The visa · Cuba
Cuba
Cuba has no visa for remote workers. Nearly every nomad enters on the electronic tourist visa, which allows 90 days and one 90-day extension, and works remotely in a legal grey zone that the rules do not address. A new Foreigners Law was gazetted on 5 May 2026 and takes effect about 180 days later; until then residence remains tied to a Cuban employer, course, investment or family, and a visit to Cuba costs holders of Visa Waiver passports their ESTA eligibility for the United States.
- Nomad visa · September 2026None as suchRoutes2Bases1
- Havana21 pieces
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Listings whose hiring region includes this country, newest first · apply on the board's own page
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The routes
Researched 6 September 2026 · rules as of September 2026 · as published, not legal advice
Temporary stay
Electronic tourist visa (e-Visa)
Visa de turismo electrónica (categoría A-1, turismo) / Electronic tourist visa
Remote workers of any visa-required nationality who plan to stay up to six months and keep their employer, clients and tax base abroad.
- Income floor
- none published; extensions are reported to require evidence of means, accommodation and onward travel, without a stated figure
- Duration
- 90 days from entry, single entry; one in-country extension of 90 days at a provincial office of the Dirección de Identificación, Inmigración y Extranjería, giving 180 days in total; leaving Cuba ends the visa
- Cost
- US$50 on the government portal, paid by card; consulates set their own price and applicant reports range from about EUR 22 to US$50 depending on the country of application. The extension fee is disputed: reports give roughly US$25 to the equivalent of 40 convertible pesos, paid in Cuban pesos
- Processing
- Up to 72 working hours after the online form and payment, per MINREX; the extension is reported to take half a day in person
- Eligibility
- Nationals of countries without a visa exemption, travelling for tourism; passport valid for the stay; medical insurance from an insurer recognised in Cuba (United States insurers are not accepted; travellers on flights from the United States are covered by a basic policy included in the fare); travellers departing from the United States must also fit a United States OFAC travel category under United States law
- Work rights
- Issued for tourism only; the published rules do not mention remote work. Working for a Cuban entity is not permitted on this visa. Remote work for foreign employers or clients is widely reported as tolerated but unregulated
- Dependants
- Each traveller, including children, needs a separate e-visa
- Leads to
- no
- Apply
- Online at the government portal evisacuba.cu, selecting the Cuban consulate for the applicant's country; also through Cuban consulates and their authorised agents
Documents Passport scan and a working e-mail address for the visa code · Flight details and address of accommodation in Cuba · Proof of medical insurance valid in Cuba · D'Viajeros advance passenger form completed online within 48 hours of the flight · Card payment of the fee
Residence
Temporary residence under the Foreigners Law
Residencia temporal (Ley de Extranjería) / Temporary residence
Foreigners with an authorised activity in Cuba, such as a contract with a Cuban entity, a course of study, an approved investment or a Cuban spouse; it is not open on the basis of remote work for a foreign employer.
