Cuba emergency travel document (DVT) from the US: $120 in person

Cuba emergency travel document (DVT) from the US

The Documento de Viaje y Tránsito (DVT) is what the Cuban Consular Office in Washington, DC, Cuba’s only consular office in the United States, issues when a Cuban citizen needs to enter Cuba and their passport is lost, damaged, stolen or expired. You request it in person in Washington or by mail. It costs $120 USD in person or $140 USD by mail (fee published by the Cuban Consular Office, checked October 3, 2026). Two limits matter most. It is issued only after prior consultation with the Dirección de Identificación, Inmigración y Extranjería (DIIE) of Cuba’s Interior Ministry, and it is valid for a single entry into Cuba within no more than 30 days of issue. It does not get you out of Cuba again.

Versión en español

At a glance

Who can request it, per the Consular Office

The consular page describes two situations:

1. Residente en el territorio nacional. As an exception, if a Cuban citizen in this migration category needs to travel immediately from the United States to Cuba and the passport is in one of the conditions above, the office can issue a DVT instead of a new passport.
2. Residente en el Exterior or Emigrado. Cubans in these categories can also request the DVT if they present a humanitarian reason in Cuba and can prove it with documents. The page does not define which humanitarian reasons qualify or which documents prove them, so confirm that with the office.

These are Cuban migration categories, not your US immigration status. The same page says Cuba’s automatic, free extension of stays abroad beyond 24 months remains in effect until further notice, and that people covered by it keep their status as residents of the national territory.

What the DVT does not do

• It is not a new passport. It temporarily replaces the passport, for entry only.
• It does not get you out of Cuba. For Residentes en el Exterior or Emigrados, the page says that to return to the United States or travel to another country you must have a new passport made at the Consultoría Jurídica Internacional offices. Residentes en el territorio nacional have the new passport made at any Interior Ministry (MININT) Trámites unit.
• It is not automatic. It is issued after consultation with the DIIE.
• It does not last past 30 days. If you do not travel within that window from the issue date, the document no longer covers your entry.

For a passport rather than a travel document, see our guide to renewing a Cuban passport from the US.

Required documents

From the “Documento de Viaje y Tránsito” section of the consular page:

The Anexo 2 form is a general Interior Ministry form with boxes for several procedures, one of them marked “DVT”. Its instructions say to fill it in block letters or by typewriter, with no corrections, strike-outs or erasures, and to bring 2 photos measuring 4½ x 4½ cm, one of them glued to the form.

Cost

Fee published by the Cuban Consular Office in Washington, checked October 3, 2026:

Cuba’s Foreign Ministry fee schedule, Resolución 38/2023 (signed June 29, 2023), lists “Expedición de Documento de Viaje y Tránsito” at 100.00 and the non-personal charge at 20.00 in its US column. Both match the page.

The consular page says the USPS money order must be completed carefully and legibly in black or blue ink, without strike-outs or blots (checked October 23, 2026).

Step by step

1. Check your situation against the office’s description: a lost, damaged, stolen or expired passport, plus either immediate travel (Residente en el territorio nacional) or a documented humanitarian reason (Residente en el Exterior or Emigrado).
2. Gather the documents in the table, including the ticket photocopy.
3. Apply in person or by mail. In person: 2639 16th St NW, Washington DC, 20009, Monday to Friday 9:00 AM to 12:00 noon. These are the public hours since March 4, 2024, per Nota Informativa No1/2024. By mail: Embassy of the Republic of Cuba, 2630 16th St NW, Washington DC, 20009. The page gives two different street numbers, 2639 for the office and 2630 for mail. Copy each one exactly as published for its purpose.
4. Pay with a USPS Postal Money Order. The office’s sample money order reads Pay to “Embajada de Cuba en Estados Unidos”, with the 2630 16th Street NW address and the consular service named in the memo line. The page warns that a request paid with any other money order is returned.
5. Include a return envelope if you mail the request. It must be prepaid; the page recommends a tracking number and a $9.65 USD postage stamp (checked October 3, 2026). Leave it unsealed, and send one per applicant.
6. Wait for authorization. The DVT is issued after consultation with the DIIE. The page does not say how long that takes.
7. Travel within 30 days of the issue date, and plan for the new passport you will need to leave Cuba.

Another rule on the same page: entering with an expired passport

In its passport-renewal section, the page says that since November 16, 2020, and until further notice, Cuban citizens who are residents of the national territory may, as an exception, return to the country with an expired passport. In its notice on the extension of stays abroad, which covers a similar measure for residents of the national territory, the page adds that the measure eases entry, not departure. For nationals who live permanently abroad, the published rule is different: they must carry a valid, unexpired Cuban passport to travel to Cuba. The page does not explain how this rule fits with the DVT, so confirm with the office before you buy a ticket.

A later MINREX statement, dated December 6, 2024, set March 31, 2025 as the deadline for Cuban citizens to enter Cuba with an expired passport and said Cubans would enter with a valid passport from April 1, 2025. The consular page had not been updated to reflect that statement when read on October 19, 2026. For the dated sources, including Cuba’s new Migration Law (Ley 171, published May 5, 2026), see expired Cuban passport and the 24-month rule.

Questions

For inquiries, the page lists Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, by phone at (202)-797-8518 or by email at recepcion@usadc.embacuba.cu. It does not publish an appointment system.

Related information

• Cuban consulate in the US: directory
• All Cuban consular procedures
• Renewing a Cuban passport from the US
• Entering Cuba on a foreign passport: the HE-11
• Moving back to Cuba from the US
• Cuban minor’s passport and travel authorization
• Consulates by state

Official sources

• Cuban Consular Office in the United States, “Servicios Consulares” (section “Documento de Viaje y Tránsito”), Spanish page: misiones.cubaminrex.cu/es/eeuu/servicios-consulares. The page shows no visible last-updated date; its HTML metadata gives a last-modified time of April 4, 2024. Its most recent dated content is Nota Informativa No1/2024. The office’s English-language page is older and out of date, so this guide relies on the Spanish page only.
• Resolución No. 38/2023, Cuban Foreign Ministry consular fee schedule, sections 3 and 19: resolucion_38_de_2023_sobre_el_arancel_consular.pdf

Last verified: 2026-10-03. General procedural information for educational purposes. DVT approval depends on consultation with Cuban migration authorities, and the requirements can change without notice on the page. Verify directly with the Cuban Consular Office in Washington. Not legal advice.