At the end of 2023 the Cuban government announced the extension of a measure that would allow Cubans living abroad to stay outside the country without losing their citizenship and without paying to extend their stay.
In this article, we tell you everything you need to know about this topic.
Under current immigration law, a Cuban is considered an immigrant if he travels for personal reasons and stays for more than 24 months without authorization. Also, if you immigrate to another country without complying with immigration regulations.
Previously, Cubans had to request and pay for an extension each month beyond the permitted period. For example, in Spain, the cost was €25 per month.
The arrangement, which has been criticized by many Cubans calling for its elimination, was temporarily suspended in March 2020 due to the pandemic affecting international travel.
Now, Cubans who find themselves in this situation will not have to pay any fees to extend their stay and will be able to maintain their residence in Cuba, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MINREX). However, let's remember that this is a temporary arrangement.
Cuban Passport Extensions
The interior ministry's director of identity, immigration and immigration, Mario Méndez Mayedo, assured the move was having a “huge impact” and suggested there could be changes.
Officer He said The roundtable proposal “maintains the 24-month extension,” but “the new immigration law will establish the rules of the game.”
“Undoubtedly, there has been no turning back since then, which is 24 months. We will look for some formulas because it is important to know how many of us are in Cuba and what is the real population of Cuba,” he added.
So you are in the clear. Procedures related to Cuban passports are:
- As of March 2020, Cubans traveling abroad will no longer have a time limit to stay outside the country and will be able to stay in Cuba regardless of the length of their absence.
- From July 2023: Decreased Passport costThe requirement to renew every two years was removed and its validity period was increased from six to ten years.
As always, we recommend that you contact the Cuban Embassy nearest to where you live to ask any important questions before traveling to Cuba. This way you will avoid surprises.
