Every way into Cuba.

The A-1 is the consular tourist visa affixed inside the passport, historically issued where the simple tourist card was unsuitable (for example for nationalities not eligible for the card, or for travel by routes that do not sell the card). It grants the same tourism permissions as the former tourist card and now largely overlaps with the Evisa, which has become the default channel for tourists since 2026. Stays are typically up to 90 days and extendable once by a further 90 days through the immigration authorities. Fees vary by consulate and nationality and are not centrally published; some nationalities (notably US passport holders and certain others) pay surcharged rates. The visa is for tourism and visiting and does not permit work, study or residence.

Max stay

90 days

Validity

180 days

The Evisa is Cuba's official electronic tourist visa, launched by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MINREX) in 2024 and made mandatory from 1 January 2026, replacing the paper Tarjeta del Turista (tourist card). It is applied for online at the government portal evisacuba.cu (visasonline.cubaminrex.cu) and delivered by email. The visa is single entry, valid for 12 months from issue, and permits a stay of up to 90 days, which may be extended once by a further 90 days through the Cuban immigration authorities (DIIE) inside the country. The base government fee is around USD 50 (roughly EUR 22), though Canadian citizens and Cuban nationals holding a valid Cuban passport are exempt from the fee. Separately, every traveller must complete the free D'Viajeros health and customs declaration online within 72 hours before arrival, and visitors must hold travel medical insurance valid in Cuba. The e-visa does not authorise work, study or residence.

Government fee

$50

Processing time

3 days

Max stay

90 days

Validity

365 days

Cuba permits short transit through its territory for travellers connecting to a third country. Passengers transiting in under 72 hours generally do not need a visa or tourist card, provided they hold a valid passport and a confirmed onward air ticket to a third country within that window. Where a transit stay exceeds 72 hours, or where the route or nationality requires it, a transit visa or a tourist e-visa must be obtained instead. The category is strictly for passing through and does not permit work, study or extended stay. Fees, where charged, vary by consulate and are not centrally published.

Max stay

3 days

The business visa (commonly the A-6 class) is for foreign nationals travelling to Cuba for business activity such as meetings, negotiations, trade fairs and commercial contacts. Applicants must first obtain authorisation from the commercial office of the relevant Cuban embassy before lodging the visa application at the consulate. It is a short-stay visa for business visits, not local employment; foreigners taking up a job with a Cuban entity require a D-1 work visa and a residence permit. Fees vary by consulate and nationality and are not centrally published. The category does not lead to residence by itself.

Max stay

90 days

Validity

180 days

The D-10 visa is for foreigners travelling to Cuba to receive treatment in a Cuban medical institution. Cuba is a long-standing medical-tourism destination, and arrangements are coordinated through SERVIMED (Servicios Médicos Cubanos), the state entity responsible for health services to foreigners, which operates a tourist-oriented medical network separate from the public system. The visa is linked to a confirmed treatment plan and its validity and authorised stay are aligned to the duration of the medical programme. Patients must hold medical insurance or arrange payment with the treating institution. Fees vary by consulate and treatment arrangement and are not centrally published. The visa is for treatment, not work, study or settlement.

The D-2 student visa is for foreign nationals admitted to a Cuban educational institution, such as a university, language course or one of Cuba's well-known medical and scientific training programmes that host many international students. The visa is granted on the basis of an admission or enrolment letter from the accepting Cuban institution and is tied to the duration of the programme; students taking up extended study register for a temporary residence permit with the immigration authorities (DIIE) after arrival. Applicants must hold medical insurance valid in Cuba and show means of support. Fees vary by consulate and are not centrally published. The visa authorises enrolled study but not general employment.

• Study: Full enrolment at the admitting Cuban institution.
• Residency: Long programmes require a temporary residence permit; study does not directly confer permanent residence.

Validity

365 days

The D-1 work visa is for foreign nationals engaged under contract by a Cuban entity, such as technicians, scientists, specialists and personnel of state companies, joint ventures or foreign-investment projects. Employment of foreigners in Cuba is closely regulated and usually channelled through state entities or approved investment vehicles rather than a general open labour market, so the visa is tied to a specific approved contract and sponsor. After arrival the worker registers for a temporary residence permit (typically up to two years, renewable) with the immigration authorities (DIIE). Fees vary by consulate and are not centrally published. The visa authorises the contracted work only.

• Work: Work for the sponsoring Cuban entity under the approved contract.
• Residency: Holders take a temporary residence permit; permanent residence is generally limited to family-based cases.

Validity

730 days

Cuba has no passive golden-visa or citizenship-by-investment scheme; foreign investment is channelled through the Foreign Investment Law (Ley 118) and the Mariel Special Development Zone (ZED Mariel), which approve joint ventures, international economic-association contracts and wholly foreign-capital enterprises. Foreign investors, directors and specialists engaged in an approved project enter on a business or work visa tied to that project and then obtain a temporary residence permit linked to the investment vehicle. There is no fixed published minimum investment for an individual immigration benefit; capital requirements are set per project by the approving authorities. Activity is heavily structured by the state, and the US embargo restricts US-person participation. The route confers project-linked residence, not a standalone investor migration programme.

