Cuba visa photo requirements
The 45 × 45 mm photo rules set by Embajada de Cuba en Estados Unidos, Oficina Consular for the Cuba visa, with the official wording and sources.
Quick answer
What size is the Cuba visa photo?
Cuban consular visas, such as the family A-2, journalist D-6 and business visas, need printed photos. The consular visa application form has a photo box marked 4½ x 4½, which is 4.5 x 4.5 cm (45 x 45 mm). Cuba's consulate in Washington asks for two high-resolution colour passport-type photos with a light background, taken from the front, with face and head uncovered and no dark glasses. Tourist visas are now electronic and need no photo.
Foreign nationals need a visa to enter Cuba unless an agreement exempts their passport. Under Cuba's new migration regulation (Decree 136/2025, published in the Gaceta Oficial on 5 May 2026 and in force 180 days later), visas are issued by the Ministry of the Interior's immigration directorate (DIMEC) or by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as appropriate, and can be on paper, adhesive or electronic.
This page covers the visas that Cuban embassies and consulates still handle on paper: the family visa (A-2) for foreign spouses and children of Cuban citizens, the journalist visa (D-6), business visas, and visas for study, cultural, academic, sports or religious trips. Most need clearance first. Business requests go to the embassy's commercial office, press requests to its press office, and other trips are cleared by the Cuban organisation that receives you; the consulate then issues the visa. Tourist visas are applied for online through eVisaCuba and are covered on their own page.
There is no single national photo standard for visas. The common visa application form has a 4½ x 4½ photo box, Washington spells out the photo rules in detail, and Seville and several other missions simply list "one photo".
Cuba visa photo size and specifications
The requirements as published by Embajada de Cuba en Estados Unidos, Oficina Consular:[1]
| Print size | 4.5 x 4.5 cm (45 x 45 mm): the consular visa form's photo box is marked 4½ x 4½; the Brazil embassy form shows 50 x 50 mm |
|---|---|
| Digital size | No digital file: printed photos go with the paper visa application |
| Background | Light background (fondo claro), Washington consulate; most other missions do not state a colour |
| Colour | Colour |
| Print quality | High resolution (alta resolución) in Washington; two prints there, one print in Seville and Lebanon |
| Pixels when printed | 531 × 531 px at 300 dpi · 1063 × 1063 px at 600 dpi (calculated) |
Key requirements
- A 4½ x 4½ photo box
The visa application form that Cuban consulates use (Anexo 16 in Washington) has a box headed PHOTOGRAPH / FOTOGRAFÍA and marked 4½ x 4½. No unit is printed on it; the matching box on the consular form for Cuban citizens is specified as 4½ x 4½ cm. The embassy in Brazil uses its own form with a 50 x 50 mm box, so follow the form your mission gives you.
- Two colour prints in Washington
For the A-2, D-6 and D-7 visas, Cuba's consulate in Washington asks for two colour passport-type photos in high resolution, with a light background, taken from the front, with the face and head uncovered and without dark glasses.
- One photo at many other missions
The Seville consulate lists one photo for family and business visas, the embassy in Lebanon asks for one recent photo, and the embassy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo asks for one passport-type photo. None of these pages gives a size or background.
- Clearance before the visa
Business, press and most other visas are approved before the consulate issues them. Washington sends business applicants to the embassy's commercial office and journalists to its press office; for cultural, academic, sports or religious trips, the Cuban counterpart arranges the approval and you then check with the consulate that it has arrived.
- Family visa length
The A-2 visa is for foreign spouses and children of Cuban citizens. Washington says it allows a stay of up to 180 days. Seville issues it for up to 30 days to relatives of Cubans resident in Cuba, and for up to 180 days to relatives of Cubans resident abroad.
- Business visa timing
Under the 2026 regulation, a visa to offer or explore business is requested 15 calendar days before the planned trip, is issued by Cuban consulates, and is granted for up to 30 days with no extension.
Do's and don'ts
Do
- Download the visa form from your consulate's page and complete every field.
- Print a square 4.5 x 4.5 cm colour photo unless your mission's form shows another size.
- Use a light background and face the camera directly.
- Keep your face and head uncovered.
- Get clearance from the commercial or press office first for business or press visas.
- Bring two prints if you apply through the Washington consulate or its agencies.
Don't
- Do not wear dark glasses in the photo.
- Do not order prints for a tourist visa: it is requested online with passport details.
- Do not assume the US 2 x 2 inch size; the Cuban form box is 4½ x 4½.
- Do not apply for a business or press visa through eVisaCuba, which handles tourist visas only.
- Do not hand in a blurred or low-resolution print.
Sample photos
How a Cuba visa 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 not accepted. Cuba's consulate in Washington asks for visa photos without dark glasses (sin espejuelos oscuros). None of the mission pages read mentions ordinary clear glasses, so ask your consulate if you want to keep them on.
Headwear and religious dress
Washington asks for the face and head to be uncovered (con rostro y cabeza descubiertos), which rules out hats and caps. No mission page read mentions an exception for religious head coverings, so ask the consulate before you apply if you wear one.
Babies and children
The family visa (A-2) is for foreign spouses and children of Cuban citizens, and the family link is proved with a marriage or birth certificate. Cuban missions also say that minors need their own tourist visa even when they are registered in a parent's passport.
No mission publishes separate photo rules for children. Each applicant presents a passport and the photos listed for the visa.
