Frequently Asked Questions
VisaCuba ™ is the largest provider of Cuban tourist visas in the UK, and we serve from the UK to the rest of the world. We were also the first company to allow global purchases of Cuban tourist visas online. VisaCuba has been recommended by Trip Advisor and Lonely Planet, we are the company of choice for TUI and other major tour operators and are endorsed by the Cuban Consulate in the UK to provide Cuban tourist visas. We are not connected in any way, shape, or form with the Cuban government. We are owned by Xtra Travel Services Ltd.
What is the difference between a Cuban tourist visa and a Cuban tourist card?
There is no difference, it is the same document. Tourist cards act as visas to enter the country for tourism purposes only. Some people call them tourist visas or just “visas” and others call them tourist cards.
Who requires a Cuban tourist visa?
Everyone going to Cuba for the purpose of tourism requires a tourist visa/card. Airlines will not allow
you to board your flight to Cuba if you do not have one. Please note that all persons, including infants,
will need to apply for a tourist card before their trip. The only exception is Cuban citizens who do not
require them.
The Cuban Immigration Service published a list exempting citizen of the following countries from tourist
visa requirements. However, we cannot guarantee its accuracy or updating, so if you are a citizen of one
of these countries you should contact your nearest Cuban Embassy/Consulate to confirm: Antigua & Barbuda,
Armenia, Azerbaijan, Barbados, Belarus, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Dominica, Georgia, Grenada, Liechtenstein,
Macedonia, Malaysia, Moldova, Namibia, Russia, Saint Lucia, Saint Kitts & Nevis, Tajikistan, and
Turkmenistan.
Also keep in mind that there are restricted nationalities that cannot enter the country, with a tourist
card. These nationalities will not be able to place an order on our website and the service for them
will not be available.
Green or Pink; What kind of tourist card (visas) do I need?
There are ordinary tourist cards (green visas) that are used to
travel from any country other than the USA, without distinction of nationality. That means that if
you are travelling to Cuba from a country other than the USA, regardless of having any passport, the
green visa should be right for you.
Due to special regulations that exist for the transit of passengers between the USA and Cuba, a
specific visa is required (the pink one). If you are travelling
to Cuba through or from the United States, you must apply for a pink visa.
How far in advance should I apply for my visa? / Does my airline ask me the expiration date of my visa (tourist card)?
You can apply at any time on our website and keep your visa ready until the time of
your trip to Cuba. Cuba Tourist Cards (Visas) do not have
a fixed
expiration date
; hence you can use them at any time in the future and you don’t need to
re-apply and pay again if visas have not been used and as long as you don’t change your passport.
The tourist card (visa) validity begins to run once you enter the country and they are valid for 90
days stay and are extendable for another 90 days once you are in the country. When you arrive in Cuba,
your tourist card will be stamped with the date of arrival, and when you leave the country, your
tourist card will be stamped with the date of departure. As the visas are
single-entry
documents
, their expiration date is the day you leave Cuba.
In the event your passport expires before your trip then you will need to apply and pay for new visas
again, since the ones already issued will not be valid because the information printed on the visa
must exactly match your passport details.
What nationalities can apply for Cuban tourist visa with Visa Cuba?
Most people are able to apply for a visa using our site. If you are eligible, you will be able to
select your citizenship from the drop-down menu in the application form and proceed with your
application. We are unable to provide visas to passport holders of the following countries:
Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cameroon, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Kenya,
Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Philippines, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Syria, Uzbekistan, and Yemen.
This list is periodically updated by the Cuban Consulate, however we cannot guarantee its accuracy
or updating, so if your nationality does not appear on our website when placing an order, it means
that a restriction has been established and the order cannot to be accepted.
Will you post visas to other countries besides United Kingdom?
Yes, we will, as long as you order from the VisaCuba website, we will send your visa to you wherever
you are. However, this will cost more as we use DHL so our overseas customers can receive their visa
quickly and also track where their visa is at all times. The shipping cost will be indicated at the
time of placing the order.
