Cuba residence abroad photo requirements
The 45 × 45 mm photo rules set by Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Cuba (MINREX) for the Cuba residence abroad, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Cuba residence abroad photo?
"Residence Abroad" is the Cuban migration status Residente en el Exterior (RE), formerly the Permiso de Residencia en el Exterior (PRE), requested through a Cuban consulate. Consulates ask for passport-type photos of 4.5 x 4.5 cm (45 x 45 mm): four at most missions, two in Seville. Cuban consular photo rules call for colour, a light background, an uncovered face and head and no dark glasses. New migration rules take effect in November 2026, so check with your consulate first.
This is not a separate card. Residente en el Exterior (RE) is a migration status for Cuban citizens who live outside Cuba, recorded by a permit in the Cuban passport. The instructions for Cuba's consular form explain that the old Permiso de Residencia en el Exterior (PRE) is now called Residente en el Exterior, and the embassy in Jamaica describes it as the former PRE, held mainly by people married to foreigners, with the permit stamped in the passport.
Consular pages say the status is generally granted to Cubans living abroad in a marriage or partnership, formal or not, with a foreign national; to the parents and children under 18 of RE holders; and on humanitarian or family grounds. The consulate sends the file to Cuba's immigration authorities, which decide, and a request can be refused. Under the rules described on those pages, holders could visit Cuba without prior authorisation, keep their property there, and stay up to 6 months per trip, extendable to 12.
The rules are changing. Ley 171, the new Migration Law, was published in the Gaceta Oficial on 5 May 2026 and takes effect 180 days later. It defines resident abroad as the status of Cuban citizens who spend most of their time outside Cuba and live in another country, keeps it for those who already hold it, and lets emigrants apply to change to it. Cuba's consulate in Washington still lists residence abroad among its services but now gives no requirements for it, and it has paused requests for permanent residence in Cuba and for citizenship until the new procedures are in place in November 2026.
Cuba residence abroad photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Cuba (MINREX):[1]
| Print size | 4.5 x 4.5 cm (45 x 45 mm) passport-type photos; most missions ask for four, Seville for two |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No digital file: printed photos are handed in with the consular application |
| Background | Not stated for RE photos; consular passport-type photos: light background (fondo claro), or white in Ecuador |
| Colour | Colour, for consular passport-type photos |
| Print quality | Sharp, not dark, high resolution; shoulders up with a small space above the head (consular form instructions) |
| Pixels when printed | 531 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 1063 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
Key requirements
- Four prints, or two in Seville
Consular pages for Germany, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago and Ecuador list four passport-type photos of 4.5 x 4.5 cm for an RE request. The Seville consulate lists two passport-type photos and gives no size.
- Passport-type photo rules
The RE lists say only "passport-type". For Cuban passports, Washington asks for colour prints in high resolution with a light background, taken from the front, with the face and head bare and no dark glasses. Ecuador asks for a white background, dark clothing and no glare or shadows.
- Framing
The instructions for Cuba's consular form ask for a good-quality photo that is sharp and not dark, with a light background, showing you from the shoulders up with a small space above the head.
- Marriage paperwork first
If you married abroad, the marriage must first be transcribed at the consulate. If you married in Cuba, consulates ask for the original marriage certificate; the German mission says it must have been issued no more than one year earlier.
- Letter and copies
Besides the forms and photos, missions ask for a letter to Cuba's immigration directorate explaining the request, a copy of your passport (or birth certificate if you have no passport), a copy of your residence document in the country where you live, and the details of a reference person in Cuba.
- The 2026 procedure
Under the regulation taking effect in November 2026 (Decree 136/2025, Article 57), an emigrant asking to become a resident abroad files a written request at the consulate with the reasons, a criminal record certificate from the country of residence and a certificate of migration movements (or a sworn statement). That list includes no photograph, and updated consular requirements had not been published when this page was checked.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Ask your consulate whether RE requests are open before preparing photos.
- Print square 4.5 x 4.5 cm colour photos on a light background.
- Prepare four prints, or two if you apply in Seville.
- Have a foreign marriage transcribed at the consulate before applying.
- Show your shoulders and leave a small space above your head.
- Register with the consulate for your place of residence.
Don't
- Do not wear dark glasses or anything on your head.
- Do not hand in dark or blurred prints.
- Do not assume approval: the immigration authorities can refuse a request.
- Do not rely on pre-2026 consular pages without checking the new rules.
Sample photos
How a Cuba residence abroad photo should look, and the mistakes that most often get photos rejected. Each example is drawn to this document's 45 × 45 mm and background colour.
Illustrations, not real photos. The official rules above always take priority; some documents do not allow glasses at all.
Glasses
Dark glasses are out: the consular rules for passport-type photos ask for no dark glasses (sin espejuelos oscuros). The consulate in South Africa allows glasses as long as the camera flash is not reflected in them.
Headwear and religious dress
Keep your head bare. Washington asks for the face and head to be uncovered, other missions ask for no objects on the head, and South Africa names caps and headscarves among the visible adornments to avoid. No exception for religious head coverings is published, so ask your consulate if this applies to you.
Babies and children
RE can be granted to the children under 18 (or legally incapacitated) of Cubans who hold the status. If the request is made for a minor, consulates ask for the child's original birth certificate with the file.
