In July 2023, the Government of Cuba announced the extension of the validity of the Cuban passport to 10 years. Recently, the island’s authorities offered data to illustrate the impact of the measure.
Mario Méndez Mayedo, head of the Directorate of Identification, Immigration, and Immigration of the Ministry of the Interior, said at the Round Table on November 16 that this is “a long-awaited step” and that it mainly benefits those residents of the United States.
“In the US, the Cuban passport costs 350 dollars and has been reduced by almost half (180 USD),” he recalled.
In this sense, he said that the new immigration provisions are reflected in a large growth in applications for a Cuban passport.
“In four months and days, 91,499 passports were requested by Cuban consulates abroad. There are no introductions. 70% is requested in the United States,” he said.
According to the first colonel, 44,278 do not have passports or their documents have expired. 37% of these people live in Cuba, are residents of the island, and sometimes “they are forced by the high cost of passports to go to Cuba to get them because it is cheaper (2,500 Cuban pesos),” he acknowledged.
CUBAN PASSPORT
According to Méndez Mayedo, between 2013 and 2022, there will be 7.7 million Cubans leaving the island. “We will end the year 2023 with almost 9 million Cubans leaving,” he said.
However, he considered that “there is a continuous influx of Cubans” and that “we can talk about reconciliation” because “people come and go.” According to the information offered, more than 86 thousand Cubans entered in October 2023. For the director of MININT, the measures adopted have a lot to do with these numbers.
Do you want to know how much a Cuban passport will cost in 2023? We told you
- First passport, change, or loss (over 16 years old, valid for 10 years): 180 (USD, EUR).
- First passport, change, or loss (under 16 years old, valid for 5 years): 140 (USD, EUR).
- Provisional passport: 80 USD, 70 EUR, $100 US
- Issuance of Travel and Transit Document: 80 USD, 70 EUR, and $100 in the US.
- In Cuba: 2500 Cuban pesos.
