Many Cubans have Spanish parents or grandparents, and thousands are already Spanish citizens: for them and their families, the move is mostly about paperwork. For everyone else, Cuba is one of the most demanding countries: a visa is required, documents are legalised rather than apostilled and there is no licence exchange. Here is how people usually make the move and what to prepare.
Key facts
- Entry: Cuban passport holders need a Schengen visa even for tourism, and that visa is not a way to settle. If you have a layover in Spain on the way to another country, check whether you need an airport transit visa.
- Citizenship: as a national of an Ibero-American country you can apply for Spanish citizenship after 2 years of legal, continuous residence, and Spain does not require you to renounce Cuban nationality (art. 24 of the Civil Code), even though there is no dual nationality treaty.
- Democratic Memory Law: the deadline for grandchildren of Spaniards ended on 22 October 2025; no new applications are accepted, although files submitted in time are still being processed. If you were born outside Spain and your father, mother, grandfather or grandmother was originally Spanish, you can apply for citizenship by residence after just 1 year of legal, continuous residence.
- Documents: Cuba is not party to the Hague Convention, so there is no apostille: documents are legalised in Cuba and then at the Consulate General of Spain in Havana.
- Driving: there is no exchange agreement. Once resident you can drive for six months on your Cuban licence; after that you need a Spanish licence, with theory and practical tests.
How people usually move
- Spanish parent. If your father or mother was Spanish when you were born, you are Spanish by origin and only need to register your birth. If they are Spanish by origin and born in Spain, you can opt for citizenship with no deadline. If they became Spanish while you were a minor, you can opt until age 20. Spanish citizenship
- Family of a Spanish citizen. The spouse, registered partner, children under 26 (or older dependent children) and dependent parents of a Spanish citizen, including Cubans who obtained Spanish citizenship, can apply for residence as family members. Family member of a Spanish or EU citizen
- Studies. A master’s, degree or vocational course with a student visa; it allows work up to 30 hours a week. Time as a student does not count towards the 2 years for citizenship. Study permit
- Work in Spain. A Spanish employer applies for the work permit and you then request the visa. Employment permit
- International protection. It is for people facing persecution or serious harm, not a route for economic migration; each application is assessed individually. Asylum and international protection
Documents and apostille
- Criminal record certificate (Certificación de Antecedentes Penales) from the Registro Central de Sancionados (Ministry of Justice), requested through the bufetes colectivos (law firms) or, from abroad, through Cuban consulates, with the annotation for use abroad. It usually has to be recent.
- Birth and marriage certificates from the Registro del Estado Civil. If you rely on ancestry, also get your parents’ certificates and the Spanish registration of the parent who passes on citizenship.
- Legalisation: first in Cuba (Ministry of Justice and MINREX, depending on the document) and then at the Consulate General of Spain, at the legalisation window in the Palacio de Velasco, by appointment. Without this chain the document is not valid in Spain.
- University degrees, legalised the same way, if you will study or have your degree recognised.
- Copies: keep copies of everything; Cuban documents are hard to request again once you are in Spain. Documents and legalisation
What to keep in mind
- Since October 2026, visa applications (Schengen, national and, from 19 October, those for family members of Spanish and EU citizens) are handed in by appointment at the Spain Visa Application Centre in Cuba, in Miramar (Playa). The decision still lies with the Consulate General of Spain in Havana.
- The centre only receives applications and returns passports; for urgent, documented cases the consulate answers by email. Track your application on the Foreign Ministry’s consular procedures website.
- Common mistake: bringing documents that are not legalised or have an incomplete chain. Allow time for legalisation before booking your appointment.
- In Spain: register at the town hall (padrón) and, if you came with a residence or student visa, apply for your TIE within the first month.
Frequently asked questions
Can I still become Spanish as the grandchild of a Spaniard?
Not under the Democratic Memory Law: the deadline ended on 22 October 2025. If you applied in time, your file is still being processed. Still open are the option if your father or mother is Spanish by origin and born in Spain, and citizenship by residence: 1 year of legal residence if you were born outside Spain and your father, mother, grandfather or grandmother was originally Spanish; otherwise 2 years.
My mother became a Spanish citizen. What about me?
If she became Spanish while you were a minor under her parental authority, you can opt for citizenship, generally until age 20. If you were already an adult, that option does not exist; you can move to Spain as the family member of a Spanish citizen if you are under 26 or dependent on her, or by another route, and apply for citizenship after 2 years of residence.
Will I lose Cuban nationality if I become Spanish?
Spain does not require you to renounce it because Cuba is an Ibero-American country, even though there is no dual nationality treaty. How Cuba treats your other nationality depends on Cuban law. You need the CCSE test of the Instituto Cervantes; the DELE is not required because Spanish is an official language of Cuba.
Official sources
- Consulado General de España en La Habana: avisos sobre visados y legalizaciones
- Preguntas frecuentes: Centro de Solicitud de Visados para España en Cuba (octubre de 2026)
- Directorio Cubano: antecedentes penales para uso en el exterior (Registro Central de Sancionados)
- DGT: países con convenio de canje (Cuba no figura)
- Código Civil, arts. 20, 22 y 24