Home / Cuban Property Deed Translation
Certified Cuban Property Deed Translation
Certified translation of the documents that record the ownership of land and buildings in Cuba, including the registry annotations and endorsements that carry the legal effect and that a reader unfamiliar with the system will otherwise skip.
$24.95/page
Flat rate per page, up to 250 words. No hidden fees.
100% USCIS acceptance
Every certified translation is guaranteed to be accepted by USCIS.
24-hour delivery
Most 1-3 page documents are delivered within 24 hours. Same-day available.
A registry reopened, and what it holds
Cuba's Registro de la Propiedad was effectively dormant for decades and was reactivated from 2011, so many Cuban homes have title documents that were never registered and are being inscribed only now.
A client's document may be a 1960s or 1980s state housing title, a resolution from the Instituto Nacional de la Vivienda, or a recent notarial deed. Those are very different instruments and we name which it is.
Sales became lawful only in 2011
Until Decreto-Ley 288 in 2011, Cuban homes could not be freely bought and sold; transfers happened by permuta, a registered swap, or by inheritance and donation.
So a pre-2011 document recording a permuta is the transfer document for that era, and reading it as a sale misstates it. We translate the instrument as what it was.
One home, and the residence rule
Cuban rules generally allow a person to hold one home of permanent residence and one holiday home, and a Cuban who leaves the country permanently has historically faced confiscation or forced transfer of the property.
That rule is the reason a great many Cuban property files in US hands are about property left behind. We translate the resolutions as written.
The carné, and the notary
Cuban notaries are state officials, and a notarial deed carries the notarial unit, the instrument number and the date.
Parties are identified by carné de identidad, eleven digits beginning with the date of birth. See our Spanish page.
Ordering, and what the certification covers
Upload the document, choose certified translation at $24.95 per page of up to 250 words, and it comes back typically within 24 hours as a PDF formatted to mirror the original, with a signed certificate of translation accuracy on letterhead. Marginal annotations are translated in place, in the margin, and every seal, stamp and registry endorsement is translated with the text. See how we translate and certified versus standard.
Frequently asked questions
Why was my home never registered?
The registry was dormant for decades and reactivated from 2011. Many titles are only being inscribed now.
What is a permuta?
A registered swap of homes. Before 2011 it was how Cuban property changed hands, since sales were not permitted.
Can I hold two homes?
Generally one of permanent residence plus a holiday home.
Who is the notary?
A state official in a notarial unit, not a private professional.
Ready to get started?
Upload the document and receive the certified translation, typically within 24 hours.