For people residing in the UK, the shipment will be made through Royal Mail.
Do I need to have accommodation booked in order to apply for a visa?
Yes, you need to have your initial accommodation booked. This accommodation can be in a hotel, a
resort, or private accommodation (Guesthouses/Casa Particulars). Although this information is not
mandatory to apply for your visa you must have the confirmation of your place of accommodation ready
to present it to the authorities in case you are required when entering the country. Please note
that in the case of private accommodation this MUST be licensed with the Cuban Government.
If you are not sure about this, contact your hosts and ask them to confirm – we will not be held
responsible for any situation that may arise from your staying in unlicensed accommodation.
How many people are allowed per application?
You can add in the same application the number of people you need (up to a maximum of 9 for green
visas and 6 for pink visas) and as long
as the shipping address is the same for everyone. This limitation exists to reduce the likelihood of
errors and minimise the impact, in the unlikely event that they get lost in the mail.
If you are 10 people or more applying for green visas, in that case you must place 2 orders or the
number of orders needed, considering that the maximum is 9 people per order.
Should I choose Standard Service, Priority Service or Overseas Service?
For people residing in the UK: If you are leaving within three weeks, you have to use our Priority
Service. This is because it could take up to 10 working days for the Royal Mail to declare an item
lost. Otherwise, you can use the Standard Delivery. In the case of (specific) pink visas, they can
only be requested with Priority Service.
For people residing outside the UK: The only option here is to select the Overseas Service. Delivery
times may vary depending on your location, so we recommend placing your order at least 10 business
days before your trip.
What delivery options are available?
With our Standard Service, your visas are shipped via standard First-Class signed for mail, the
lowest shipping cost per order (not per visa). This option is valid if your trip is not imminent,
otherwise it is recommended to opt for the Priority Service.
If you chose our Priority Service, you must opt for
Royal Mail Special
Delivery Guaranteed
. Please remember that if your visas are coming by
Special
Delivery
the postman will either ask you to sign for the visas or, if you are not in, will
take them to your local Royal Mail collection point and leave a form with
instructions of where and when they can be collected.
You will receive an email when your visas have been dispatched, which will include a tracking code
that will allow you to track where your envelope is on the Royal Mail website:
Track and Trace - Track your Item | Royal Mail Group Ltd
Should you disregard our advice and choose to have your visas delivered by standard post there is a
very small chance that you would not receive your visas in time for your holiday or that they will
get lost in the post.
If you are an overseas customer, you will automatically use our DHL courier service, to provide
peace of mind and to minimise the chances of your visa being lost in transit.
How much does the Visa Cuba service cost?
• Standard Service is £27 per visa (plus £0 First Class mail per order not per visa).
• Priority Service is £28 per visa (plus £0 Special Delivery Guaranteed per order not per visa).
• Overseas Service is £29 per visa plus £0 delivery fee for anywhere in Europe, we also do outside of Europe as well, but a surcharge may apply (using DHL courier service).
• Specific (Pink) visas are required for travel from the US to Cuba, these are obtained at a cost of
£37 if delivered to the UK (plus £0 postage) and
£39 if delivered outside the UK (plus £0 postage).
Shipments outside of the UK are restricted to Australia, Europe, and North America (Canada, Mexico,
and the US). Other regions are not available.
How does the Visa Cuba process work?
Once you have submitted your application and payment, your details are automatically fed into the
visa system – there is no human involvement in the process so please ensure that you submit the
details correctly. Upon receipt of your order, a confirmation email is sent, detailing the
information collected and asking you to verify it and inform us immediately if
there are any errors in the data provided by you. If you do not report any irregularities, the
entered details are printed directly onto the tourist visa/tourist card and dispatched to you.
Please note that once the visa is printed with your details, they cannot be changed, amended,
or refunded. If a visa is printed with errors, it will not be valid, and you will have to pay again
to obtain a new visa.
