Russia visitation rules for citizens of Cuba

Cuban citizens are able to visit the Russian Federation without a visa for a period of up to 90 days. They are, however, required to observe the rest of the rules foreign nationals visiting the territory of the Russian Federation are subject to, which include having a registration document valid for the duration of the foreign national's period of stay in Russia (registering their address within 7 business days after entering Russia) and medical insurance.

Upon their arrival at the airport, Russian immigration officers may request to see the Cuban national’s return ticket, the address of the place where he or she plans to reside (whether it be a hotel or a relative's home), and evidence of financial solvency over the period of their stay in Russia.

Marrying a citizen of the Russian Federation and/or giving birth to the child of a citizen of the Russian Federation will enable a Cuban citizen to obtain a temporary residence permit (in the case of a marriage) or a permanent residence permit (in the case of birthing a child).

The second option to legally reside in the Russian Federation is obtaining a business, work, or student visa.

• Business visa: Obtaining this type of visa will require a business invitation to be issued by a private or a state organization on the territory of the Russian Federation. After obtaining this invitation, next, the Cuban national will need to visit the Russian consulate in Havana.

The duration of the visa is always based on the discretion of the consulate. In practice, business visas are issued for a period of between 3 months and a year. One must keep in mind that even if a visa is issued for 1 year, one will have to exit every 3 months. Business visas do not give the person the right to work!

• Work visa: To obtain this type of visa, one will first have to have a work invitation issued by a private or state organization located in the Russian Federation. After obtaining this invitation, next, the Cuban national will need to visit the Russian consulate in Havana.

This visa can be issued for either 1 year or 3 years (depending on the type of work permit). Work permits come as ordinary work permits or highly qualified specialist work permits.

It’s important to note that the employer can extend a work visa on the territory of the Russian Federation without requiring the foreign national to exit the country.

• Student visa: Obtaining this visa will require that an education invitation be issued by a private or state educational institution located in the Russian Federation. After obtaining this invitation, next, the Cuban national will need to visit the Russian consulate in Havana.

The standard validity of this type of visa is 1 year. 

The list of documents required for Cuban nationals visiting Russia includes:

• A valid passport (passports issued after July 1, 2023 remain valid for 10 years).
• Birth certificate (no validity period).
• Clean record certificate (has a 3-month validity period in Russia but it can be extended for another 3 months at the Cuban Embassy in the Russian Federation). Importantly, a clean record certificate is the only document that will require a stamp be placed on it by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.
• Marriage, divorce, or death certificate (only valid for three months).

Since a legal assistance agreement was concluded between Cuba and the USSR for civil, family, and criminal cases (Havana, November 28, 1984), only a notarized translation into Russian will be required for Cuban documents to be able to be used in the Russian Federation: no legalization required!

We specialize in serving Cuban citizens and help handle all Cubans’ legal and translation needs in Moscow. We speak Spanish as well. Give us a call or write us a message today!