The Cuban government has extended the validity of driving and circulation licenses that expire between January 1, 2026, and December 31, 2027, until 2028, 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 Héroes de azul en Cuba, which published the authorities' informational note in its entirety.
According to the statement, holders of those documents must 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 noted that the measure takes effect immediately.
The extension does not eliminate the obligations related to medical examinations.
The organization clarified that holders of driver's licenses aged 65 and over, and 70 and over must keep their corresponding check-ups updated when it is time to have them conducted.
The MININT did not explain in the statement the reasons that led to the extension of the validity of the documents for up to two years.
It 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 related to the pending procedures from the years affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, the difficulties with the issuance and renewal of official documents became evident again at the beginning of 2026.
In February, MININT reported that there were no plastic cards available to issue 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 waiting for the necessary supplies to arrive.
The authorities also determined that existing identity cards would continue to be valid, even if they had expired, as long as they allowed for full identification of their holder.
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