Consulates

Cuba tourist card and A-2 family visa from the US: fees, stay and documents

The Cuban consulate in Washington lists the tourist card (one entry, up to 90 days plus a 90-day extension) and the A-2 family visa for foreign spouses and children of Cubans (up to 180 days). Through an agency both cost $20 + $50 + $20. Checked October 19, 2026.

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Cuba tourist card and A-2 family visa from the US

The Cuban Consular Office in Washington, DC lists two entry documents for non-Cuban travelers. The tourist card (tarjeta turística, also called the tourist visa) is for foreign citizens traveling as tourists: one entry, up to 90 days, extendable 90 more days. The A-2 family visa is for the foreign spouses and children of Cuban citizens traveling with them: up to 180 days in Cuba. Through a contracted agency, each costs $20.00 + $50.00 + $20.00 (application, issuance and non-personal procedure), according to the consular services page checked on October 19, 2026.

Versión en español

Side by side

	Tourist card (tarjeta turística)	A-2 family visa
Who it is for, per the consular page	Foreign citizens traveling to Cuba for tourism	Foreign (non-Cuban) spouses and children of Cuban citizens who travel to Cuba with them
Stay	One entry, a trip of up to 90 days	Up to 180 days
Extension	90 more days, before the DIIE	Not stated on the page
Form	Anexo 16 (box “Tourist Visa / Turística”)	Anexo 16 (box “A-2 Non-residents / Transeúntes”)
Photos	Not on the list	Two color passport photos
Proof of relationship	Not on the list	Photocopy of the marriage and/or birth certificate
Ticket	Copy of the round-trip or transit ticket, all legs confirmed	Not on the list
Fees through an agency	$20.00 + $50.00 + $20.00	$20.00 + $50.00 + $20.00
Where to get it	Consular Office, contracted agencies, or the airlines at the airport	The page lists the documents for requests through contracted agencies

Source: the Cuban Consular Office in Washington, sections “Visa de turismo (tarjeta turística)” and “Visa familiar (A-2)”, checked October 19, 2026. The $90.00 total per document is our sum.

The two documents share a form, a fee structure and the agency channel, which is why this guide covers them together. They differ in who uses them, how long the stay is, and what proves the purpose of the trip: a round-trip ticket for the tourist card, a marriage or birth certificate for the A-2.

The tourist card

The consular page says the tourist visa or tourist card “se utiliza solamente para viajes de ciudadanos extranjeros que desean hacer turismo a Cuba” (is used only for trips by foreign citizens who want to visit Cuba as tourists). It is valid for a single entry, for a trip of up to 90 days, and can be extended 90 more days before the DIIE, Cuba’s immigration and foreigners authority.

Minors need their own card. The page says minors must travel with a tourist card even when they are added to their parents’ passports.

Three channels. The page lists the Consular Office, agencies under contract with the consulate, and “el aeropuerto con las líneas aéreas” (the airport, with the airlines). It does not publish the price the airlines charge.

Documents through a contracted agency:

A valid passport and a photocopy.
The completed visa application, Anexo 16.
A copy of the round-trip or transit ticket showing every leg confirmed, or each airline to be used.

Fees through an agency: $20.00 for the application, $50.00 for issuance and $20.00 for the non-personal procedure.

The A-2 family visa

The page describes the A-2 as a service for “las esposas o esposos y a los hijos extranjeros de los ciudadanos cubanos, que pretenden viajar a Cuba en compañía de ellos” (the foreign wives or husbands and the foreign children of Cuban citizens who intend to travel to Cuba with them). These relatives are allowed to stay in Cuba up to 180 days.

Documents through a contracted agency:

A valid passport and a photocopy.
Two color passport-style photos, high resolution, light background, facing forward, with the face and head uncovered and without dark glasses.
A photocopy of the marriage certificate and/or birth certificate that proves the relationship with the Cuban citizen.
The completed Anexo 16.

Fees through an agency: $20.00 for the application, $50.00 for issuance and $20.00 for the non-personal procedure.

