Two things make the Cuban passport unlike any other in this directory. First, there is one single consular office in the entire United States, at the embassy in Washington. Second, the rules changed completely on 1 July 2023: the passport now runs for ten years and the two-yearly extension that Cubans abroad had to pay for was abolished.
Quick facts
A passport issued before that date keeps the six-year expiry printed on it. It does not become a ten-year book, but it no longer needs any extension either. Both generations will circulate until the last of the old ones expire, around the first half of 2029.
Fees breakdown
| Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Passport, 16 and over | $180 | Ten years of validity |
| Passport, under 16 | $140 | Five years of validity |
| Extension | No longer exists | Abolished on 1 July 2023 |
| Multiple-entry endorsement | Consular tariff | Done once, not repeated |
| Postage both ways | Tracked service recommended | Only one office in the country |
Tariffs have not moved since 2022, and the consular directorate has publicly denied the periodic rumours of increases. Confirm nonetheless before sending a payment, because the amount must be exact.
How to renew
- Check the expiry date printed on your current passport, whichever generation it belongs to.
- Complete the application and prepare photographs to the Cuban specification.
- Decide between attending in Washington or filing by post, since there is no other consular office in the country.
- Send the payment in the exact amount and the form the embassy accepts.
- Include a prepaid, tracked return envelope.
- Keep the tracking record until the new passport is in your hands.
Required documents
- Current or most recent Cuban passport.
- Completed and signed application form.
- Photographs to the published specification.
- Proof of address in the United States.
- Birth certificate from the Cuban registry for a first application.
- For minors: documents and authorisation from both parents.
Where to apply
At the embassy in Washington, which holds the only consular section in the United States, in person or by post.
Additional notes
An expired passport no longer gets you in
Since July 2023 you cannot enter Cuba on an expired Cuban passport. That was previously tolerated in some circumstances and is not any more, which catches out people who had stopped renewing.
Intermediary agencies
Several private agencies operate near the embassy and handle paperwork for a fee. They are not official, they are not required, and everything they do can be done directly.
The legal basis
The change rests on Decree 91 of 2023 and the foreign ministry’s Resolution 38 of 2023, both published in the Official Gazette. Worth quoting if anyone tells you an extension is still needed.
One office, a big country
With a single consular section for the whole United States, postal filing is the norm rather than the exception. Use a tracked service in both directions.