Cuban regime extends validity of criminal record certificates

The Cuban regime decided to extend the validity of criminal record certificatesfrom six months to one year in duration.

To this end, the Cuban Ministry of Justice (MINJUS) implemented and promulgated theResolution 609/2023, which extends the validity of the Criminal Record Certification in the country.

This certification is a crucial and legally recognized document to verify the existence or absence of a person's criminal record, being essential in national and international procedures, especially in immigration cases.

The scarcity of resources and the wave of emigrants caused by themigration crisis current have caused acollapse in civil registries to obtain and legalize documents, as well as in other offices where documents required for these Cubans are processed.

Resolution 609 establishes that, as of November 30, 2023, criminal record certificates will be valid for one year from their date of issuance, in contrast to the six months of validity they previously had.

This extension of the validity seeks to solve the previous problem, where the certificates expired before the interested parties could complete their legalization processes, due to the collapse caused in the different offices and administrations, including the legalizations carried out by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MINREX). ).

"It was time. There are people who have the certificates in their hand, ready to take effect abroad, but they have already expired, or are about to expire,” a notary commented to this editorial office after the publication of the Official Gazette.

For its part, the MINJUS recognized the need for this extension due to the time required to resolve criminal proceedings and the considerable increase in the request for certifications for various procedures.

Likewise, he emphasized that upon expiration of the validity period, the certifications must be renewed, which results in a rationalization of the process and a reduction in the workload in the Central Registry of Sanctioned Persons.

Despite the extension of the validity period, the procedures to request and legalize the Criminal Record Certification have not experienced significant changes after the implementation of Resolution 609.

The request for these documents is available for Cuban citizens over 16 years of age and foreigners who reside temporarily or permanently in Cuba. For use within the national territory, the cost is limited to 5 CUP for stamps, included as part of the tax on processing official documents.

If it is necessary outside of Cuba, the costs vary depending on the person's residence and the place of use. If the certification is requested by permanent residents on the island, the service has a cost of 1,250 CUP plus the stamp stamp of 5 CUP.

However, if the person is a resident abroad or cannot carry out the procedure in person, the service amounts to 1,250 CUP plus stamp stamps for a value of 125 CUP.

In addition, those who maintain their permanent residence in Cuba have the option of requesting certification in person at various offices distributed in the Provincial Directorates of Justice and in specific municipal institutions.

Certifications for exclusively national use can be requested online through the MINJUS website, but their collection must be done in person at the corresponding unit within 72 business hours.

For those who plan to use the certifications outside the national territory, you can go to specific branches of International Legal Consulting or the Collective Law Firms for their application and processing.