| |
---|---|
Type | Passport |
Issued by | Cuba |
First issued | 1 January 2011 [1] (current version) |
Purpose | Identification |
Eligibility | Cuban citizenship |
Expiration | 10 years |
A Cuban passport (Spanish : Pasaporte cubano) is an identity document issued to citizens of Cuba to facilitate international travel. They are valid for 10 years from the date of issuance, before they used to be valid for 6 years and had to be validated every 2 years. [2]
The cost of a Cuban passport is 2500 Cuban pesos, equivalent to approximately USD $20. [3]
The cost of issue of this passport is about US$200 (CUC 200) and US$200 for every two years for Cubans living in the United States. [4]
In addition a Cuban national must pay 200 Euros every two years if the person lives outside of Cuba in order to gain permission to enter Cuba. Without this permission and a Cuban passport a Cuban cannot enter the island and will be denied entry.
Until 14 January 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 cost of obtaining a passport doubling 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. [5]
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:
in French:
and in English:
In addition to coloured 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.
As of 1 January 2017, Cuban citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 60 countries and territories, ranking the Cuban passport 76th in terms of travel freedom according to the Henley visa restrictions index. [6]
A visa is a conditional authorization granted by a polity to a foreigner that allows them to enter, remain within, or leave its territory. Visas typically include limits on the duration of the foreigner's stay, areas within the country they may enter, the dates they may enter, the number of permitted visits, or if the individual can work in the country in question. Visas are associated with the request for permission to enter a territory and thus are, in most countries, distinct from actual formal permission for an alien to enter and remain in the country. In each instance, a visa is subject to entry permission by an immigration official at the time of actual entry and can be revoked at any time. Visa evidence most commonly takes the form of a sticker endorsed in the applicant's passport or other travel document but may also exist electronically. Some countries no longer issue physical visa evidence, instead recording details only in immigration databases.
A French passport is an identity document issued to French citizens. Besides enabling the bearer to travel internationally and serving as indication of French nationality, the passport facilitates the process of securing assistance from French consular officials abroad or other European Union member states in case a French consular is absent, if needed.
A South African passport is a travel document issued to citizens of South Africa for the purpose of international travel. It allows the bearer to travel in foreign countries in accordance with visa requirements, and facilitates the process of securing assistance from South African consular officials abroad, if necessary. A South African passport is a valid proof of citizenship document according to South African nationality law. As of February 2024, citizens of South Africa enjoyed visa-free access to 108 countries, of which some may require pre-travel registration according to the Visa Restrictions Index.
Argentine passport are issued to citizens of Argentina by the National Registry for People (ReNaPer). They were issued exclusively by the Argentine Federal Police up to 2011. Their primary use is to facilitate international travel.
The Mexican passport is the passport issued to Mexican citizens for the purpose of travelling abroad. The Mexican passport is also an official ID and proof of Mexican citizenship. According to the January 2024 Henley Visa Restrictions Index, holders of a Mexican passport can visit 159 countries without a visa, placing Mexico in the 22nd rank in terms of global travel freedom.
Salvadoran passports are issued to citizens of El Salvador to travel outside the country.
Venezuelan passport are issued to citizens of Venezuela to travel outside the country. Biometric passports have been issued since July 2007, with a RFID chip containing a picture and fingerprints; passports issued earlier remained valid until they expired.
A Panamanian passport is the passport issued to citizens of Panama to facilitate international travel. Panamanian citizens enjoy visa-free access to 118 countries and territories. The passports are issued by the Passports Authority of Panama.
Dominican Republic passports are issued to citizens of the Dominican Republic to travel outside the country. Along with Cuba and Haiti, the Dominican Republic passport is considered the weakest passport in Latin America for traveling.
Peruvian passport is a travel document issued to citizens of Peru with the purpose of identification and to travel outside the country. It is issued by the Superintendencia Nacional de Migraciones, the Peruvian immigration and naturalization authority, which is part of the Ministry of the Interior. The Peruvian passport has the benefit of "visa free" status for member nations of the Andean Community and Mercosur, as well as several Central American nations.
A Spanish passport is an identity document issued to Spanish citizens with right of abode in the Iberian mainland, Ceuta, Melilla, Balearic Islands and Canary Islands, for travel outside Spain. Every Spanish citizen is also a citizen of the European Union. The passport, along with the national identity card, allows for free rights of movement and residence in any of the states of the European Union, European Economic Area, and Switzerland.
A Costa Rican passport is an identity document issued to Costa Rican citizens to travel outside Costa Rica. Currently, it is valid for 6 years. It is issued to people born on Costa Rican soil, and to children of Costa Rican citizens born abroad, who are reported to the nearest Costa Rican consulate. Children born overseas to a Costa Rican citizen are Costa Rican by birth, not by naturalisation, as stated in the Constitution of Costa Rica.
Guatemalan passports are issued to Guatemalan citizens to travel outside Guatemala. As of 1 February 2024, Guatemalan citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 137 countries and territories, ranking the Guatemalan passport 38th in terms of travel freedom according to the Henley visa restrictions index.
Honduran passports are issued to Honduran citizens to travel outside Honduras.
Chilean passport is an identity document issued to citizens of Chile to facilitate international travel. Chilean passports are valid for worldwide travel and facilitate the access to consular services whilst abroad. They are issued by the Registro Civil e Identificación.
Uruguayan passport is an identity document issued to Uruguayan citizens to travel outside Uruguay. For traveling in Mercosur countries, as well as Chile and Bolivia, Uruguayan citizens may use their ID card.. For naturalised legal citizens, the nationality of origin will still apply as Uruguayan nationality law currently doesn't give nationality to naturalised citizens, which may mean a visa may still required when travelling. This challenge appears to arise from a literal interpretation from the ICAO 9303 part 3 manual, which in its Spanish translation, uses the word nationality rather than the original English version which refers to citizenship in the case of the country code that applies in the machine readable zone. Paragraph 7.1 of ICAO 9303 part 3 notes that an error to avoid is "MRZ citizenship incorrectly reports the country of birth rather than citizenship.". Uruguay's national identity authority uses country of birth in lieu of nationality for naturalised citizens, leading to error responses on migratory and airline legal identity checks.
The Nicaraguan passport is issued to citizens of Nicaragua for international travel. As of 1 January 2017, Nicaraguan citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 112 countries and territories, ranking the Nicaraguan passport 46th in terms of travel freedom according to the Henley visa restrictions index.
A Mexican visa is a document issued by the National Institute of Migration, dependent on the Secretariat of the Interior, with the stated goal of regulating and facilitating migratory flows into the country.
Visitors to Colombia must obtain a visa from one of the Colombian diplomatic missions or online unless they come from one of the visa-exempt countries.
A foreign national wishing to enter Paraguay must obtain a visa unless they are citizens of one of the eligible visa exempt countries or countries whose citizens are granted visa on arrival.