- Income floor
- not published in the sources opened
- Duration
- Granted for the period of the authorised activity and renewable while it continues; exact terms and fees are not published in the sources opened. The new law also keeps a property-based category (residente inmobiliario) for owners or lessees of dwellings and adds humanitarian and provisional categories
- Cost
- not published in the sources opened
- Processing
- not published in the sources opened
- Eligibility
- An authorised activity or sponsor in Cuba; residents must register with the migration authority within 10 days of arrival and report changes of status. The law approved on 19 July 2024 was gazetted on 5 May 2026 and enters into force 180 days later, so the pre-2026 framework (Ley 1313 of 1976 as amended by Decreto-Ley 302 of 2012) still governs applications in September 2026
- Work rights
- Limited to the authorised activity; self-employment (trabajo por cuenta propia) and private enterprise registration are reserved for Cubans and foreign permanent residents
- Dependants
- Family members apply in their own right; rules not published in the sources opened
- Leads to
- Permanent residence is a separate grant. Under the new law, naturalisation requires at least 5 years as a permanent resident (2 years for the spouse or child of a Cuban citizen), an authorised economic activity, a clean record and a citizenship examination
- Apply
- Cuban consulate abroad for the entry visa, then the Dirección de Identificación, Inmigración y Extranjería in Cuba
Documents Passport · Evidence of the sponsoring activity (contract, enrolment, investment approval or family tie) · Medical insurance valid in Cuba · Further documents set by the consulate or the Dirección de Identificación, Inmigración y Extranjería, not published in the sources opened
Without a visa, by passport
The stay you get on arrival, and whether working remotely on it is tolerated
- EU / EEA / Switzerlande-visa required, 90 days single entry, extendable once by 90 daysRemote work is not addressed by the rules and is reported as tolerated on a tourist stay. A visit to Cuba on or after 12 January 2021 removes ESTA eligibility for the United States
- United Kingdome-visa required, 90 days single entry, extendable once by 90 daysGrey: tourism-only visa, remote work unregulated. Same ESTA loss applies
- United Statese-visa required, 90 days single entry, extendable once by 90 daysUnited States law restricts travel to 12 OFAC categories and bans tourism; United States cards and most United States insurers do not work in Cuba. Remote work is unregulated on the Cuban side
- Canadae-visa required, 90 days single entry, extendable once by 90 daysPhysical tourist cards issued by airlines were reported valid until 31 December 2025; the e-visa now applies. Remote work grey
- Australiae-visa required, 90 days single entry, extendable once by 90 daysGrey; ESTA loss applies to Australian Visa Waiver travellers who later visit the United States
- Indiae-visa required, 90 days single entry, extendable once by 90 daysGrey: tourism-only visa, remote work unregulated
- Brazile-visa required, 90 days single entry, extendable once by 90 daysGrey: tourism-only visa, remote work unregulated
- South Africae-visa required, 90 days single entry, extendable once by 90 daysGrey: tourism-only visa, remote work unregulated
- Russiavisa-free under a bilateral agreement, reported up to 90 daysVisa-free entry is for tourism; remote work unregulated
- Chinavisa-free under a bilateral agreement, duration per the agreementListed among exempt nationalities; remote work unregulated
- Serbiavisa-free since 13 April 2023, duration per the agreementRemote work unregulated
- Malaysia / Singapore / United Arab Emirates / Belarusvisa-free, stays reported between 28 and 90 days depending on the agreementThe exemption list is set by MINREX and changes; remote work unregulated
Tax
When the country starts counting you as its taxpayer
- Residency trigger
- Law 113 of 2012 (Ley del Sistema Tributario) attaches personal income tax to permanent residence: Cuban and foreign permanent residents are taxed on Cuban-source income and on income from personal work contracts abroad, while non-residents are taxed only on Cuban-source income, with a 15 per cent rate reported for salaries and gratuities paid in Cuba. Secondary sources describe a 183-day presence test; the gazetted text could not be opened for this research, so the day count is unconfirmed
- Special regime
- none for newcomers or remote workers. Article 28 of Law 113 sets a 4 per cent rate on income from individual work contracts abroad for permanent residents, which is the basis of the 4 per cent figure quoted in nomad guides; it does not apply to visitors
- Social security
- Cuban social security covers employees of Cuban entities and registered self-employed workers under a special regime; a remote worker on a tourist visa has no Cuban affiliation and pays nothing in Cuba. No certificate-of-coverage arrangements relevant to remote workers were verified in this research
- Treaties
- Cuba has double-taxation treaties with Spain (signed 3 February 1999, in force 2001), Portugal, Austria, Russia, Ukraine, China, Vietnam, Venezuela and Barbados, among others; there is none with the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, India, Brazil or South Africa. For a remote worker who never becomes a Cuban permanent resident the treaties have no practical effect and home-country tax continues
