One of the Cuban regulations established during the pandemic established that Cubans residing on the island could arrive in the national territory without the passport extension, to return from a tourist or temporary trip, however, in reality this is not how it works in practice.
According to an information note issued by the Cuban Foreign Ministry, nationals residing in Cuba may enter the island’s territory without being required to have theextension. This measure is still in force. But, it happens that since the airlines have no means of knowing which person is a resident or not in Cuba given that there is no way to determine them only by their passport, they have decided not to accept the entry to the plane of those who have an out-of-date passport, which brings a number of confusions because it does not comply with the Cuban regulations. However, we must understand that if the airline allows the entry into Cuban territory of an emigrant without the extension, the Cuban government hereby fines the airline through international practice for allowing the airline to board the plane without a valid and up-to-date passport.
As the airlines are responsible for ensuring that each passenger boards the plane with all their papers in order, many Cuban residents have not been able to board the plane at times because their passports are out of date and they have not been able to prove their residency, which is a very common situation. This is why it is very important to have your updated passport.
An exception happens with the Miami Charters, as they provide a list of passengers before boarding showing who is or is not a resident in Cuba. As a result, many Cubans have returned to the island. But the other airlines do not have access to this type of information exchanged and, if in doubt, they do not allow citizens to enter the country. In this way, the Consulate is daily receiving people with the purpose of performing the extensionafter not being able to achieve their trip.
If you are a resident of Cuba and will be traveling with a commercial carrier, please be sure to have your extension., otherwise, you are subject to these situations described above.
Opapeleo provides the extension service using a 100% online system by which you can perform the procedure by clickinghere. If you prefer to call by phone Opapeleo is the only agency operating seven days a week from 8AM to 8PM; you can apply by calling 202-800-4141.
