Do Russians need a visa to travel to Cuba?

Since July 2018, visa-free entry to Cuba for Russians has been increased from 30 to 90 days. And those who wish to come to this country on a business trip, to study or to meet with relatives and friends will be issued a special visa. This procedure does not take much time and does not require much effort.

Sunny Cuba has always attracted the inhabitants of the Soviet Union, and now the CIS - Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians and citizens of other republics. To explain the incessant influx of guests is very simple. Exotic, gorgeous beaches, comfortable hotels and many opportunities for entertainment. This is what makes vacation on Liberty Island so attractive.

The main convenience is that you can visit the Caribbean state for tourism purposes without a visa (for Russians and Belarusians) or by issuing it in a simplified manner (for Ukrainians and citizens of a number of other countries). Those who arrive there on a business trip or for education will have to make an entry document.

An example of filling out a migration card when entering Cuba

Visa-free entry for Russians

Russians do not need a visa to Cuba if the stay does not last longer than 90 days. Going on vacation, you need to prepare a package of papers.

Required documents

There are very few of them:

• Valid passport;
• Flights there and back. They will confirm that the guest will not spend more time in the country than expected;
• Insurance policy. It is mandatory for everyone.

Previously, it was also required to fill out a migration card. Now there is no need for this for the citizens of Russia.

If a citizen flies to rest not from a travel company, he presents a document confirming the availability of sufficient funds. The amount is calculated from daily spending of $50. As a document confirming solvency, suitable:

On the island, Russians do not need to pay additional fees. However, leaving the Republic, each guest will have to pay 25 Cuban pesos (cookies). This is a special airport tax.

Optional Documents

Cuban visa example

Instead, they issue a pink visa with a proroga. This document allows you to stay on the island for a month from the date of registration of the paper. Then you can extend the visa 2 more times, but for a good reason. For each subsequent design, you will have to buy a proroga again for 25 pesos.

It is not uncommon for a Cuban visa extension to be scheduled before arriving on the island. However, the return ticket must in any case be with a date limited to the first 90 days. Or you can buy a ticket with an open date.

There is another, more expensive way to stay in the Caribbean for more than 90 days. Once every 2 months, you need to fly to neighboring islands with visa-free entry, and then return. Then the period of stay is reported again. So 6 months is possible. But this option will cost, on average, 300 pesos.

This is what Cuban pesos look like

Traveling to Cuba with Children

In 2019, visiting the island by young citizens for tourism purposes is regulated as follows:

1. Children under 14 are required to have a birth certificate and a passport or an entry in their parents' passport.
2. Children over the age of 14 enter with their own passport.

If data on children from 6 years old are recorded in the parents' passport, a current photo must be pasted there.

Types of short stay visas

• Single (1 trip to Cuba);
• Double (2 trips with an interval of a maximum of six months and a total stay on the island of no more than 3 months);
• Multiple:
  • • for 3 months (within 90 days you can come any number of times);
    • for 6 months (180 days you can visit Cuba as much as you like, but the total number of days spent there should not exceed 90);
    • for a year (you can stay on the island for a year, but in total no more than 90 days).
      

The possibility of a visa-free holiday and simplified processing of entry documents keep Cuba attractive. For many years, Liberty Island has been one of the most popular destinations for tourists and businessmen.

Guestbook

It makes sense to make a guest visa for citizens of those countries with which Cuba does not have an agreement on a visa-free regime, for example, Ukraine. The purpose of the visit may be to visit relatives or friends. But in any case, the visitor will need an official entry document. To purchase it, you can contact the Cuban Embassy.

In this case, it is not necessary to come to the diplomatic mission in person. All papers can be transferred through a trusted person (travel agency, courier).

In 2019, you will need a package of the following documents:

1. International passport. The passport must not expire within a minimum of 6 months from the date of arrival on the Caribbean island.
2. Copies of an identity document.
3. Two photographs of 30 by 40 millimeters.
4. Photocopy of tickets to the destination and back.
5. An invitation with the seal of the island's regulatory authorities and the signature of the person who made the request for arrival. You can also confirm your hotel reservation.
6. Receipt of payment of the consular fee.
7. Insurance and its photocopy.

It is important to submit all papers at once. They must be filled out accurately and correctly. If any document is missing, or it is executed incorrectly, you will have to go through the submission procedure again.
Usually a visitor visa is issued quickly. The coveted document can be received in your hands during the working week. It is extremely rare that more than 5 days pass from the date of submission of all the necessary forms.

Detailed map of Cuba with all the islands

Entry paper is inexpensive. If it is drawn up by the applicant himself, he will pay 30 US dollars as a consular fee. If documents are provided through a trustee, you will have to pay $50. The fee is non-refundable.

As a rule, visitor visas are issued for 30 days. This is the total time spent on the Caribbean island. The document itself is valid for 6 months. Thus, the main advantages of a Cuban visa:

• affordable price;
• high processing speed;
• ease of obtaining.

The entry document consists of two parts. The first is torn off by border guards, the second is kept until the end of the trip.

Business

The list of documents required for this type of entry document is similar to a visitor visa. The main difference concerns the passport, which must be valid for another 6 months after returning home.

This is what a business visa to Cuba looks like

Also, for a trip for business purposes, you will additionally need:

• Application for a visa;
• Business invitation. It describes the purpose and timing of the visit. The paper is signed and certified by the management of the host company;
• Signed and certified certificate of employment. It indicates a vacation for the purpose of a business trip.

Individual entrepreneurs present a copy of the tax return and a business license, and pensioners - a paper from the Pension Fund.

This type of Cuban visa is issued no more than 2 weeks. And this is in exceptional cases.

As a rule, verification of all documents and announcement of the decision takes 7 days.

The cost of an entry permit for business purposes is equal to the price of a visitor's visa. The validity period is also six months.

You can stay on the island on it for 30 days with an increase in this time by a maximum of 2 months.

The famous Varadero beach in Cuba