This document is solely intended for immigrant visa applicants in Havana, Cuba. Please follow the steps below before your immigrant visa interview at the U.S. Embassy in Havana, Cuba.

Step 1: Schedule a medical exam

As soon as you receive your appointment date, you must schedule a medical exam with an accredited physician in Cuba. Click the “Medical Exam Instructions” button below for instructions about scheduling your medical examination.  Please schedule and attend your medical exam appointment before your interview.

Medical Exam Instructions >>

Step 2: Complete your pre-interview checklist

It is important that you bring all required original documents to your interview. We’ve created a detailed checklist of what to bring. Please print the checklist below and bring it to your interview along with the listed documents.

Pre-Interview Checklist >>

Step 3: Review interview guidelines

Read our interview guidelines to learn about any special action that you need to take before your visa interview.

Interview Guidelines>>

Medical Exam Instructions

All immigrant visa applicants, regardless of age, require a medical examination prior to the issuance of a visa. Only a physician accredited by the U.S. Embassy can perform this exam. It is your responsibility to schedule a medical exam with with one of the doctors listed below before your visa interview at the U.S. Embassy. Medical examination results from other hospitals are not accepted. Please see additional information below for scheduling instructions and the list of approved hospitals.

Approved Physicians/Hospitals

To review or print the list of approved hospitals please download the document at the link below:

https://cu.usembassy.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/140/2024/05/LISTADO-DE-HOSPITALES-19ENE2023.pdf

During the medical exam

The medical examination will include a medical history review, physical examination, chest X-ray, syphilis and gonorrhea exam, and blood tests (for applicants 15 years of age or older). The United States also requires tuberculosis (TB) testing for all applicants two years of age and older. Please be prepared to discuss your medical history, medications you are taking, and current treatments you are undergoing. More information on general medical requirements for U.S. immigrants is available on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Website.

U.S. immigration law requires immigrant visa applicants to obtain certain vaccinations prior to the issuance of a visa. The current list of required vaccines for immigrants is available on CDC.Gov. You can also read Frequently Asked Questions about our medical examination requirements on Travel.State.Gov.

After the medical exam

When your examination is completed, the hospital will send, either electronically or physically depending on the type of case, your results directly to the Embassy. You do not need to take any further action. Any x-rays taken will be given to you. You DO NOT need to bring the x-rays to your visa interview unless you suffer from tuberculosis (TB). However, you must carry the x-rays when you travel to the United States for the first time. The medical report must be less than six months old when you enter the United States as an immigrant.

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Pre-Interview Checklist

Please use the list below to determine the items that every applicant must bring to the immigrant visa interview. Any documents that are not in either English or Spanish must be accompanied by a certified English translation:

• A copy of your National Visa Center (NVC) interview letter (does not apply to Diversity Visa, fiancé(e), adoptive, or asylee/refugee applicants).
  
  
• Unexpired passport valid for six months beyond your intended date of entry to the United States and a photocopy of the biographic page (where your name and photo are located).
  
  
• Two (2) color photographs of each person applying for a visa (5 cm x 5 cm, or 2 inch x 2 inch).  Please review our online photo requirements.
  
  
• Confirmation page from the Form DS-260 Application for an Immigrant Visa you submitted online at ceac.state.gov/iv.
  
  
• Your original birth certificate and a photocopy.
  
  
• Original or certified copies of birth certificates for all children of the principal applicant (even if the principal applicant is not accompanying).
  
  
• Medical examination results in a sealed envelope (if the physician gives you these results).

Applicants who fall into any category listed in italics below should bring these additional documents:

For family-based visa applications:

• The appropriate Form I-864 Affidavit of Support for each financial sponsor along with a photocopy of the sponsor’s IRS transcript or most recent U.S. federal income tax return, and any relevant W-2s (Wage and Tax Statement).
  
  
• Proof of your U.S. petitioner’s status and domicile in the United States (photocopy of a U.S. passport, naturalization certificate, or lawful permanent resident card).
  
  
• Evidence of the relationship between the petitioner and principal visa applicant (such as photographs, letters, or emails).
  
  
• If you are married: Your original marriage certificate and a photocopy.
  
  
• If you were previously married: All of your original divorce or spouse’s death certificate and a photocopy.
  
  
• If you are older than 16 years of age: The original police certificate from your country of current residence and countries of previous residence for more than one year.
  
  
• For employment-based visa applications: Letter from your U.S. employer dated less than one month ago.
  
  
• If you have ever been convicted of a crime: Court and criminal records, English translation, and a photocopy.
  
