The Cuban diplomatic representation in Washington is said to have raised more than 270 million dollars between 2019 and 2025 through consular services, according to an investigation based on thousands of leaked internal documents that partially reconstruct the finances of the mission.
The investigation was published this Friday by elTOQUE, which claimed to have gained access, along with journalists from the Systema de Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty project, to 4,713 files from three institutional accounts: those of the ambassador, the consul, and an administrative assistant.
The documents were obtained in late 2025 and contain tables, financial reports, emails, and consular records. The outlet noted that it verified and cross-checked the material before publishing the information and warned that the available documentation is incomplete, which means the total amount raised during those years could be higher.
The main sources of revenue came from passport issuance, document legalizations, powers of attorney, notarized authorizations, and the sale of tourist cards. Until July 2023, passport extensions were also charged.
One of the highest revenue periods recorded corresponds to 2019. The annual plan for the headquarters was around 96 million dollars, and by the end of July, approximately 64.7 million had already been obtained, close to 67% of the target set.
By that time, a total of 64,480 passports had been issued, 86,104 extended, and 486,965 tourist cards sold, along with another 153,108 consular services.
At that time, a Cuban passport cost 350 dollars in the United States, while an extension was 160 dollars and a tourist card was 50 dollars.
Only those three categories would have generated more than 59 million dollars during the first seven months of 2019, according to the calculations included in the research.
The files also contain over 90 checks payable to the Cuban Consulate, mostly related to travel agencies that purchased tourist cards.
Cuba Travel Services shows 43 checks, and Cubamax has 36, while JetBlue is listed with seven payments ranging from 250,000 to 850,000 dollars.
The largest check found by the investigators was made out to OnCuba Travel and Fuego Enterprises, dated February 16, 2019, for 2.5 million dollars. Another from Royal Caribbean amounted to 1.27 million.
The pandemic caused a significant drop in these revenues. In 2020, consular revenue amounted to 38,663,760 dollars, while various procedures decreased due to border closures and a decline in travel.
In 2021, the documents indicate a gradual recovery. By July 30 of that year, 27,142,215 dollars had been raised, equivalent to 63.12% of the annual plan.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bruno Rodríguez, came to congratulate the consular team for achieving its objectives, according to one of the records cited by the investigation.
The subsequent partial figures indicate equally high revenues. Until September 2022, the consulate had raised 52,240,585 dollars, which is equivalent to 121.49% of its annual plan. During the same period in 2023, it recorded 44,897,335 dollars.
For 2024, the cumulative revenue up to September was 24,541,915 dollars, while by September 10, 2025, the record showed 21,621,450 dollars. The annual plan for that last year had been reduced to 30 million.
The decline in revenue coincided with the immigration reform implemented in 2023, which reduced the price of passports and eliminated extensions, one of the traditional sources of revenue collection.
The leaked documents also allow for a comparison of the income with the operating expenses of the diplomatic mission. For 2025, the Embassy had an assigned annual budget of 2,442,423 dollars, which is far lower than the amounts collected through consular services in the analyzed years.
A report dated January 9 of that year indicated that 50 officials were working at the headquarters, including both permanent and temporary staff. The budgeted limit for salaries during 2025 was set at 468,025 dollars.
Only during January, 41,654 dollars were disbursed in salaries. Divided among the 50 counted workers, this represents an approximate average of 833 dollars per month per employee, although the documents do not indicate that everyone received the same salary.
The Embassy also covered the rent, maintenance, and services for its officials' residences. In January 2025, it spent 90,730 dollars on rent, while the annual budget for that item amounted to 1,041,710 dollars. An additional 79,292 dollars was allocated for maintenance and repair of properties.
The investigation indicates that, due to the lack of detailed public information regarding these accounts, it is not possible to ascertain from the documents how the entirety of the consular collection was ultimately used.
The contrast with other consular representations is also significant. According to data collected by the outlet, the partial records from 2019 and the total for 2020 show at least 103 million dollars collected by the Cuban representation.
During a similar period, Dominican consulates analyzed in New York, Florida, and Puerto Rico reported significantly lower numbers.
The research arrives just a few days before a new increase in Cuban consular services. Starting on October 1, 2026, the fee for issuing a passport in the United States will rise from 180 to 200 dollars, plus shipping costs, as part of a general increase in consular fees announced by Cuban authorities.
The government justified the decision by citing the "complex international macroeconomic landscape" and the impact of inflation.
elTOQUE assured that it requested comments from the Cuban Embassy in Washington, but did not receive a response before the publication of the investigation.
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