Do You need your Cuban Passport for the First Time?
If you have never owned a Cuban passport or it has been lost, you need a Cuban passport for the first time.
The following procedures are considered as first time passports:
- Cubans with a grey passport issued before 2003
- Cubans with Blue Passport issued before January 1, 2010
- Cubans who lost their passports
- Cubans who never had a passport
What is required:
- Signed consular form
- 2 passport-size photographs
- Original birth certificate (will be returned to you with your new passport)
- OPTIONAL: If available: Photocopy of your Lost, Grey or Blue Passport issued before 2010 (can be sent by SMS). If you don’t have it, don’t worry, it’s optional.
The Cuban passport is valid for 6 years. After 6 years, you must apply for a new passport. This can be done 6 months before the expiry date of the passport. People who have a red passport can apply for their blue passport and it is considered a renewal.
The fee for issuing this passport is approximately US $ 200 (CUC 200) and US $ 200 for every two years if a person lives in the United States.
Until 14 January 2013, the Cuban government required that all Cuban and foreign citizens, such as foreign students living in Cuba and wishing to leave the country, must obtain an exit permit (Spanish: Permiso de Salida). The abolition of the controversial requirement caused long lines at passport offices filled with citizens wishing to travel abroad legally; however, the lines were attributed in part to the fact that the cost of obtaining a passport would double the next day to the equivalent of US $100 (CUC 100), the equivalent of 5 months’ average state salary. A passport is now the only document required to leave the country, in addition to a visa from the destination country. Previously, the cost of the passport, exit permit and associated paperwork amounted to around US $ 300 (CUC 300), the equivalent of 15 months’ average state salary.
Opapeleo can help you to perform all the procedures.