A US-born child of a Cuban parent can also be registered in Cuba and apply for Cuban citizenship, a separate process. See registering a US-born child with Cuba and Cuban citizenship by descent for adults.

What Anexo 16 asks

Anexo 16 is a bilingual English-Spanish form titled “Application for Visa for Travel to Cuba”. Its top row has boxes for the visa type, including Tourist Visa / Turística and A-2 (Non-residents / Transeúntes), alongside event, guest, student, artist, journalist, business and other categories. It asks for:

Passport number, place and date of issue, and a photo space.
Full name as it appears on the passport, sex, eye, skin and hair color, height, marital status, date and place of birth.
The names of the father and mother and their places of birth.
Current home address, phone and e-mail, and current work or study details.
The address where the traveler will stay in Cuba and the name of the person to be visited.
Purpose of the trip, length of stay, place and date of departure and arrival.
Whether the traveler has been to Cuba before, when, where and why.

How the fees line up with Cuba’s fee schedule

Cuba’s consular fee schedule, Resolución 38/2023, has a US column. It lists $50.00 for a passport visa (item 6), $50.00 for the tourist card whether sold blank or filled in by the consular officer (item 7), and $20.00 for any non-personal procedure (item 19.a). The application charge for visas is set by item 19.b, $20.00 in the US column. Its Article 8 names the visitor visa types, including “A-1 Turista” and “A-2 Transeúnte y familiares”.

Payment to the consular office is by USPS Postal Money Order only; the page says a request paid with another kind of money order is returned. For in-person requests the office is at 2639 16th St NW, Washington, DC 20009, open to the public Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 12:00 noon (Nota Informativa No. 1/2024). For questions the page lists (202) 797-8518 and recepcion@usadc.embacuba.cu, Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

Cuban-born travelers use a Cuban passport

Neither document is listed among the services for Cuban citizens. The consular page states the rule for Cubans abroad: nationals who live permanently abroad “deben portar su pasaporte cubano válido y vigente para poder viajar a Cuba” (must carry a valid, unexpired Cuban passport to travel to Cuba).

The one listed exception for Cuban citizens entering on a foreign passport is the HE-11 entry authorization, whose requirements include proof of leaving Cuba before January 1, 1971. The same consular page also says that people who emigrated before January 1, 1971 and travel with an HE-11 must present their Cuban passport to enter Cuba, with accommodations until July 2024; it does not say what applies after that date. See entering Cuba on a foreign passport (HE-11). For the Cuban passport itself, see Cuban passport renewal.

Cuba’s new Citizenship Law repeats the principle. Ley 172, Article 14.1, says acquiring another citizenship does not mean losing Cuban citizenship, and that Cuban citizens, while in Cuba, “no pueden hacer uso de una ciudadanía extranjera” (cannot make use of a foreign citizenship).

New migration laws take effect in November 2026

Cuba’s Gaceta Oficial No. 39 Ordinaria, dated May 5, 2026, published Ley 171 (Migration), Ley 172 (Citizenship) and Ley 173 (Foreigners), plus Decreto 136, the regulation of the Migration Law. Each of the three laws and Decreto 136 takes effect 180 days after publication; by our count of calendar days, that is November 1, 2026. As checked on October 19, 2026, the consular page still describes the tourist card and the A-2 as above.

What the published texts say on these points:

Visas already issued stay valid. Ley 171, second transitional provision: passports, visas and migration documents issued before the law takes effect do not need to be extended and stay valid until they expire.
Fees stay for now. Ley 171, fifth transitional provision: consular fees for migration procedures remain in force until new regulations replace them.
Tourists. Decreto 136, Article 71.2: tourists may stay 90 calendar days, extendable for the same term. Article 72 allows successive 30-day extensions beyond 180 days, up to one year from entry.
Family visits. Decreto 136 classes family visits as “asuntos particulares” of the transeúnte visitor subclass (Articles 76 and 77). Article 77.2 says foreigners visiting family who have a blood tie up to the fourth degree, or a tie by marriage up to the first degree, with a Cuban citizen who is an effective resident (“residente efectivo”) may stay up to 180 calendar days, extendable for the same term.
Extensions are requested in advance. Decreto 136, Article 69.1: extensions for non-residents are requested three business days before the stay expires, except when the stay in Cuba is shorter than five business days, when an extension may be requested any time before it expires.
Passports. Ley 171, Article 87.1: Cuban citizens need a valid passport or equivalent document issued in their name to leave or enter Cuba.

