee (USD) |
|---|---|
| Special power for divorce, marriage, permuta, a minor’s departure and others, with issuance of the Concuerda (14.c) | $150.00 |
| In addition, per sheet or fraction (14.f) | $20.00 |
| General, administration, lawsuit or will power, with issuance of the Concuerda (14.b), for comparison | $210.00 |
| Revocation with issuance of the Concuerda (15) | Half the fee charged for granting it |
Resolución 38/2023, signed June 29, 2023, as published by the Cuban Consular Office in Washington; checked October 19, 2026. The model forms themselves do not state a fee.
Payment is by USPS Postal Money Order only; the consular page says a request paid with any other money order is returned.
The consular page says the USPS money order must be completed carefully and legibly in black or blue ink, without strike-outs or blots (checked October 23, 2026).
Where and how
- Office: 2639 16th St NW, Washington, DC 20009, open to the public Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 12:00 noon (Nota Informativa No. 1/2024).
- Channel: the page tells applicants to review the annexes “antes de visitar nuestra Oficina Consular” (before visiting our Consular Office). It does not describe a mail or agency route for these special powers.
- Questions: (202) 797-8518 or recepcion@usadc.embacuba.cu, Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
The page does not publish processing times, how long a power remains valid, or how the original reaches Cuba. Cuba’s new Migration, Citizenship and Foreigners laws, published May 5, 2026, take effect 180 days later; the consular page as checked on October 19, 2026 describes special powers as above.
Related information
- Cuban power of attorney (poder notarial)
- Cuban minor’s passport and travel authorization
- Legalizing US documents for use in Cuba
- Registering a US marriage with Cuba
- Cuban civil registry certificates from the US
- Cuban Consular Office in Washington, DC
- All Cuban consular procedures
- Find an attorney: find pro bono immigration legal help (no referral fees or commissions)
Official sources
- Embassy of Cuba in the US: Servicios consulares, section “Notariales”.
- Model requests (PDF): Anexo 23, Anexo 24, Anexo 25, Anexo 26, Anexo 27, Anexo 28, Anexo 29, Anexo 30, Anexo 31
- Resolución 38/2023 on the consular fee schedule (PDF): sections 14 and 15
Last verified: 2026-10-19. This is general information, not legal advice. Consult an attorney for your specific situation. 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, and with whoever will use the power in Cuba.