The Cuban government has responded in recent hours to information circulating on social media regarding a supposed increase in the price of passports for Cubans living abroad.
The denial is technically accurate because the fees have not been modified. The Ministry of Justice maintains the same prices that have been in effect since 2022, continuing the issuance of passports for Cubans residing abroad at a cost of 5,625 Cuban pesos, equivalent to 234 US dollars; while the renewal of the document remains at 2,000 Cuban pesos, equivalent to 83 dollars.
The clarification was made by Ana Teresita González, the general director of Consular Affairs and Assistance to Cubans Residing Abroad, who stated on the social network X that "no modification to the current fees has been approved." Indeed, the amounts for obtaining and renewing passports are the same as those in effect since 2022.
However, the Resolution 486/2025 from the Ministry of Justice, published in the Official Gazette, marks a significant shift in focus. For the first time, the legal text itself acknowledges that the update to the fee structure is intended to "generate income in foreign currency," a point that was not explicitly stated in the previous regulation, the Resolution 171/2022.
In practice, Cubans living abroad have already been paying for these procedures in foreign currency through consulates, so the measure is not new for migrants financially. The change lies in the state's rhetoric, which stops viewing the passport merely as an administrative procedure and openly incorporates it into a revenue-generation strategy.
The truly new element of Resolution 486/2025 is found in its rationale. In one of the "WHEREAS" clauses, the Ministry of Justice explicitly acknowledges the economic goal behind the update of fees:
"Based on the experience gained from the implementation of the aforementioned Resolution and the studies conducted with the aim of generating foreign currency income and increasing the options for collecting the fees established for legal services related to the obtaining and legalization of documents to take effect both within and outside the national territory..."
This recognition was not included in Resolution 171/2022, which justified the changes solely for administrative reasons and the reorganization of services.
Cuban consulates regularly publish the costs of these procedures in foreign currencies. In Mexico, for example, the renewal of a passport is charged in Mexican pesos, whereas in Bolivia, payment is required in cash and in US dollars, with specific requirements regarding the accepted bills.
The resolution also consolidates the collection in dollars or other freely convertible currencies and reinforces the role of specialized law firms and consular offices as authorized channels to manage these payments from abroad.
All of this occurs in a context of deep economic crisis, a shortage of foreign currency, and increasing dependence on income from emigration.
Thus, while the government insists on denying a nonexistent increase, the official document confirms something more substantial, indicating that the Cuban passport is a paid service and that emigrants continue to occupy a central role in the state's financial strategy.
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