From July 1, 2023, to today, almost 120,000 Cuban passports have been requested from abroad.
On that date last year, the changes announced by the island’s government for passports came into effect, including increasing their validity period to 10 years and decreasing their cost outside of Cuba.
The exact figure is 119,530 of these legally required documents so that Cubans can enter and/or leave the island if they reside abroad and regardless of any other passport or citizenship they may have.
“There is a notable impact,” said Laura Pujol Torres, general director of Consular Affairs and Cubans Living Abroad at MINREX, when evaluating what has happened in recent months.
“A large number of requests come from people who previously did not have the possibility of getting a passport,” the diplomat commented on the television program Mesa Redonda.
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Of the nearly 120,000 passports requested in this period, 56,658 correspond to Cubans who did not have valid documents for more than six years, according to the Directorate of Immigration and Foreigners of the Ministry of the Interior (MININT).
Pujol Torres added that another 43,771 Cubans who are temporarily abroad requested their passports from their current places of residence.
The reform that came into force last year has undoubtedly influenced the increase in demand.
The authorities then ordered the extension of the validity of the passport, from six to 10 years ― except in the case of minors, which is established at five years, due to the well-known physiognomic changes ―, the elimination of the extension of the passport every two years and the reduction in the cost of passports at consulates.
Cuba maintains 140 consular offices in 123 countries.
United States, a particular case
Despite the large Cuban community residing in the United States, there is only one consulate there, in Washington D.C., which provides consular services to the entire northern country and Puerto Rico.
“Based on these hostile conditions, services are provided to as many Cubans as possible. This means that services cannot be provided directly, but rather through a U.S. tertiary agency, which is responsible for the initial processing and final delivery of the passport, which slows down the process,” explained Pujol Torres.
Even so, more than 83,000 passport applications have been registered from the neighboring nation.
Cuban passport, essential
The diplomat stressed that another important issue is the requirement of the island’s passport for all Cubans who come to the country.
“This measure has been applied normally, without problems. 576 applications have been processed and 21 have been rejected, although work continues identifying the people, because some left Cuba very young,” she said.
According to the Cuban Foreign Ministry official, the policy has shown flexibility in the cases of Cubans who emigrated before 1971.
“More than 700 have traveled (to the island) with a foreign passport. It was always said that this would be done gradually, as long as the conditions were created,” she said.
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Moratorium continues
Although the time allowed to stay abroad without losing residency on the island has not been officially changed — two years — a moratorium established during the pandemic currently remains in force and the government’s intention seems to be for it to continue.
“This issue is currently being studied, but while that happens the moratorium remains in place. What is clear is that whatever is decided on it and the term of stay of Cubans outside the country, that decision will always be aimed at contributing to a greater bond with Cubans who are abroad,” Ernesto Soberón, then general director of Consular Affairs and Attention to Cubans Resident Abroad of the Foreign Ministry, explained to OnCuba in November.
It is estimated that more than 2 million Cubans live abroad, most of them in the United States.
In the last three years, that number has increased significantly due to a migratory boom, mainly along the Central American route, towards the United States as the final destination, although the exit routes are diverse and the destination places are geographically extensive.
