The exception approved in 2020, due to the closures and limitations of consulates during the pandemic, is coming to an end.
14ymedio, Madrid, 31 March 2025 — Cubans resident on the island must have a valid passport starting this Tuesday when they return to the country. The exception created due to the pandemic that allowed entry into the country with expired documents ends this Monday, as announced by the Foreign Ministry in December.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted that on that date that consular offices abroad “are fully prepared and capable of providing this service, with the necessary speed, so that Cubans can enter the country with their valid passports starting April 1, 2025.”
For this reason, according to Ana Teresita González, Director General of Consular Affairs and Assistance to Cubans Living Abroad, March 31 was the last day designated for entry with an expired passport.
In November 2020, the Government approved this exception to address a problem generated by the pandemic that had led to the closure, reduction, or operation in very limited circumstances in all sectors, including embassies and other state agencies around the world. “This measure was implemented temporarily, with the aim of protecting our citizens amid the pandemic,” the Foreign Ministry stated.
Although the worst of Covid-19, which forced these kinds of decisions, was beginning to be under control—including the first vaccinations, which began a month later in several countries—long months of restrictions remained in Cuba, as 2021 was, in fact, the worst year of the coronavirus on the island.
The Foreign Ministry indicated, however, that Cubans who did not reside on the island should continue paying for their extensions and would only be allowed to enter Cuba with a valid and up-to-date passport.
“It has been decided that Cuban citizens residing in Cuba who are abroad at the time of this announcement may, exceptionally, return to Cuba with their expired passports without extending them,” the Ministry reported at the time. The rule included extending the period of stay abroad for Cuban citizens beyond the 24 months officially provided by law, without this implying the loss of their residency in Cuba.
The Foreign Ministry indicated, however, that Cubans who did not reside on the island should continue paying for their extensions and would only be allowed to enter Cuba with a valid and up-to-date passport.
The Cuban passport is one of the most expensive in the world, costing 180 dollars or euros when issued abroad and 2,500 pesos in Cuban offices. Its current validity is 10 years, versus the six years in July 1, 2023. In 2020, the need to extend the document’s validity every two years was eliminated, and the cost of issuing it—which previously varied depending on the country where it was requested—was fixed.
The government is currently pending the entry into force of the Migration, Foreigners, and Citizenship laws, approved in July 2024 , which were intended to “design procedures” for Cubans leaving the island and control the “increase in the number and diversity of immigration irregularities involving foreigners.”
The law also provides that Cubans residing abroad may maintain their properties on the island, even if they have spent more than two years abroad. Those who spend more than 24 consecutive months without returning to Cuba will no longer be called “emigrants,” and those who spend “most of their time in the national territory” will be called “effective residents.”
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