They denounce poor work in the consulates of Cuba and Spain: "I can neither bring my relatives nor travel to Havana."

A Cuban, who identifies on TikTok as Tony (@antonyoeb), reported a supposed "malfunction" at the Cuban Consulate in Madrid and the Spanish Consulate in Havana.

This young man claims that for some time now the situation for Cubans in Spain has become unsustainable, to the point that it is no longer easy to visit family on the island, nor is it possible to invite anyone to Spain.

"In consulate procedures, one is always frustrated. If you want to bring your family members for a visit, it's not enough to be a Spanish citizen, have a permanent job contract, payslips, and financial stability. Now the invited person must also demonstrate ties to the island," he said indignantly.

He claims that he knows several people who are trying to invite their parents to Spain and only encounter obstacles along the way.

"This forces us to go see them in Cuba, out of love for family, and here the problems also arise. I want to hug my family. More than three months ago, I started processing my Cuban passport and it is still not ready. At the Cuban Consulate in Madrid, there are people waiting for their passports for more than six months," he said.

Tony complained about the continuous barriers imposed by both consular offices to the reunification of Cubans in Spain with their relatives on the island. One of the most controversial topics is the "credentials" for online appointments.

"The credentials are the 'users and passwords' to access the appointment management system. Why does the Consulate provide credentials if there are no appointments? The credentials expire after three months and people are unable to make their appointments. Documentation, invitation letters, pre-tickets, medical insurance, everything expires," Tony expressed indignantly.

These delays and bureaucratic procedures force people to repeat the documentation, thus wasting money and time, which is very frustrating.

"Why is there so much mistreatment and abuse against us Cubans? We will have to go lodge complaints with the Ombudsman and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Cuba, but it is necessary that this gets resolved," he noted.

The number of Cubans residing in Spain reached a historic high of nearly 200,000 people in 2023, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE) of the Iberian country.