At the time your visa is processed and dispatched, an email is sent to you with a tracking number
for your reference. If you are using our Priority Service the postman will ask you
to sign for the visas or, if you are not in, will take them to your local Royal Mail
collection point and leave a form for you with instructions of where and when you can collect them.
What happens if I don't receive a confirmation email after placing my order?
Once your order is placed, a confirmation email is sent to you, indicating your booking reference,
starting with VC followed by 6 digits (VCXXXXX) and describing your entered details to check for
errors.
If after 15 minutes of submitting your application, you do not receive said email: First, check your
spam or junk folder on a computer; cell phones tend not to sync this folder (look for VisaCuba in
your emails) or hide it inside the main mail folder. Otherwise, please email us at
help@visacuba.com with the name and surname of the applicant.
We will reply to you shortly with more information.
I made a mistake; can I change the information I submitted on the website?
Corrections are charged at £5 per visa. But please note that corrections are only possible before the visas are processed and printed. Once the visas have been processed, they are not modifiable, exchangeable, or refundable. It is the entire responsibility of the client to ensure that the information provided is correct.
How long does it take to receive my visas?
• Standard (or Regular) – will be dispatched within 5 working days, then sent by Royal Mail First Class, signed for
• Priority (Express)– If booked before 1pm on a working day, the visa(s) will be dispatched within 2 working days and sent with Royal Mail Special Guaranteed by 1pm
• DHL Courier – We use DHL courier for our worldwide deliveries, this service provides peace of mind
and the opportunity for our overseas customers to receive the same premium service that our UK
customers get. Although we aim to process your order within 2 days, delivery times may vary
depending on your location, so we recommend placing your order at least 10 business days before your
trip.
Where is my Visa?
Your tourist card will be processed according to the processing times that correspond to the paid service: Standard, Priority or Overseas. Once your visa is processed, an email with your tracking number will be sent to you. With this number you can check the progress of the delivery on the Royal Mail website or DHL website. Please note that if you opt for the standard service, the website will only show the date of acceptance by the Royal Mail and the date of delivery with signature, when this occurs.
How many times can I enter the country during the visa validity period? / I am traveling on a cruise ship and will disembark twice, how many visas do I need?
The tourist card (visa) validity begins to run once you enter the country and they are valid for 90
days stay and are extendable for another 90 days once you are in the country.
Please note that tourist card (visas) are single-entry documents, and you will need
two if you intend to enter Cuba twice, or more depending on your entry needs (one visa per person
for each port of entry).
What happens if I must cancel my trip, or my holiday dates have changed?
In the event that you cancel your trip, unfortunately visas once issued are non-cancellable,
changeable, or refundable. If you or your tour operator have cancelled your holiday, you must claim
the money through your Travel Insurance; we are unable to offer a refund as these are physical
documents printed with your details and can only be used by you.
However, this is not a total waste of your money. Cuba Tourist Cards (Visas) do not
have expiration date; hence you can use them at any time in the future (within a year) and you don’t
need to re-apply and pay again if visas have not been used and as long as you don’t change your
passport. Their validity begins to run once you enter the country and they are valid for 90 days.
If, on the contrary, the dates of your trip have changed, you do not have to do anything, your visa
will continue to be valid, and its validity will start from the day you enter the country.
Cancellations/Refunds
Once a visa has been issued, and your details printed on to it, there is no way that it can be cancelled/refunded as it is not possible for a visa to be transferred or exchanged and the Cuban Consulate will not give us a refund. If the visa has not been issued then we will be happy to offer a refund, minus a one-off £5 fee to cover our administrative costs.
Once I have my visa, are there any other requirements for my entry to Cuba as a tourist?
Please note that you must complete the Health Declaration (Advance Passenger Information) online. You can do it up to 72 hours before your flight. Also be aware that this is not the same form for a Cuba visa, but the traveller's declaration forms that you had to complete on paper before arriving in Cuba will now need to be completed electronically here: DViajeros (gob.cu)