No separate photo rule for children is published; the passport-type photo rules above apply to every applicant.
Printed and digital photos
RE requests are paper files that the consulate forwards to Cuba, so the photos are prints handed in with the forms. No consular page gives a digital size. Each print should be a 4.5 x 4.5 cm square; a digital photo can be cropped to that size and printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter, then cut apart.
Photos may stop being needed under the new procedure, since the document list in Article 57 of Decree 136/2025 does not include them. Until consulates publish updated requirements, bring prints if your mission's page still lists them.
Where to submit the photo
Apply at the Cuban consulate for the country where you live, where you must be registered. Seville takes RE requests in person only. The consulate checks the file and sends it to Cuba's immigration directorate; you pay one consular fee when you apply and another if the request is approved. The Mexico fee list also includes placing a resident-abroad sticker in a new passport.
Availability is uncertain in November 2026. Washington lists residence abroad without any requirements and marks the services next to it as paused until the procedures of the new migration laws are implemented that month, while other mission pages still describe the old procedure. Check with your consulate before sending anything.
How to get your Cuba residence abroad photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Cuba residence abroad: 45 × 45 mm print, not stated for RE photos background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: four prints, or two in Seville; passport-type photo rules; framing; marriage paperwork first.
- Prepare a print or digital file. RE requests are paper files that the consulate forwards to Cuba, so the photos are prints handed in with the forms. No consular page gives a digital size.
- Submit the photo with your application. Apply at the Cuban consulate for the country where you live, where you must be registered. Seville takes RE requests in person only.
Cuba residence abroad photo FAQ
It is the migration status Residente en el Exterior (RE), formerly called the Permiso de Residencia en el Exterior (PRE). Cuba's immigration authorities grant it through a consulate, and it is shown by a permit or sticker in the Cuban passport rather than by a separate photo card.
Consular pages ask for passport-type photos of 4.5 x 4.5 cm (45 x 45 mm). Most list four prints; the Seville consulate lists two and gives no size.
Yes. The instructions for Cuba's consular form say the Permiso de Residencia en el Exterior (PRE) is now called Residente en el Exterior (RE). The form's migration-status section still lists both labels.
Consular pages say it is generally granted to Cubans living abroad in a marriage or partnership with a foreign national, to parents and children under 18 of RE holders, and for humanitarian or family reasons. Under the 2026 Migration Law, emigrants may also ask to change to resident abroad.
It is unclear. Cuba's consulate in Washington lists residence abroad but gives no requirements for it, and it has paused permanent residence and citizenship requests until the procedures of the new migration laws are implemented in November 2026. Other missions still show the old procedure. Ask your own consulate before preparing photos and documents.
Possibly not. Article 57 of the new migration regulation lists a written request with reasons, a criminal record certificate and a certificate of migration movements or a sworn statement, and no photo. Consulates had not published updated lists when this page was checked.
The new regulation gives the consulate seven working days to check that the request is complete and forward it. The migration authority answers within 90 working days of the request, and the decision is notified within 30 working days after that.
Related photo specifications
Other Cuba documents
- Passport photo 45 × 45 mm
- Visa photo 45 × 45 mm
- Tourist card photo
Residence and work permits nearby
- All Cuba photo specifications
- Residence and work permits: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 45 × 45 mm photo
- Photo specifications in North America
Official sources
- Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Cuba (MINREX). Anexo 2.1. Instrucciones para el llenado de la planilla consular misiones.cubaminrex.cu. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministerio del Interior, Dirección de Inmigración y Extranjería (form distributed by MINREX). Anexo 2. Planilla para trámites consulares misiones.cubaminrex.cu. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embajada de Cuba en Jamaica, Oficina Consular. Instrucciones para la renovación del pasaporte cubano (November 2025) misiones.cubaminrex.cu. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embajada de Cuba en Alemania. Servicios Consulares (Alemania) misiones.cubaminrex.cu. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Consulado General de Cuba en Sevilla. Cambio de categoría migratoria. Solicitud de la residencia en el exterior - Consulado en Sevilla misiones.cubaminrex.cu. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embajada de Cuba en México. Servicios y aranceles consulares (México) misiones.cubaminrex.cu. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embajada de Cuba en Estados Unidos, Oficina Consular. Servicios Consulares (Estados Unidos) misiones.cubaminrex.cu. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embajada de Cuba en Ecuador. Servicios Consulares (Ecuador) misiones.cubaminrex.cu. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of Cuba in the United Kingdom. Consular Services (United Kingdom) misiones.cubaminrex.cu. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embajada de Cuba en Trinidad y Tobago. Aviso Importante (servicios consulares) misiones.cubaminrex.cu. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embajada de Cuba en Sudáfrica, Oficina Consular. Trámites relacionados con el pasaporte misiones.cubaminrex.cu. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Gaceta Oficial de la República de Cuba (copy hosted by the Fiscalía General de la República). Gaceta Oficial No. 39 Ordinaria de 2026 (Ley 171 and Decree 136/2025) fgr.gob.cu. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embajada de Cuba en Japón (reprint of Granma, 6 May 2026). Nuevas leyes de Inmigración, Extranjería y Ciudadanía transforman sistema migratorio cubano misiones.cubaminrex.cu. Checked 2 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Cuba (MINREX) before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Cuba residence abroad photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/cuba/residence-abroad-photo