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Niche Industry Gets Birth Certificates, Records For Cubans Abroad

MIAMI (CBS4) - Cubans seeking citizenship outside of their homeland often have trouble getting their birth certificates, death records and other important papers.

So a new niche industry has developed to assist them, if they can pay the price.

CubaCityHall.com, for example, charges nearly $500 for a certified document. Owner Rob Sequin says people pay because obtaining official documents from Cuba is so complicated and time consuming, it can take years.

Others charge less but don't promise certification. Cubagenweb.org finds church documents for about $100.

The sites come as more Cubans seek Spanish citizenship. Spain now allows the grandchildren of its exiles, many of whom went to Cuba, to claim citizenship.

Sequin says his company doesn't violate the U.S. trade embargo because of an exemption for "informational materials."

(©2011 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

 

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