The Building Permit or Construction Permit is a permit that must be applied for by natural or legal persons before carrying out construction work that constitutes a permanent change in the use of land. The purpose of this permit is to ensure that the regulations of the urban planning of the area are complied with.
When do I need to apply for a building or construction permit?
A building permit is only required if the changes to be made are of a (self) construction nature:
- Significant Changes to the Facades
- House additions
- Construction of new homes
A building permit is not required for maintenance works for preservation of the property.
The application process for these permits consists of several stages involving different parties, and if you meet all the requirements at each stage, you will be able to obtain your permit as quickly as possible.
Stage One: Executive Project
First of all, you must contact the architect of the community where you intend to build, who will perform the executive project of the work, or, failing that, you can request a technical certificate from another qualified person to prepare it.
Once this certificate is ready, it must be presented to the appropriate official of the Municipal Directorate of Land Use and Urban Planning, who must approve it in order to proceed with the permit approval process.
What are the requirements to get a project approved?
There are a number of requirements for the Executive Process, beginning with the submission of the application form with the following information:
- First and last names
- ID card number
- Address of the house or land
- Description of the work to be performed
To start the process, the applicant needs to prove that the land on which the construction is going to be done is owned by the applicant.
This is charged according to the complexity of the work involved. Works of low, medium, and high complexity will cost 180, 240, and 300 Cuban pesos in cash, respectively.
The Executive Project stage takes about 30 working days from the time of application to be completed.
Stage Two: Building permit
Building Permit application requirements
Natural persons must submit a personal application. Please provide the following information:
- First and last names
- ID card number
- Address of the house or land
- Description of the constructive action to be taken
- Executive Project
- Stamps meeting the fee of the procedure
For new construction, you must have proof of ownership of the land on which your construction will be located. In other cases, the ownership of the land or property must be submitted.
Where should I go to perform this procedure?
Contact your local Town Planning and Urban Development Department (DMOTU). In this case, the opening hours are Monday through Friday, from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.
An online building permit application is also available.
Fees
The price of the building permit varies (in stamps) according to the complexity of the works to be carried out, and will always be cheaper for natural persons than for any other legal entity.
- For natural persons who are residents of Cuba: from 5 to 15 Cuban pesos.
- For natural persons not resident in Cuba: from $250 to $375 Cuban pesos.
- For legal entities: $10 to $30 Cuban pesos.
- For branches, agents and representatives of foreign entities established in the country: from $350 to $750.
Processing time
The building permit takes approximately 30 working days from the date of submission of the Executive Project.
How long does a building permit remain valid for?
The building permit remains valid for 1 year from the date of issue, in the event that the work is stalled or has not started by the end of this period, the holder must apply for an extension.
Stage Three: Description of the new building work
A notary must be consulted to draw up an official description of the new building in order to start building from the foundations. In addition, any extension, remodeling or reconstruction of a dwelling must be accompanied by a description or record of the construction work to be performed.
Requirements for obtaining a description of the new building
To obtain the new building description, the interested party must go with a notary providing:
- ID card.
- Building permit
- Certificate of Habitability or Technical Report
- Resolution of the Superficiario of the land issued by the Dirección Municipal de Ordenamiento Territorial y Urbanismo (Municipal Department of Land Management and Urban Planning).
In order to obtain the description of the construction works for the extension, remodeling, etc., the interested party must go to a notary’s office with the following documents
- ID card
- Deeds of ownership
- Permit or building permit, as appropriate.
- Certificate of Habitability or Technical Report
Fees
For the description of new construction:
- Natural persons: $250.00 Cuban pesos in cash.
- For legal entities the price of this service is in accordance with the cost of the work and is performed in cash.
Works worth:
- Less than $5000 pesos: $2500 pesos
- $5001 up to $10 000 pesos: $5000 pesos
- 10 001.00 up to $100 000.00: $7500.00 pesos
For the Description of extension, remodelling and other constructive actions:
- Individuals: $100.00 pesos
- For legal entities: $2500.00 Pesos
In addition to this cash payment, a notarial stamp duty is performed.
Cuban building permit permit taxes
The tax payment will be$5 Cuban Pesos in stampsfor:
- Natural persons permanently resident in the national territory
- State-owned entities and trading companies with 100% Cuban capital
- Agricultural and non-agricultural cooperatives
- Organisations
- Associations.
The tax payment will be $125 cuban pesos in stamps for:
- Natural persons not permanently residing in the national territory
- Branches, agents and representative offices of foreign legal entities established in the country
Depending on the complexity of the procedure, the waiting time at this stage is 5 to 10 days.
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