Create an itinerary. If your vacation plans call for the necessary time in Cuba to be less than 30 days, you do not need a visa. It does not matter what nationality or country of citizenship the tourist claims. All persons who enter the country have 30 days visa-free to travel throughout the country. If you plan to stay longer than 30 days you will need a tourist card to act as a visa.
Obtain a national passport. In order to obtain a visa, have a valid national passport. This passport should be issued by your country of citizenship.
Purchase medical insurance for your trip to Cuba. Any person coming to Cuba must hold traveler's medical insurance before they will be allowed to enter the country. For those persons that qualify for Cuba's visa waiver program, they must show proof of said medical insurance at the Cuban port of entry. If you attempt to enter the country without medical insurance, there will be medical insurance for sale at the port of entry through the Cuban government.
According to Cuban law, medical insurance purchased in the United States is not a valid form of insurance. Americans travelling to Cuba and intending to use American medical insurance will not be able to. You will be obligated to purchase the Cuban medical insurance.
Obtain a national passport. You will have to submit your passport along with the application package to the nearest Cuban embassy or consulate. The national passport must have been issued by your country of citizenship and be valid for at least six months after the intended date of departure.
Complete the tourist card application. The application can be downloaded from the Cuban Embassy website as a Word document. The application is a single page long and it requests your contact information, citizenship information, passport information, and how long you intend on staying within the country.
Submit the application and pay the processing fee with a money order. The visa processing fee must be paid when you submit the tourist card application. The visa application can be submitted to the nearest consulate or embassy through the mail. When you submit the application package, be sure to provide a postage-paid return envelope so the Cuban embassy can return your passport and mail your tourist card to you.
Purchase medical insurance. This medical insurance can be purchased on your own or at the Cuban port of entry. You will not be allowed to purchase American medical insurance when travelling to Cuba.
