Guidance

Cuba: Knowledge Base profile

Published 1 May 2024

© Crown copyright 2024

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About: Cuba

This document contains useful information about Cuba which will assist HM Passport Office staff process passport applications.

Contacts

If you have any questions about the document and your line manager or senior caseworker cannot help you or you think that the document has factual errors then email the Guidance team.

If you notice any formatting errors in this document (broken links, spelling mistakes and so on) or have any comments about the layout or navigability of the document then you can email the Guidance team.

Publication

Below is information on when this version of the document was published:

  • version 3.0
  • published for Home Office staff on 25 April 2024

Changes from last version of this document

This document has been updated with minor formatting changes.

Cuba: names

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about names in Cuba.

Naming conventions exist in Cuba. Names in Cuba consist of:

  • forename
  • mother’s first surname
  • father’s first surname

Change of name

Names changes are allowed in Cuba. They are done in exceptional circumstances.

Name changes are shown in either:

  • a new birth certificate issued after the change; or,
  • a marginal notes document issued which shows the original birth entry and the change

A Cuba citizen does not change their name when they marry.

To ask for a name change a person must travel to Cuba and present their case to a Civil Registry office.

Cuba: nationality

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about nationality in Cuba.

Dual nationality is not recognised in Cuba. A Cuba citizen can acquire another nationality if they are eligible to.

A person born in Cuba is automatically a Cuba citizen.

Cuba: legitimacy and parental responsibility

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about legitimacy and parental responsibility in Cuba.

Legitimacy

Cuba does not recognise a difference between legitimate and illegitimate births. This means that all births are considered legitimate whether a child’s parents are married or not.

Parental responsibility

Both parents have parental responsibility unless removed by a court order.

Cuba: adoption

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about adoption in Cuba.

Adoption is legal in Cuba.

Cuba: surrogacy

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about surrogacy in Cuba.

Surrogacy is not legal in Cuba.

Cuba: gender recognition

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about gender recognition in Cuba.

Transgender citizens are recognised in Cuba.

Cuba: civil partnerships and marriage

This section tells HM Passport Office staff about civil partnerships and marriage in Cuba.

Civil partnerships and same sex relationships are not recognised in Cuba.

Only civil marriages are legal in Cuba.

Proxy marriage is allowed in Cuba.

Cuba: documents

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about documents from Cuba.

Civil Registry Offices in Cuba are responsible for issuing:

  • birth certificates
  • marriage certificates
  • death certificates

These certificates are not laminated.

Birth certificates

Birth certificates are issued to every person born in Cuba.

Both parents’ names should be shown on the birth certificate. If father is not present at the time of registration, his details can be added later.

Birth certificates always contain:

  • gender
  • date of birth
  • place of birth
  • registration date

Corrections to birth certificate, for example name changes, are shown:

  • on a new birth certificate issued after the change; or,
  • on a marginal notes document issued which shows the original birth entry and the change

Marriage certificates

Only civil marriages are legal in Cuba. The marriage must be registered immediately at a Civil Registry Offices. A marriage certificate is issued for every wedding in Cuba.

Death certificates

Deaths in Cuba are registered immediately, and a certificate is issued by the Civil Registry Offices.

Identity documents

Identity cards are mandatory for all Cuba citizens. Identity cards are laminated and are issued at a national level.

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