  
• If you have served in any country’s military: Military records, English translation, and a photocopy.
  
  
• If you are adopted: Adoption papers or custody documents, English translation, and a photocopy.
  
  
• If you are the petitioner’s stepchild: The original marriage certificate of the petitioner and your biological parent, and a photocopy along with original divorce records for any previous marriages of either parent.  

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Interview Guidelines

Sending documents to the U.S. Embassy

Please bring original documents to your visa interview. Do NOT mail original documents to the embassy ahead of your interview.

Rescheduling or cancelling your interview

If you are unable to attend your appointment, please visit our Consular Navigator at tinyurl.com/VisasHavana and follow instructions to request a new appointment date. There may be a significant wait before the next available appointment, so please attempt to attend the date already assigned.

Also, there is no guarantee that a visa will still be available on the date of your rescheduled interview. For some family-based and employment preference visa categories, a visa became available within the month you have been scheduled by NVC. DV applicants should be aware that visas are numerically limited and must be issued by September 30 of the program year. Please check carefully the Visa Bulletin before you request to reschedule your interview.

Security screening procedures

All visitors to the U.S. Embassy in Havana must follow certain security procedures. Any visitor who declines to be screened by U.S. Embassy security personnel will be unable to enter the embassy. No large bags or electronic equipment, such as mobile phones or smartwatches, will be allowed into the embassy. Only a small lady’s handbag and/or a plastic bag containing your application-related papers are allowed. To avoid delaying your entry and that of those in line behind you, please bring only what is required for your interview.

Accompanying people

Attorneys are not permitted to accompany clients into the waiting room or to their interview. The following persons may accompany a visa applicant to their interview:

• Sign Translator: Applicants with hearing impairment may bring ONE sign translator to participate in an interview.
• Special Needs Visitors: Applicants may bring ONE person to help if they are elderly or disabled.
• Minors: Anyone accompanying a minor child who is not a parent must have written consent from the petitioner or parent to accompany the child.
• Petitioners: The petitioner may attend only for IR1, F2A, and K1 visa applicants.

Immigrant visa fees

If you have not paid all required fees to either the National Visa Center, please be ready to pay them on the day of your interview.

All fees may be paid in either U.S. dollars or the Cuban pesos equivalent.  Please note that if you are found ineligible to receive a visa, the application fee cannot be refunded. A complete list of fees can be found in our Fees for Visa Services webpage.

Do not make travel plans 

If your visa is approved, your passport will remain at the embassy while we process your immigrant visa application and print a visa for your passport. We will return your passport and the travel document if applicable once the visa has been printed.

A consular officer can make a decision on a visa application only after reviewing the formal application and interviewing the applicant. There is no guarantee that you will receive a visa. Do not sell your house, car or property, resign from your job, or make non-refundable flight or other travel arrangements until you have received your immigrant visa.

After Your Interview

If more information is needed

Sometimes a consular officer is unable to make a decision on a visa application because he/she needs to review additional documents, or the case needs further administrative processing. When additional documents are requested, the consular officer will give you a refusal letter asking to submit additional documents. The letter will include instructions on how to send those documents to the embassy.

Administrative processing takes additional time after the interview. Most administrative processing is resolved within 60 working days. However, the timing varies based on the circumstances of each case. Before inquiring about the status of administrative processing, please wait at least 60 working days after your interview.

What happens after visa approval

Passport, Visa, and Sealed Immigrant Packet – You will find your immigrant visa on a page in your passport. Please review your visa to make sure there are no spelling errors. A very small subset of applicants will also receive a sealed envelope containing documents that you must give to U.S. immigration authorities when you arrive in the United States for the first time. Do not open this envelope. You must carry it with you; do not put it in your checked luggage. If you receive X-rays during your medical examination, carry those with you and give them to the U.S. immigration authorities, if required.

USCIS Immigrant Fee – All individuals who are issued immigrant visas overseas must pay an Immigrant Fee to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) prior to traveling to the United States. This fee is for processing your residency status and printing your Permanent Resident Card. The only people exempt from paying this fee are: children entering the United States under the Hague Process, returning residents, and people traveling on a fiancé(e) (K) visa.

When to Travel – You must enter the United States before the expiration date on your visa, which is usually six months from the date of your medical exam. Your visa cannot be extended and all fees are nonrefundable. The principal applicant must enter before or at the same time as other family members with visas. Unless they are eligible for benefits under the Child Status Protection Act, children who are issued a visa before turning 21 years of age must enter the United States before their 21st birthday to avoid losing their immigrant status.

