Travellers from most European countries must hold a valid tourist card to stay in Cuba. Applicants need to fulfil all requirements to be eligible for a tourist card. In addition, travellers must fill out the immigration form provided by the Cuban government before departure.

Apply for your tourist card for Cuba

Exempt nationalities

Most European travellers visiting Cuba must hold a filled-in tourist card. The only exception applies to citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Russia or Serbia. Citizens of these countries can stay in Cuba for up to 90 days without a tourist card. Citizens of Kosovo are not allowed to travel to Cuba, not even for a transfer.

Do you have dual citizenship? If one of your citizenships is Cuban or American (United States), different rules and requirements may apply to your visit to Cuba. In this case, always contact the Cuban embassy in your home country to find out which regulations and requirements apply in your situation.

Travel purpose and validity

As the name suggests, the tourist card for Cuba is a travel authorisation to be used exclusively for tourist purposes. The tourist card can therefore be used for purposes such as a holiday, round trip or city tour in Cuba. If you do not meet the requirements of the tourist card for Cuba, for example because you want to visit Cuba for a study, internship or work, you should apply for a visa for Cuba through the embassy of Cuba.

The tourist card has a validity period of 90 days that starts when you arrive in Cuba. The validity can be extended once after arrival in the country. More information can be found on the page on the validity of the tourist card for Cuba.

Stay with friends or family with the tourist card

The tourist card does not allow you to stay overnight with friends or family in Cuba. For this purpose, you need a so-called visa familiar. The tourist card for Cuba only allows you to stay in officially recognised state-run hotels or casas particulares. However, the tourist card for Cuba allows you to enter the country and apply for a visa familiar for USD 40 at an immigration office within 24 hours of arriving in Cuba. This fee must be paid with stamps that you can buy at a bank or post office in Cuba. The visa familiar allows you to stay in Cuba for 90 days.

The requirements of the visa familiar for Cuba are different from those of the tourist card. For example, to apply for this visa, the family members or friends you wish to stay with are also required to provide certain documents. You cannot obtain a visa familiar through this website. If you plan to apply for a tourist card for Cuba through this website and then apply for a visa familiar in Cuba, check that you meet the requirements of both visas before departure.

Filling in the tourist card

If you apply through e-Visa.ie, you will receive your tourist card for Cuba by post. After that, you will have to fill in the required data on the tourist card yourself. More information on which data to fill in and how to do so can be found on the page about filling in the tourist card for Cuba.

Apply before departure

You will need to fill in your tourist card before arriving in Cuba. All travellers are also required to complete the D’Viajeros immigration form via Cuba’s government website. This can be done from 72 hours before you arrive in Cuba. In this immigration form, you must enter your flight number, so that the Cuban immigration authorities will know when you arrive in the country. In the event that your flight is cancelled or you need to rebook, you can update the form online.

Note: By clicking on the icon in the upper right corner of the Cuban government website, you can change the language display. You can choose between Chinese, German, English, French, Italian, Russian or Spanish. Choose the right language before opening the form, as you will not be able to change it at a later time.

Passport requirements Cuba

To be allowed to enter and to stay in Cuba, you must hold a valid passport. Your passport must be valid for at least 6 months on the last day of your stay in Cuba. Always check the date of expiry and, if necessary, apply for a new passport well in advance. Do this before filling in your tourist card. Children also need their own passport and visa or tourist card.

First overnight stay

You need to have booked your first overnight stay in Cuba before you arrive in the country. The immigration form will ask for information on the accommodation where you will be spending your first night. The tourist card only allows you to stay in state-run hotels and casas particulares.

Baggage and customs

Each traveller to Cuba is allowed to check in two pieces of luggage, with a maximum weight of 32 kilos per piece. However, you are not allowed to bring just anything to Cuba. Some products are subject to certain restrictions. For more information on Cuba’s customs regulations and a list of regulated and prohibited products, visit Cuba's government website.

Requirements on arrival in Cuba

If you arrive in Cuba with a tourist card or visa, biometric data, including photographs of your face, will be taken at the airport. Therefore, be aware that you may have to wait a long time on arrival before your biometric data is taken, and you are allowed through customs.

Cuba and the ESTA

The United States considers Cuba a sponsor of terrorism. Therefore, if you have been in Cuba after 11 January 2021 (regardless of whether it was for a transfer or a stay), you are no longer eligible for an ESTA for the United States. If you already held an ESTA before your trip to Cuba, it will be invalidated after your visit to Cuba. If you were in Cuba after 11 January 2021 and wish to travel to the United States, you will need a visa. You should apply for this visa at the US embassy or consulate in your home country.