Requirements to enter Cuba under the new Migration and Immigration laws

Law 171 "On Migration", Law 173 "On Immigration" and their Regulations, Decrees 136 and 137 of 2025, were published in Official Gazette No. 39 (Ordinary) of 5 May 2026 and come into force on 1 November 2026. They replace the 1976 Migration and Immigration laws. Visas and documents issued earlier remain valid until they expire (second transitional provision of Law 171).

If you are Cuban

Cuban citizens enter and leave with a valid Cuban passport or equivalent document (article 87 of Law 171 and article 220 of Decree 136). If they arrive with an expired passport, the Migration Authority may allow entry provided they meet the other requirements and are not subject to an entry restriction; once in Cuba, a resident abroad can apply for a new passport at the Interior Ministry’s procedures offices or through the authorised law firms (article 152 of the law).

The passport of a Cuban resident abroad is accepted as an identity document in Cuba while the holder is in the country (article 140.2). A Cuban citizen’s entry can only be restricted exceptionally, on the grounds in article 98.

If you are a foreigner: the tourist visa

Foreigners need a valid passport and a visa, unless an agreement signed by Cuba exempts them (article 87 of the law and article 221 of Decree 136). The tourist visa is bought at consulates or from authorised travel agencies or airlines, in person or online, before entering the country (article 196.1). It can be on paper, a sticker or electronic, and is used within 180 days of issue (articles 189 and 190).

If your country has a diplomatic or consular mission in Cuba, your passport must be valid on entry and exit; if not, it must have six months of validity (article 196).

How long you can stay

• Tourists: 90 calendar days, extendable for the same period (article 71.2 of Decree 136). To stay beyond 180 days, successive 30-day extensions are requested up to one year from entry (article 72).
• Visitors coming to see family (transeúntes): 30 days, extendable twice; with a blood relationship up to the fourth degree or by marriage up to the first with a Cuban effective resident, up to 180 days, extendable (articles 76 and 77).
• Transit: up to 72 hours without a visa (article 80).
• Non-residents request extensions three working days before expiry (article 69).

What you may be asked for at the border

Besides the passport and visa, the migration authority may require a return or onward ticket, sufficient funds for the stay, a hotel booking or accommodation in a home authorised for rental, and citizenship or residence in another country (article 222 of Decree 136).

Travel health insurance has been compulsory for all foreign travellers and Cubans resident abroad since 1 May 2010, under the Agreement of the Executive Committee of the Council of Ministers of 16 February 2010 (Official Gazette No. 11 Extraordinary of 26 February 2010). The policy must cover medical expenses and be issued by insurers recognised in Cuba; policies from Cuban insurers are sold at points of entry.

The D’Viajeros form

All travellers arriving in Cuba by air, Cuban and foreign, fill in the D’Viajeros digital form at dviajeros.mitrans.gob.cu. It is a sworn declaration with migration, health and customs information; one is filled in per person, including minors, and the airline requires its QR code before boarding (Resolution 320 of 2022 of the Ministry of Transport).

Since Resolution 175 of 2024, published in Official Gazette No. 104 (Extraordinary) of 29 December 2025, the form must be completed within the seven calendar days before boarding.