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The Ministry of Justice of Cuba (Minjus) announced the entry into force of Resolution 284/2025, a regulation that grants legal validity — and international recognition — to electronic copies of notarized public documents and to certifications issued by the civil and registry offices of the country.
The official text shared on Facebook states that this measure allows these digital documents, electronically signed by notaries and registrars, to be considered equivalent to those issued on paper "in terms of their value and effectiveness," both in national and international legal transactions.
The government intends to streamline the processes that Cuban citizens must undertake before foreign institutions, particularly in migratory, academic, and consular matters.
The resolution, effective from August 11, 2025, modifies articles of the Civil Registry Law Regulations (Resolution 249/2015) and incorporates the use of electronic certifications in the Property, Civil Status, Last Will Acts, Sanctioned, and Heirs registries, among others.
Documents can be verified using a case number, a pin, or a QR code on the official website of the Ministry of Justice.
The announcement comes amid a severe material crisis in the notarial and registration offices of the country, where the lack of paper, ink, equipment, and electricity supply has hindered the issuance of physical certifications for months.
In multiple instances, workers have been forced to write documents by hand, as they did over a century ago, due to the collapse of printing resources and the ongoing blackouts.
The Ministry of Justice presents the measure as a technological advancement, but sources from the legal sector acknowledge that the digitalization is actually a response to the need to keep international proceedings active despite the lack of basic resources.
The electronic certification allows the regime to ensure the continuity of a documentary flow essential for Cubans living or conducting business abroad, without relying on scarce materials or an unstable electrical grid.
Despite this formal recognition of international validity, control over the authenticity of documents remains concentrated within the Ministry itself, which retains the monopoly on verification through its digital portal.
In practice, all management continues to rely on state infrastructure and the availability of the computer system, which is affected by frequent blackouts and technical limitations.
The communication from Minjus aims to project an image of modernization and institutional efficiency. However, behind the discourse of digitalization lies a reality of inadequacy.
The administration of justice in Cuba lacks the minimal resources to sustain its traditional processes and is compelled to shift its operations to a digital format as the only possible way forward.
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