SAN LUIS POTOSÍ, Mexico.- The Cuban passport has become even more restrictive in just a few months, according to the latest report from Henley Passport Indexwhich measures the number of visa-free destinations for each country.
Although it rose one place compared to the ranking May, and now ranked 78th (shared with Uzbekistan), Cuban passports are eligible for visa-free access in 62 countries, two fewer than indicated in the previous report.
Of the Latin American countries, Cuba holds the second least powerful and is second only to Haiti, which has visa-free access to 53 destinations.
The Dominican Republic, Bolivia and Ecuador also present quite restrictive documents, with the right to 75, 80 and 95 accessible destinations without a visa, respectively, according to the agency. Infobae.
In Latin America, Chile leads the list, in 15th place, with access to 175 destinations. It is followed by Argentina and Brazil, in 17th place, and Mexico, in 22nd place with 159 destinations.
Venezuela is ranked 42nd, with a document that allows its citizens to freely access 124 destinations, while Nicaragua is ranked 41st, with access to 128 destinations.
The index, which is based on exclusive data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), has Singapore in first place, with visa-free access to 195 countries.
In second place are France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Spain, with free access to 192 destinations.
Henley’s previous report, in May, ranked Cuban passports 79th. At that time, the organization said, the document allowed its holders visa-free access to 64 destinations.
In 2023, the Cuban passport will also be classified as the second worst in Latin America in the Henley Passport Index, and that year it ranked 80th.
Among the countries with visa-free travel for Cubans in 2024 are Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belarus, Botswana, Dominica, Fiji, Gambia, Grenada, Guyana, Cook Islands, Kyrgyzstan, Kiribati, Malaysia, Micronesia, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Namibia, Nicaragua, Russia, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia, Singapore, Trinidad and Tobago, Uzbekistan, and Vanuatu.
In May 2023, the Cuban regime advertisement the extension of the passport validity period to 10 years and the elimination of the criticized requirement for renewal. The cost of passports in consulates was also reduced, which became 180 USD/Euros for those over 16 years of age and 140 USD/Euros for minors.
Ernesto Soberón Guzmán, Director General of Consular Affairs and Cuban Residents Abroad at the Cuban Foreign Ministry, said that the measures were a response to “the continued strengthening of Cuba’s ties with its nationals abroad.”
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