Practicalities
- Bank account
- Accounts are for residents; visitors run on cash. ATMs dispense Cuban pesos only, with reported fees of 3 to 5 per cent and frequent outages. Cards issued in the United States are blocked, and Wise and Revolut do not operate. Nomads report the informal exchange rate is far better than the official one
- SIM registration
- ETECSA sells the Cubacel Tur tourist SIM against a passport: Básico with 4 GB for 7 days at US$13.99, Plus with 10 GB for 30 days at US$34.99, collected at airports or ETECSA offices, extendable to a 90-day maximum
- Health insurance
- Mandatory for all visitors since 2010 and checked at the border; the policy must be from an insurer recognised in Cuba. Travellers without one must buy cover from the state insurer Asistur on arrival. United States insurers are not accepted; flights from the United States include a basic policy of about US$25 for 30 days
- Address registration
- Visitors declare their accommodation on the e-visa and D'Viajeros forms. Under the new Foreigners Law, residents must register with the migration authority within 10 days of arrival
- Tax number
- The ONAT issues a taxpayer number only to registered taxpayers such as residents and licensed self-employed workers; a visitor has no Cuban tax number
- Overstay penalties
- No published fine schedule was found. Reports describe strict enforcement with fines and possible detention, and an extension must be sought before the first 90 days expire
- Connectivity and power
- Nomads report fixed broadband averaging about 7 Mbps, mobile data about 3 Mbps, up to about 42 Mbps at paid coworking space in Havana, and long daily power cuts through 2026
Cuba: a 90-day e-visa, no nomad route, and a foreigners law that arrives in November
Where remote workers base, and on what
Cuba has no permit for remote workers and the new Foreigners Law, gazetted on 5 May 2026, does not create one. The realistic route is the electronic tourist visa: 90 days, single entry, one extension of 90 days at a provincial immigration office. Anyone wanting longer must leave and re-enter on a fresh visa, and residence categories still require a Cuban sponsor, a course, an approved investment, a dwelling or a Cuban family member.
Havana, and Vedado in particular, is the only place that functions as a working base, with paid coworking reaching about 42 Mbps. Viñales and Trinidad are cheaper and quieter but run on mobile data of roughly 3 Mbps. Long daily power cuts were reported across 2026 and shape where people rent: a casa with a generator or battery matters more than the view.
What applicants report about the process
The e-visa is straightforward: form, passport scan, flight and address, card payment, and a code by e-mail within about 72 working hours. Prices differ by consulate, from about EUR 22 to US$50, and the physical tourist card was accepted in parallel until the end of 2025. Insurance is checked, and a policy from a United States insurer is not accepted.
The extension is done in person, takes about half a day and is reported to cost between US$25 and the equivalent of 40 convertible pesos, paid in Cuban pesos; the figure is disputed between sources. The single most expensive consequence of a Cuban stay is not Cuban at all: holders of Visa Waiver passports who have visited Cuba since 12 January 2021 lose ESTA and must apply for a United States visa.
Money and daily life
The economy runs on cash. ATMs give Cuban pesos only, often fail, and charge 3 to 5 per cent; cards issued in the United States do not work, nor do Wise or Revolut. Nomads bring euros or dollars and change them informally at rates far above the official one. The ETECSA tourist SIM costs US$13.99 for 7 days or US$34.99 for 30 days and can be extended to 90 days.
Tax follows residence status rather than days in a tourist's case. Law 113 taxes permanent residents on Cuban-source income and on personal work contracts abroad, the latter at 4 per cent, and non-residents only on Cuban-source income. A remote worker on a tourist visa acquires no Cuban tax number and no social-security affiliation, and stays taxable at home; Cuba's treaty network covers Spain, Portugal, Austria, Russia, China and a few others but not the United Kingdom, United States, Canada or Australia.
What is changing
The new Migration, Citizenship and Foreigners laws take effect about 180 days after their May 2026 publication, which points to November 2026. For foreigners they list temporary, property-based, humanitarian, provisional and permanent residence, require registration within 10 days, and open naturalisation after 5 years of permanent residence or 2 years for the spouse or child of a Cuban. Fees, durations and evidence thresholds for each category had not been published in the sources opened for this research.
Only the 'inversor y de negocios' category is live now, and it is reserved for Cuban citizens living abroad. Nothing in the gazetted texts addresses remote work for foreign employers, so the tourist e-visa remains the working assumption for the rest of 2026.
Researched from 14ymedio.com · telemundo.com · presidencia.gob.cu · periodismodebarrio.org · refworld.org · misiones.cubaminrex.cu · visasnews.com · lanacion.com.ar · fragomen.com · sanctionsnews.bakermckenzie.com · the authority