A 21-year-old Cuban woman residing in Madrid took to Instagram to share her discovery that she needed to provide a criminal background check from Cuba to proceed with her application for a cruise ship job, despite holding a Spanish passport and living legally in Spain.
The video, posted on Monday by the account @naty_en_madrid, captures the selection interview she conducted while in Dublin. In the clip, the interviewer explains that the company requires criminal background certificates from every country where the candidate has lived for more than a year in the last seven years.
This requirement means she must obtain not only the Spanish certificate but also the Cuban one, a process the interviewer acknowledged could pose challenges: "There might be some delays, I don't know, we'll see."
Having lived in Cuba for 20 years before moving to Spain, she faces the challenge of navigating the slow and costly bureaucratic processes of a country she no longer resides in, even though she travels with a Spanish passport.
Acquiring a Cuban criminal background certificate for international use involves processing it through the ONBC/Conabi with a note for foreign use and then legalizing it at Cuba's Ministry of Justice. Furthermore, Cuba's exclusion from the Hague Apostille Convention adds additional steps that are not required by most countries.
Resolution 609 of 2023 stipulates that this document is valid for one year, yet many international employers demand it to be less than six months old, necessitating frequent renewals.
This requirement is not unique to the company that interviewed her. Cruise lines like Royal Caribbean also demand criminal background checks from any country where the candidate has lived, worked, or held citizenship, depending on the job position.
At the interview's conclusion, the recruiter informed her that if her application progressed, she would receive two emails the following Tuesday. Ultimately, she was notified that her process would not move forward.
This is not an isolated incident. Many Cubans in the diaspora, who have managed to regularize their status in Europe or other countries, still face administrative hurdles when international employment processes require documentation from Cuba due to past residency.
The young woman accompanied the video with a reflection that resonated with her followers: "I love being Cuban, but I can't avoid facing consequences because of it. Many barriers, prejudices, and legal restrictions remain. In the end, we emigrants must play with the weakest card, but it's a fact that it doesn't stop us."
This isn't the first time a Cuban woman has shared a challenging experience trying to work on a cruise ship. Social media is filled with testimonies highlighting the difficulties emigrants face, even after building lives outside the Island, but still having to manage documentation from their country of origin.
Challenges of Obtaining Cuban Documentation for Employment
Why does the Cuban background check cause delays?
The process is often delayed due to Cuba's notoriously slow and costly bureaucratic system, which is compounded by the country's exclusion from the Hague Apostille Convention, requiring additional legal steps.
What are the requirements for a cruise ship job application?
Applicants need to provide criminal background checks from all countries where they have lived for more than a year in the past seven years. This requirement varies by employer and position.
How does Cuba's bureaucratic system impact emigrants?
Cuba's slow and complex bureaucratic system poses significant challenges for emigrants who need to obtain official documents, often resulting in delays and additional costs.