The Ministry of Agriculture (MINAG) issued , which amends the current regulations for the importation of plants, parts of plants, products of plant origin, and other items that may affect plant health in Cuba.
The regulation, dated August 25, 2026, was published this Wednesday in the , on pages 155 to 158, and updates Resolution 27 from January 26, 2024, which had established a systematic framework for this type of imports for the first time.
One of the central changes affects Article 3, whose new wording broadens the scope of the regulation: "The provisions of this Regulation apply to natural and legal persons, both national and foreign, intending to import the regulated articles of interest for plant health, for commercial and non-commercial purposes."
This distinction between commercial and non-commercial imports forms a significant part of the regulation.
For non-commercial imports, Article 5 empowers the acting official of the Plant Health Directorate at the entry points—recognized in customs terms as Control Customs—to authorize or deny the entry of certain products, provided that their phytosanitary status allows it and they come from authorized origins.
Among the items that can be authorized at the border without prior processing are products for human consumption such as tea, linden, chamomile, and other dry medicinal herbs without roots, processed nuts, spices, polished rice, vegetable flours, chickpeas, lentils, peas, and beans, in airtight and sealed containers.
Also included are handcrafted items made from wood, bark, seeds, or other plant materials intended for decoration or personal use, as well as fresh fruits declared by the traveler, "provided that they do not originate from sources that pose a high risk of introducing regulated pests into the country."
For commercial imports, the official must verify that the shipment includes the corresponding Phytosanitary Import Permit and, when applicable, an International Phytosanitary Certificate.
The regulation maintains the obligation to request this permit from the Plant Health Directorate 60 days prior to shipping from the origin.
Regarding the validity of the permit, the resolution establishes a maximum validity of one year in general, which is reduced to six months for genetic material, fresh fruits, and vegetables.
Items arriving in the country without the required documentation are subject to confiscation, as stated in article 5.2.d of the resolution.
The regulation amends articles 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, and 22 in total, as well as the Second Special Provision of Resolution 27/2024, and is explicitly justified "based on the economic and social transformations approved."
Its legal foundation is based on Law 148 "On Food Sovereignty and Food and Nutritional Security," approved by the National Assembly on May 14, 2022, and on Agreement 9947 of the Council of Ministers dated August 9, 2024, which reorganized the functions of MINAG and integrated the Plant Health Department into the General Directorate of Agriculture.
The Resolution 164/2026 is part of a comprehensive , which also includes Resolution 163/2026 regarding the export of regulated articles of interest for plant health, thus completing the phytosanitary regulatory cycle for both imports and exports.
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