The Embassy of Panama in Cuba temporarily suspended consular services that require payment as of this Friday, June 10, according to the diplomatic headquarters itself.
In a note issued on its social networks, the Embassy reported the suspension, which includes “legalizations, authentications, Merchant Marine services, as well as transit and tourist visa procedures.”
The reason for the measure, as reported, “is due to instruction 1/2022 issued by the Central Bank of Cuba, which modifies the regulations on transfers in Cuban pesos or dollars from accounts of Embassies and Consulates in Cuba abroad. ”.
The diplomatic headquarters emphasized that the suspension of these services “is temporary and will be resumed once the Panamanian Consulate in Cuba can set up new payment mechanisms,” while specifying that services to Panamanian citizens, including emergency services or request and renewal passports, would be maintained.
In addition, the note confirms that the Panamanian Consulate in Havana “will also continue to issue and stamp visas for people whose transit or tourist visas have already been requested and approved, and were paid before the measure.”
The announcement momentarily suspends important consular services, including transit and tourism visas, highly demanded by Cubans, both to travel to Panama to buy products and other businesses, and to continue on their way to the United States as irregular migrants. .
The transit visa in particular was recently instituted for Cuban travelers who make a stopover in Panamanian territory, a provision that caused protests and crowds in front of the Embassy of Panama on the Island, and that even motivated the intervention of the Cuban authorities, who consider that the measure, also taken by other countries, responds to pressure from the United States in light of the current migratory flow.
Prior to the new announcement of the Panamanian diplomatic headquarters, the Embassy of Mexico in Havana he had also announced a similar decision “from this Thursday, June 9, 2022 and until further notice.” And like his counterpart in Panama, he argued the measure with the instruction of the Central Bank of Cuba (BCC), which prevents diplomatic headquarters on the island from making transfers from their accounts in Cuban pesos (CUP) to currency accounts. freely convertible as well as payments abroad.
The instruction, signed by Marta Sabina Wilson, Minister President of the BCC and dated June 2, recalls that “embassies and consulates charge consular services in foreign currency or Cuban pesos, as determined,” but establishes that those who do it in CUP “can only deposit the funds in an account in that currency.”
According to the standard, shared by the Embassy of Mexicobefore this Friday the diplomatic offices had to decide if they converted the total or partial balance of their accounts in CUP to freely convertible currency, “applying the exchange rate in force on the day of the operation.”
In addition, it dictates that as of today “in the accounts in Cuban pesos of the embassies and consulates, cash deposits of freely convertible currency, except US dollars, are accepted for consular collections if so determined by the holder.” In these cases, he clarifies, “the bank credits the account in Cuban pesos by applying the exchange rate in force on the day of the operation.”
Faced with this new scenario, the Mexican Embassy assured that it would inform “in a timely manner” about the changes in the forms of payment. In addition, he specified that “those people who already have a scheduled appointment to carry out visa or legalization procedures, can appear at the Consular Section on the date and time assigned to them, in order to receive instructions.”
— EmbaMex Cuba (@EmbaMexCuba) June 10, 2022
