Cuba is a great place for an exotic holiday on the Caribbean coast. According to the 1993 agreement between the Russian Federation and Cuba, for trips of up to 30 days for the purpose of tourism, a visa to Cuba is not required for Russians. If you are traveling for the purpose of employment, long-term residence or business, you need to apply for the appropriate visa.

Citizens of which countries do not require a visa?

  • Up to 30 days – for owners of ordinary Russian foreign passports traveling for tourism purposes.
  • Up to 90 days - for persons holding regular Malaysian and Namibian passports.
  • Up to 30 days – for citizens of Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Belarus,, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia.
  • Up to 90 days – citizens of Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro.
  • Up to 60 days for citizens of Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
  • Up to 28 days – for citizens of Barbados and Dominica.

What documents are needed?

To enter Cuba without a visa you will need:

  • Foreign passport/diplomatic/service/sailor's passport or temporary certificate from the consulate.
  • Round-trip plane tickets to confirm that you will be able to return on time.
  • in duplicate. It must be filled out in English. One copy is given to the passport control officer, and the second remains with you until the end of the trip.
  • Document confirming the availability of financial resources. Statement from a credit card, savings card or current bank account. Calculate an amount of approximately $50 for each day. If you are flying to Cuba on a tour from a travel company, then you can skip this point.

It is not necessary to go to Cuba, but by doing it you can save a lot of money in case of illness. Moreover, it costs less than 1 thousand rubles.

There are no fees to pay upon entry, but an airport tax of 25 cookies is charged for each departure. The holographic sticker issued to you, which must be affixed to your migration card, will be considered the fact of payment.

Migration card

The migration card must be filled out in printed Latin letters. The same data is entered into 2 copies of the form for each person, including children.

Sample of filling out a migration card

It indicates your last and first name, gender, country and date of birth, citizenship and passport number, profession, purpose of trip, city of departure and arrival in Cuba, address of residence or hotel name, address of residence in the Russian Federation.

During transit, the 10th point (from where you arrived) includes the previous place of departure, and not the starting point.

The migration card can be filled out on the plane. They will put a stamp on it when you enter, and they will take it away when you leave – so you can’t lose it. The most important thing you need to know is the address of your residence in Cuba.

Entry with children

For children under 14 years of age, to enter, you must have a birth certificate and a foreign passport, or they must be included in the parents’ passport. Children over 14 years old must have their own passport.

If a child travels with a third party, you must have consent to travel from both parents with a notary seal. If with only one of the parents, consent must be obtained from the second of them.

Extension of visa-free regime

After 30 days of the visa-free regime have expired, it is possible to extend it for another 30 days. To do this, contact your local immigration service. In this case, you will need to buy stamps from a bank in the amount of 65 cookies (visa 40 + visa 25) and be sure to have a certificate from a hotel or cash desk of a legal private house about your place of residence, medical information. insurance for a month.

Extension is confirmed by the presence of a valid visa. Prorroga is a white label that is glued to a pink piece of paper (this is a visa). The yellow card issued upon arrival will be taken away from you.

Then the visa can be extended for another third and fourth month, for this you will need to buy a new card for 25 cookies. At the same time, for months 3 and 4 you may be required to have valid reasons for an extension.

Stamps can be purchased in advance. Do not leave the extension until the last day, as the migration service is not always open. You cannot extend your legal stay at the airport.

If necessary, you can cross the border at the nearest island or in Mexico (Cancun), and return back the next day. The number of entries/exits is not limited.

Note! If you plan to travel to Cuba for more than 30 days without a visa (extend your stay), the return ticket must be within the first 30 days of your stay (you can buy a return ticket with an open date).

Visa application

If you are going to Cuba to visit relatives or friends, for business and work visits, or study, you must obtain a visa. This can be done at the Cuban embassy in Russia.

A visa to Cuba consists of two parts: the first will be taken from you at the border, and the second must be left until the end of the trip.

What does a Cuban visa look like?

Note! During transit there will be additional inspection, so some things may be confiscated, in particular purchases from Duty Free from the previous airport.

List of documents

  • A completed application form.
  • International passport valid for the entire period of stay and 1 blank page and a copy of all pages.
  • Copy and original passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation.
  • Two photographs 3*4.
  • Printing of return/return tickets.
  • An invitation from a company or individual, or a hotel reservation.
  • Insurance.

Cost and terms

Registration of documents takes no more than 5 days. When submitting documents to the consular department, the fee will be $30. Usually the visa is issued for a period of one month, but is valid for six months.

When traveling to Cuba, do not take money in dollars, as the exchange rate there is very unfavorable and you will lose 10-20%. It is best to take euros or Canadian dollars with you.

Conclusion

If you have a Cuban entry stamp in your international passport, then you may have problems obtaining citizenship or. However, most often such a mark is placed only at your request, and the passport will simply show that you traveled abroad (without specifying the country) and returned.