• Work: Activity tied to the approved investment project or zone enterprise.
• Residency: Project-linked temporary residence; no passive route to permanent residence or citizenship by investment.

Validity

730 days

The A-2 is a family-visit visa for foreign nationals who are immediate family members (spouses and minor children) of Cuban citizens and wish to enter Cuba to visit relatives living there. It is a short-stay visit visa, typically allowing stays of up to 90 days with the possibility of extension, rather than a residence permit. Applicants must evidence the family relationship to a Cuban national. Fees vary by consulate and nationality and are not centrally published. The A-2 permits a family visit but does not authorise work, study or settlement; long-term family reunification runs through the temporary or permanent residence process with the immigration authorities.

Max stay

90 days

Validity

180 days

Repatriation (Permanent Return, the HE-4 process) lets Cuban-born emigrants re-establish permanent residence in Cuba and regain the rights and duties of residents, in many cases without losing a foreign citizenship acquired abroad. Applications are handled at Cuban consulates abroad or, through a reference person resident in Cuba, directly at the Directorate of Identification, Immigration and Foreigners (DIIE). Eligibility focuses on Cuban-born persons and recognised grounds such as being over 60 (women) or 65 (men), serious illness or disability, being a returning minor, the need to care for incapacitated relatives, or having exceeded the permitted time abroad. The core documents are the application and the applicant's current Cuban passport. Once approved and on re-entry, the person is recorded as a permanent resident of Cuba.

• Work: Repatriated persons regain resident rights, including the right to work.
• Study: Access to education as a resident.
• Residency: Approval restores permanent residence on re-entry; many keep their foreign citizenship.
• Family: A returning minor may repatriate with one or both parents; spouses follow separate family routes.

Cuba issues consular visas for participants in religious, cultural, scientific, political and sporting activities and events who are invited by an approved Cuban host organisation. Religious workers travelling for missionary, pastoral or church work apply in this category rather than on a tourist e-visa, supported by an invitation from the recognised Cuban religious or host body and authorisation of the activity. It is an activity-specific short-stay visa, with validity and stay tied to the event or programme. Fees vary by consulate and nationality and are not centrally published. The visa authorises the specified activity and does not lead to residence.

• Work: Limited to the authorised religious or cultural activity.

Max stay

90 days

Validity

180 days

The D-6 is the dedicated journalist and press visa for foreign media professionals travelling to Cuba for work. Journalists must not travel on a tourist e-visa; the application is made through the press office of the Cuban embassy, which assesses the journalistic project before the consulate is notified to issue the visa. Applicants submit a description of the project, a sponsoring letter from their employer or outlet, and a list of the photographic and filming equipment to be brought. Fees vary by consulate and are not centrally published. The visa authorises accredited press activity for the trip and does not lead to residence.

• Work: Accredited press activity for the assignment only.

Max stay

90 days

Validity

180 days

Temporary residence is the main long-stay status for foreigners in Cuba and is granted by the Directorate of Identification, Immigration and Foreigners (DIIE) of the Ministry of the Interior. It is tied to a qualifying basis such as work under contract, enrolled study, an approved business or investment project, a cultural or scientific assignment, or marriage or family ties to a Cuban national. Permits are commonly issued for up to two years and are renewable while the underlying basis continues. Applicants enter on the matching visa (for example D-1, D-2 or a family visa) and then register for the residence permit inside the country. There is no published passive income threshold; eligibility rests on the qualifying relationship or activity. The status does not by itself confer permanent residence except through the marriage/family route.

• Work: Permitted only where the residence is granted on a work or business basis.
• Study: Permitted where residence is granted on a study basis.
• Residency: Permanent residence is generally reached only via marriage/family to a Cuban national or repatriation, not by accrued years alone.

Validity

730 days

Permanent residence in Cuba is granted indefinitely but is tightly restricted: it is available principally to foreigners who are married to, or close family of, a Cuban citizen, facilitating family reunification (sometimes referenced as the E-1 family category). The process is administered by the Directorate of Identification, Immigration and Foreigners (DIIE) and can take a long time, often building on a prior period of temporary residence and a recognised marriage or family relationship. There is no investment or fixed income route to permanent residence. Approved permanent residents may live in Cuba on broadly the same footing as citizens for most civil purposes, though some restrictions remain. Fees are set by the immigration authorities and are not centrally published.

• Work: Permanent residents may live and work broadly as citizens for most purposes.
• Study: Access to education on resident terms.
• Residency: This is permanent residence; naturalisation is possible but discretionary and lengthy.
• Family: Based on marriage/family to a Cuban citizen; covers the qualifying spouse and children.