Printed and digital photos
Consular visas are paper applications. The photo is a print that goes with the form, and no mission publishes a file size or pixel dimensions for these visas. Print a square 4.5 x 4.5 cm photo, or the size printed on your own mission's form (the Brazil form shows 50 x 50 mm). A digital photo can be cropped to that size and printed on a 4x6 inch sheet at a photo counter.
The exception is the tourist visa. Since 2024 Cuban consulates have issued it through the eVisaCuba website, and the requirements they publish include no photo. Germany's consulate notes that the online system is only for tourist visas; all other visas keep the traditional procedure.
Where to submit the photo
Apply at the Cuban embassy or consulate for the country where you live. In Washington you can apply in person, by post or through agencies under contract with the consulate; postal and agency applications pay an extra non-personal processing fee. Seville accepts family and business visa requests in person or by courier, with a covering letter explaining what you are applying for.
Start with the right office: the embassy's commercial office for business, its press office for journalism, and your Cuban host for study, cultural, sports or religious trips. Once the approval reaches the consular section, it issues the visa.
How to get your Cuba visa photo
- Check the official requirements. Read the official specification for the Cuba visa: 45 × 45 mm print, light background. Check the rules on pose, expression, glasses and headwear below.
- Take the photo. Follow the key requirements: a 4½ x 4½ photo box; two colour prints in Washington; one photo at many other missions; clearance before the visa.
- Prepare a print or digital file. Consular visas are paper applications. The photo is a print that goes with the form, and no mission publishes a file size or pixel dimensions for these visas.
- Submit the photo with your application. Apply at the Cuban embassy or consulate for the country where you live. In Washington you can apply in person, by post or through agencies under contract with the consulate; postal and agency applications pay an extra non-personal processing fee.
Cuba visa photo FAQ
The consular visa application form has a square photo box marked 4½ x 4½, which is 4.5 x 4.5 cm (45 x 45 mm). The embassy in Brazil uses a form with a 50 x 50 mm box. Cuban missions do not publish a head-size measurement for visa photos.
No photo appears in the published requirements. The tourist visa is now electronic and is requested on eVisaCuba with a valid passport and an email address; the visa is linked to your passport number. Printed photos are needed for visas handled by the consulates, such as the A-2, D-6 or business visas.
Cuba's consulate in Washington asks for a light background (fondo claro). Most other missions only list "one photo" without naming a colour, so a light, even background meets the one published rule.
Dark glasses are not accepted, and Washington asks for the face and head to be uncovered, so remove hats and caps. No mission page read covers ordinary clear glasses or religious head coverings; ask the consulate if either applies to you.
Washington asks for two colour passport-type photos, together with your passport and a copy, the visa form, and a marriage or birth certificate showing your link to the Cuban citizen. Seville lists one photo. Check your own consulate's list.
Approval comes before the visa. Business requests go through the Cuban embassy's commercial office (in Seville, the Cuban host entity processes them), and journalist requests through the press office. Once the consulate is told the visa is approved, you present your passport, form and photos.
No. A 2 x 2 inch print is about 51 x 51 mm, larger than the 4½ x 4½ cm box on the Cuban consular form. Print at 45 x 45 mm unless your mission's own form shows a different size.
Related photo specifications
Other Cuba documents
- Passport photo 45 × 45 mm
- Residence abroad photo 45 × 45 mm
- Tourist card photo
Visas and travel authorisations nearby
- Bahamas eVisa photo 2 × 2 in
- Bahamas visa photo 2 × 2 in
- Barbados visa photo
- Dominican Republic visa photo 40 × 50 mm
- All Cuba photo specifications
- Visas and travel authorisations: photo rules by country
- Every document that uses a 45 × 45 mm photo
- Photo specifications in North America
Official sources
- Embajada de Cuba en Estados Unidos, Oficina Consular. Servicios Consulares (visas for foreigners: A-2, D-6, D-7) misiones.cubaminrex.cu. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores de Cuba (MINREX). Anexo 16. Modelo de solicitud de visas misiones.cubaminrex.cu. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embajada de Cuba en Brasil. Solicitud de visas (Embajada de Cuba en Brasil) misiones.cubaminrex.cu. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Consulado General de Cuba en Sevilla. Visa de familia - Consulado en Sevilla misiones.cubaminrex.cu. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Consulado General de Cuba en Sevilla. Visas de negocios - Consulado en Sevilla misiones.cubaminrex.cu. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embajada de Cuba en Alemania. Servicios Consulares (Alemania) misiones.cubaminrex.cu. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Embassy of the Republic of Cuba in Lebanon. Visa Application, Embassy of the Republic of Cuba in Lebanon misiones.cubaminrex.cu. Checked 2 November 2026.
- Ambassade de la République de Cuba en RD Congo. Formulaire de demande de visa (RD Congo) 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.
- Ministerio de Turismo de Cuba (MINTUR). Sistema de visado electrónico (EVISACUBA) mintur.gob.cu. Checked 2 November 2026.
Requirements can change, so always confirm with Embajada de Cuba en Estados Unidos, Oficina Consular before you apply. WorldPhotoSpecs is independent and not affiliated with any government.
Cite this page
"Cuba visa photo". WorldPhotoSpecs. Last updated 4 November 2026. https://worldphotospecs.org/cuba/visa-photo