Ecuador Begins to Deliver Visas to Cubans Gathered Outside its Embassy / 14ymedio

Cubans gathered Monday at the Embassy of Ecuador in Havana. (Luz Escobar)
Cubans gathered Monday at the Embassy of Ecuador in Havana. (Luz Escobar)

14ymedio bigger14ymedio, Havana, 1 December 2105 — The Embassy of Ecuador began granting visas to Cubans who have been waiting outside its embassy in Havana since Friday. On Monday morning the first visa still had not been printed and the desperation over the lack of information was generating a certain chaos. It was not until the evening hours of that same day that the process of issuing visas to Cubans began.

The first who entered the Embassy of Ecuador in Havana to receive the stamp were those with tickets for December 2nd and 3rd. The country’s consul on the island, Soraya Encalada, confirmed this information in a press conference, where she offered a “schedule.” With regard to this she stressed that “by Wednesday we will do [them for those leaving] the 4th and 5th, Thursday for the 6th and 7th, until we conclude this process.”

With regards to the documents that must be provided, the official specified that they are only asking for the passport and the tickets, both the originals and a copy. She clarified that payment for the process will not take place at the embassy. The officials of the Vice Ministry of Human Mobility have already been advised that they are to collect the fees at the Quito and Guayaquil airports.

The official apologized personally to those at the meeting for the wait and trusted that, as everything is defined, “we won’t miss anything.” She emphasized that at this time, “we are not asking, as a part of the requirements, the previous of the virtual consulate, nor the bank certificate,” from those who bought tickets before the announcement that Cubans would have to have a visa as of December 10th to enter Ecuador as tourists for a maximum of 90 days. The process will be necessary for those who bought tickets after 26 November.

Encalada addressed a “still more simplified” process, and concluded, “With this we have responded and have solved these problems, the inconveniences and the discomfort of the population.”