A resident of Cárdenas has been entangled in a bureaucratic quagmire for over 14 months as she awaits the legalization of academic documents, a process she initiated in April 2025. This case highlights the systemic breakdown of Cuba's document legalization procedures in Matanzas.
Mairolys Hernández Morales, living in the 13 de Marzo neighborhood of Cárdenas, entered into an agreement on April 14, 2025, with attorney Yanetsy Cortina Graham from the local collective law firm to legalize documents on behalf of Yaimaralys Aldazábal Ulacia, as reported by the citizen complaint section of the official newspaper Girón.
The paperwork involves getting grade certifications and the syllabus for a Psychology degree approved by the University of Medical Sciences of Matanzas (UCMM), along with the legalization of the diploma by the Ministry of Public Health (Minsap) and the Ministry of Justice (Minjus).
Since then, the attorney’s response has been a constant refrain: "You must wait… these processes take time… we have contracts that take up to two years, etc., etc.," Hernández explained in a letter to the media outlet.
Frustrated by the ordeal, Hernández posed a direct question: "How is it possible that no one can provide a convincing explanation? There is no excuse for such mistreatment, especially when paying a high sum for these services signifies sacrifice."
The Bureaucratic Delays Explained
An analysis by Girón sheds light on where the delays occur. Although the contracts were signed on April 14, 2025, the documents didn’t reach the Minsap until March 12, 2026, nearly 11 months later.
During this period, the UCMM took around four months to issue the documents, which then languished for another four months at the Specialized Law Firms’ General Directorate before reaching the Minsap.
As of this report, the three contracts remain unfinished at the Minjus.
Complexity of Legalization Process
Sergio Jorge Pagés Valdés, director of collective law firms in Matanzas, described the procedures as "complex and inter-institutional, involving the UCMM, Minsap, and Minjus, as well as various administrative stages of request, verification, issuance, and legalization, with timelines not solely dependent on the acting law firm."
He further assured that "we maintain systematic monitoring of these files and will support the client until completion."
Girón emphasized that "with the surge in such requests, the obligation of the involved institutions is to find solutions and alternatives to expedite the process, never to delay it, as each client pays, and handsomely, for a respectable service."
System Overload and Inefficiencies
Meanwhile, Hernández continues to wait, echoing the sentiments of countless Cubans with an unanswered question: "How long must we endure such poor service, indifference, disrespect, and irresponsibility?"
In theory, the legalization of educational documents should be finalized within 45 business days from the request’s reception at the university, a deadline seldom met in practice.
The demand for document legalization has skyrocketed due to mass emigration. In 2024, over 1.5 million documents were legalized in Cuba, compared to 442,564 in 2022, leading to a system collapse with daily quotas of 50 to 100 documents per law firm, exacerbated by power outages forcing manual processing.
Since February 2025, the Minjus has handled legalization duties previously managed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but this institutional shift has not resolved the bottlenecks.
Current fees set by Resolution 486/2025 also establish a disparity of up to 25 times between what residents and Cubans abroad pay, a structure that the organization Cubalex criticized in January as "economic apartheid" and a "legalization of inequality."
Understanding Cuba's Document Legalization Issues
What hurdles do Cubans face in legalizing documents?
Cubans encounter extensive delays due to complex inter-institutional processes and systemic inefficiencies, resulting in long waiting periods often extending beyond a year.
How has the document legalization demand changed in Cuba?
The demand has surged dramatically, with over 1.5 million documents legalized in 2024, driven by mass emigration, compared to significantly fewer in previous years.
Why is there a disparity in legalization fees for residents and non-residents?
The fee structure, criticized as "economic apartheid," charges non-residents up to 25 times more than residents, highlighting a systemic inequality in accessing legal services.