Starting from May 1, 2026, the Consulate General of Spain in Havana will handle Schengen visa applications for Cubans wishing to travel to Belgium for less than 90 days.
The Consulate of Spain in Havana published the following text on social media X: "Starting May 1, 2026 Spain will represent the Kingdom of Belgium in matters of Schengen visas for stays of less than 90 days in that country. Belgian national visas will continue to be the responsibility of the Belgian authorities."
The change is a direct consequence of the closure of the Embassy of Belgium in Havana, announced on November 14, 2025 by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Maxime Prévot as part of a diplomatic restructuring that involves the closure of a total of eight missions: Sarajevo, Conakry, Bamako, Maputo, Havana, Rio de Janeiro, Guangzhou, and Kuwait City.
The Belgian mission in Cuba had 123 years of history and also covered Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Luxembourg's relations with Cuba. Belgium will relocate its consular services for its citizens in the Caribbean to its embassy in Panama, and the transition will be implemented between 2026 and 2027.
The Embassy of Cuba in Belgium reacted to the announcement of the closure with surprise and disappointment, highlighting the 123 years of uninterrupted relations between the two countries. Belgium reaffirmed the decision as final despite the protests from the Cuban regime.
For Cubans, the practical process changes from one window to another, but the requirements remain the same.
The Consulate General of Spain in Havana now manages short-stay Schengen visas for those wishing to travel to Spain and other destinations, so the procedure will be the usual one: request an appointment online, submit the application form, a valid passport, a recent photograph, medical insurance with a minimum coverage of 30,000 euros, proof of financial means, and a reservation for accommodation and transportation.
The consular fee amounts to approximately 90 euros for adults and 50 euros for children aged six to 12 years. Applications must be submitted between six months and 15 days before the intended travel date.
Belgian long-stay national visas are not included in this representation agreement and will remain the exclusive responsibility of the Belgian authorities, as stated by the Spanish consulate itself.
Cuba does not have Schengen visa exemption to travel to the European Union, a condition confirmed in March 2025, which requires all Cuban citizens to apply for a visa for any destination within the Schengen area, which in 2026 will include 29 countries following the incorporation of Bulgaria and Romania in January 2025.
This is not the first time that the Spanish Consulate in Havana has expanded its role on the island.
In April 2025, Spain announced the opening of a new Consulate General in Cuba, and during the same period, Sweden made it easier for Cubans to apply for a Schengen visa from Havana through an online system provided by the Swedish Migration Agency.
The mechanism that Spain activates for Belgium is in response to a regulation of the Schengen Area. If a member country lacks consular representation in a territory, it can delegate the processing of short-stay visas to another member state through representation agreements.
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