Cuban passport

Cuban passport
The front cover of a contemporary Cuban passport.
Issued by	Cuba
Type of document	Passport
Purpose	Identification
Eligibility requirements	Cuban citizenship
Expiration	6 years (to be extended every 2 years)

Cuban passports are issued to citizens of Cuba to facilitate international travel. They are valid for 6 years from the date of issuance, but have to be extended every 2 years.^[1]

The cost of this passport is about US$500 (CUC 500) for every two years if one person lives in the United States.^[2]

Until January 14th, 2013, the Cuban government required that all Cuban citizens and foreigners such as foreign students that live in Cuba desiring to leave the country would have to obtain an exit permit (Spanish: Permiso de Salida). The abolition of the controversial requirement led to long lines at passport offices filled with citizens desiring to legally travel abroad; however, the lines were partly attributed to the fact that the cost of obtaining a passport was going to double the next day to the equivalent of US$100 (CUC 100), the equivalent of 5 months of average state salary. Now the passport is the only document required to leave the country, apart from a visa from the destination country. Previously the cost of a passport, exit permit, and associated paperwork added up to around US$300 (CUC 300), the equivalent of 15 months of average state salary.^[3]

Formerly required exit permit stamped on a Cuban passport

Front endpaper and first page of a Cuban passport

Passport message

Passports of many countries contain a message, nominally from the official who is in charge of passport issuance, addressed to authorities of other countries. The message identifies the bearer as a citizen of the issuing country, requests that he or she be allowed to enter and pass through the other country, and requests further that, when necessary, he or she be given help consistent with international norms. In Cuban passports, the message is in Spanish, French and English. The message is:

in Spanish:

La autoridad que expide el presente pasaporte en nombre del Gobierno de la República de Cuba, certifica que el Titular es ciudadano cubano y en tal virtud solicita a las autoridades civiles y militares de los países por donde transite le presten la asistencia y protección necesarias.

in French:

L'autorité qui émet le présent passeport au nom du Gouvernment de la République de Cuba certifie que son titulaire est citoyen cubain et, en foi de quoi, prie les autorités civiles et militaires des pays où voyage le porteur de bien vouloir lui prêter l'assistance et la protection nécessaire.

and in English:

The authority issuing the present passport on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Cuba certifies that the bearer is a Cuban citizen and, in virtue of this, requests the civil and military authorities of the countries through which he travels to provide him with whatever protection and assistance he needs.

Security features

In addition to colored fibers in all common pages, Cuban passports feature a UV-reaction-based mark of the Cuban flag and the words República de Cuba (Spanish for Republic of Cuba) on the front endpaper.

UV reaction of front endpaper

See also

• Visa requirements for Cuban citizens

References