Cuba regulates the migration status of investment and business activities for Cubans residing abroad.
The new migration status is granted to Cuban citizens with the legal status of residents abroad or emigrants who apply for it and participate in the Cuban economic model.
As part of the new legal framework on migration, citizenship, and foreigners’ affairs, Extraordinary Official Gazette No. 60 of 5 May 2026 introduces a specific and immediately applicable regulation for one of the most relevant provisions of this reform: the migration status of Investors and Businesspersons for Cuban citizens residing abroad. In doing so, it anticipates the implementation of a category provided for in the new Law No. 171, the “Migration Law,” whose entry into force was deferred until 180 days after its publication.
The main regulation is Decree-Law No. 117/2026, “On the migration status of Investors and Businesspersons of Cuban citizens residing abroad,” accompanied by Decree No. 150/2026, which establishes the procedure for its granting (in line with the provisions of the Migration Law Regulations), and Resolution No. 93/2026 of the Ministry of Finance and Prices, which sets the applicable documentary tax for the application process.
This new migration status is granted to Cuban citizens with the legal status of residents abroad or emigrants who request it and participate in the Cuban economic model. The procedure may be initiated at Cuban diplomatic and consular representations abroad or at the Ministry of the Interior’s administrative offices when the applicant is in Cuba. A written application must be submitted, stating the grounds for the request, along with a supporting endorsement from the relevant central state authority, agency, or Cuban entity with which the applicant maintains commercial or business relations.
Depending on the specific economic modality involved, the regulation defines the Migration Authority before which the application must be submitted. Under the Migration Law, the Migration Authority is the Ministry of the Interior, its Directorate of Identification, Immigration and Foreigners (DIMEC), and its territorial offices. In this regard, applications related to non-state management modalities are submitted to the Ministry of the Interior office in the territory where the project is presented, while applications under foreign trade and foreign investment modalities are submitted to the corresponding unit of DIMEC.
Decree 150/2026 establishes short processing deadlines. For applications submitted through Cuban diplomatic and consular representations abroad, the relevant consulate must evaluate the application and, if requirements are met, forward it to the competent Migration Authority within three working days. The Migration Authority must issue a decision within 30 working days from receipt and notify the applicant within seven working days after the decision is issued. It is understood from the interpretation of the regulation that applications submitted within national territory are assessed directly by the Migration Authority.
Once granted, the Investor and Businessperson migration status is maintained as long as the individual continues to meet the conditions under which it was obtained. Furthermore, holders of this status are granted the same rights as Cuban citizens residing in the national territory while they are in Cuba and maintain this migration status. This equal treatment is one of the most significant elements, as it facilitates the involvement of Cubans residing abroad in the country’s economic framework through their business, commercial, or investment projects.
In practical terms, these regulations aim to encourage the immediate participation of Cubans residing abroad in the national economic model through the recognition of a specific migration status with associated rights, as well as the establishment of an expedited processing procedure. This points to a clearer and more legally secure framework for those engaging in economic, commercial, or investment projects in Cuba.