The Cuban government has extended until 2028 the validity of driving and circulation licenses that expire between January 1, 2026, and December 31, 2027, so their holders will not need to renew them immediately after the date printed on those documents.
The measure from the Ministry of the Interior (MININT) was released this Wednesday by the official profile Heroes in Blue in Cuba, which published the authorities' informative note in its entirety.
According to the announcement, the holders of those documents will need to begin the renewal process starting in January 2028 at the corresponding Processing Offices and will have until December 31 of that year to complete it.
Throughout this period, the licenses included in the extension will remain valid, clarified the MININT, which stated that the measure takes effect immediately.
The extension does not eliminate the obligations related to the medical examinations.
The agency clarified that holders of driver's licenses over 65 and 70 years old must keep their corresponding check-ups up to date when it's time for them to undergo them.
The MININT did not explain in the statement the reasons that led to extending the validity of the documents for up to two years.
This is not the first time that Cuban authorities have resorted to this type of extension. In January 2024, the MININT extended the validity of driver's licenses that had expired between 2020 and 2023 and ordered that their holders renew them during that year.
On that occasion, the decision was linked to the pending processes from the years affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the difficulties with the issuance and renewal of official documents became evident again in early 2026.
In February, MININT reported that there were no plastic cards available for issuing identity cards and attributed the shortage to the U.S. embargo.
In light of that situation, the offices continued to receive requests but began issuing provisional certifications while awaiting the arrival of the necessary supplies.
The authorities also determined that the existing identification cards would continue to be valid, even if they had surpassed the expiration date, as long as they allowed for the complete identification of their holder.
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