The new Visa Application Center of Spain in Cuba started operating this Monday in the Havana municipality of Playa, with dozens of people arriving early and some applicants expressing concerns about the procedures and payments of the newly launched system.
More than 30 people were waiting for their turn at the location on Avenida 31, between 18 and 14 streets, in Miramar, according to a report by the agency EFE via Infobae. The main reasons included applications for study, tourism, and family reunification visas.
For Maura Lindsay, a young woman from Havana who had been waiting since July for an appointment to study in Spain, the reopening is a relief, although she acknowledged the confusion in the initial hours.
"It is partly good that they have opened another center," he stated, but he pointed out that several users arrived "quite confused" about the document collection process depending on the type of visa and the payments they needed to make.
Jalina Pérez, who woke up early to apply for a tourist visa to visit family in Spain, also mentioned the transportation difficulties to get to Playa, although she summed up her priority: "The ultimate goal is to obtain the visa."
The new center will operate as operational support for the Consulate General of Spain in Havana. It will accept applications and documentation, serve the public, and deliver passports and resolutions once the files are completed.
However, the decision to approve or deny a visa will remain the exclusive responsibility of the Consulate General, as Spanish authorities had already clarified when they announced the new system.
The rollout will be gradual. As of this Monday, short-stay Schengen visas and the collection of passports and resolutions are being processed.
Starting from October 12, national visas will begin to be processed, including those for studies, work, non-lucrative residence, internships, and research. On October 19, applications for family members of Spanish citizens and those from other European Union countries will be accepted.
The processing of visa applications through the new center will cost 17 euros, in addition to the applicable consular fees for each case. Appointment reservations remain free of charge.
The change also involves the abandonment of the Bookitit system for new requests. Those who already had an appointment, received credentials, or requested them before the platform change do not need to restart the process: they will be contacted via email by the new center.
The opening comes after years of high demand and difficulties in obtaining appointments at the Spanish Consulate in Havana.
According to data released by the Government of Spain, the Consulate General in Havana received 107,338 nationality applications under the Democratic Memory Law, which represents 12.24% of the total worldwide recorded at that time. The deadline for new applications closed on October 22, 2025, although the files initiated within the deadline continued to be processed.
This pressure is compounded by the growth of the Spanish community in Cuba. The Official State Bulletin noted in December 2025 that the number of registered individuals at the Spanish Consulate General in Havana had doubled in just over a decade, approaching 185,000.
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