The Spanish Consulate in Havana resumes its services despite suffering damage to its offices from Hurricane Rafael

The General Consulate of Spain in Havana announced the resumption of its public services, starting on November 8, at its two locations: the Lonja del Comercio and the Palacio Velasco.

This decision comes after their facilities were affected by Hurricane Rafael, which caused damage to the document reception area.

According to a statement posted on the social media platform X by the official consulate account (@ConsEspLaHabana), services will resume normally, except for legalizations, which will be temporarily suspended due to damage caused by the weather phenomenon to their offices.

The official message from the consulate states: "In principle, all services will be provided, except for legalization, which has been impacted by the damage caused by Hurricane Rafael at the location where documentation is processed."

The partial reactivation of services at the Spanish Consulate General aims to mitigate the impact of the interruption of its functions on Spanish citizens and residents in Cuba who rely on these services.

However, the consular authorities will continue to assess the condition of the facilities in order to restore all activities as soon as it is safe and viable to do so.

As of September 6, 2024, the Consulate of Spain in Havana started a process to enhance the appointment system related to the Law of Democratic Memory, known as the "Grandchildren's Law," by removing users who had obtained credentials before January 1, 2024, but had not scheduled an appointment.

This measure aims to streamline the application process and make the procedures for Spanish nationality more efficient. Affected individuals had until the end of September to use their credentials and secure their appointment before they were deleted, a step that the consulate deemed necessary due to high demand.

On October 9, 2024, the consulate announced an increase in the number of individuals allowed to submit their applications under the same Grandchildren's Law, enabling it to accommodate an additional 326 applicants per week, which represents a 37.33% increase in service capacity.

This expansion was a response to the high volume of requests for Spanish nationality from descendants of Spaniards in Cuba, who must meet specific requirements and schedule appointments to formalize their applications. Thus, the consulate aims to reduce waiting times and streamline the process for Cubans interested in taking advantage of this law.