How the consular office will apply these rules to the tourist card and the A-2 after November 1 is not on its page as of October 19, 2026.

US-side rules are separate

These documents cover Cuba’s entry requirements only. Travel from the United States to Cuba is also governed by US rules, the Cuban Assets Control Regulations listed on the OFAC Cuba sanctions page, which this guide does not cover.

Official sources

Embassy of Cuba in the US: Servicios consulares, sections “Visa de turismo (tarjeta turística)” and “Visa familiar (A-2)”. The office’s English-language page is older, so this guide relies on the Spanish page only.
Anexo 16, Modelo de solicitud de visas (PDF)
Resolución 38/2023 on the consular fee schedule (PDF): items 6, 7 and 19; Annex II, Article 8
Gaceta Oficial de la República de Cuba: No. 39 Ordinaria of May 5, 2026 (full PDF): Ley 171, Ley 172, Ley 173 and Decreto 136
OFAC, US Department of the Treasury: Cuba Sanctions

Last verified: 2026-10-19. This is general information, not legal advice. Consult an attorney for your specific situation. Fees and requirements are those published by the Consular Office of the Cuban Embassy in Washington, DC, and by Cuba’s Gaceta Oficial, and can change without notice. Verify directly with the consular office.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Cuban tourist card cost from the US?

The Cuban Consular Office in Washington lists $20.00 for the application, $50.00 for issuance and $20.00 for the non-personal procedure when the tourist card is requested through a contracted agency, which adds up to $90.00 (our sum; checked October 19, 2026). The page does not list the price airlines charge when they sell the card at the airport.

How long can a tourist card holder stay in Cuba?

The consular page says the tourist card is valid for one entry for a trip of up to 90 days, and it can be extended for 90 more days before the DIIE, Cuba’s immigration authority (checked October 19, 2026).

What is the A-2 family visa?

The consular page describes it as a service for the foreign spouses and children of Cuban citizens who intend to travel to Cuba together with them. These relatives may stay in Cuba up to 180 days. It is listed under the page’s consular services for foreigners.

What documents does the A-2 visa require?

Through a contracted agency: a valid passport and its photocopy, two high-resolution color passport photos with a light background, a photocopy of the marriage certificate or birth certificate that proves the relationship to the Cuban citizen, and the completed Anexo 16 visa application (checked October 19, 2026).

Do children need their own tourist card?

Yes, per the consular page: minors must travel with a tourist card even when they are added to their parents’ passports.

Can a Cuban-born US citizen enter Cuba on a tourist card?

The consular page’s rule for Cubans abroad is that nationals who live permanently abroad must carry a valid Cuban passport to travel to Cuba. The only listed entry on a foreign passport for Cuban citizens is the HE-11 authorization, whose requirements include proof of leaving Cuba before January 1, 1971; the same page says those travelers must present their Cuban passport to enter, with accommodations until July 2024. Neither the tourist card nor the A-2 is listed among the services for Cuban citizens.

Are these rules changing in November 2026?

Cuba published a new Migration Law (Ley 171), Foreigners Law (Ley 173) and Citizenship Law (Ley 172) with their regulations in Gaceta Oficial No. 39 of May 5, 2026. Each takes effect 180 days after publication, which by our count is November 1, 2026. Ley 171 says visas issued before that date keep their validity until they expire, and that consular fees stay in force until new rules replace them.

How do I pay the consulate?

The Cuban Consular Office accepts only USPS Postal Money Orders and says a request paid with any other money order is returned. Agencies set their own payment methods; the page does not describe them.

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