Getting a Green Card – Your Form I-551 Permanent Resident Card (green card) will be automatically mailed to the address in the United States that you write in your visa application form. This is a very important document proving that you have permission to reside in the United States. If you plan to travel outside the U.S. before your green card arrives: Please consult USCIS’s and CBP’s websites for rules about what documents you need to re-enter the country. We also recommend you check with the airline to ensure you comply with their rules. Once your card is issued, you should not stay outside of the United States for more than one year. If you do, you will lose your status as a Lawful Permanent Resident.

Children’s Issues – In the United States, children are required to have certain vaccinations before they can enroll in school. We recommend that you bring your child’s complete vaccination records to the United States. If your child is adopted, or you have full custody as a result of a divorce, or you share custody with another parent, we suggest you bring a copy of all applicable adoption or custody papers issued by the competent authority in your country of residence. You will need these papers (translated into English) for issues such as school enrollment, medical care, and eventual citizenship.  

Information for New Immigrants – Please visit the USCIS web page for helpful information on moving to the United States. You can read their online publication “Welcome to the United States: A Guide for New Immigrants”

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Diversity Visa Applicants - Additional Information

If you are interviewing for a Diversity Visa (DV), all of the above instructions apply to you. Please schedule and attend a medical examination prior to your visa interview and gather the required documents.

The additional instructions below apply only to DV applicants.

Bring to your interview

In addition to the documents listed on the Pre-Interview Checklist in this package, DV applicants should also bring the following items to your visa interview:

• Appointment information printed from the “Entrant Status Check” on the E-DV website.
• Documents showing that you have either a qualifying high school education OR two (2) years of qualifying work experience in the five (5) years immediately prior to application (for the principal applicant only; more information is available on our Diversity Visa Process webpage).
• Payment in cash (U.S. dollars or the equivalent in Cuban pesos [CUP]) of the US$330 Diversity Visa Application Fee for each DV applicant.

Review your DV Program entry

Prior to your visa interview, we recommend that you review the data on your initial E-DV entry. On your initial E-DV application, you must have correctly entered your marital status. If you are legally married you must have listed your spouse, even if you are currently separated from him/her (unless your spouse is a U.S. citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident).

Additionally, you must have listed all your children who are unmarried and under 21 years old. This includes your biological children, your spouse’s children, or children you have formally adopted in accordance with the laws of your country.

Failure to have listed an existing spouse or children at the time of your entry in the Diversity Visa program will result in the denial of your visa and visas for your family. Any fees paid to the U.S. government in support of your visa application(s) are nonrefundable. If you failed to include a child born, or a spouse married at the time of entering the program, you should not proceed with the visa application. You can review the eligibility requirements on our Diversity Visa Process webpage.

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Embassy of the United States of America, Havana, Cuba

Dear Applicant,

We are pleased to inform you that your case has been transferred to the United States Embassy in Havana. You must arrive half an hour earlier than your listed appointment. SECURITY NOTICE: Please provide some valid ID and DO NOT bring any bags or electronic equipment as such items may not be brought into the Embassy compound.

To prepare for your interview, please read and follow the instructions carefully. You must print and bring this letter to your medical screening appointments.

1. If you are not sure whether your consular fee was paid, bring US $325.00 in cash (or its equivalent in Cuban pesos (CUP) for each applicant.
   
   
2. You must bring the following original documents to your interview (translations or copies are not required):

• Passport: The passport must have at least six months’ validity starting from the date the visa is issued.
  
• Photos: Two (2) color photos taken within the last six months. Visit the following Department of State webpage for photo instructions: https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/photos.html
  
• Birth Certificate of the Beneficiary (visa applicant(s)) and Petitioner.
  
• Marriage Certificate;
  
• Divorce Certificate;
  
• Death Certificate (if applicable);
  
• Police Certificate or Records: All applicants aged 16 and over must bring police certificates. Applicants who have resided abroad for more than 12 cumulative months in another country must obtain a police certificate from that country; and
  
• Form I-864: This form is available at: http://www.uscis.gov/i-864.

IRS Tax transcripts 2020-21 available on the website: https://www.irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript and W-2 forms.

Please review the following insstrucitons for scheduling and attending the required medical examination:

MEDICAL EXAMINATION INSTRUCTIONS

Information and scheduling:  For information on medical exams, or schedule an appointment, you may contact the corresponding panel physician hospital by phone, Monday through Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. To know what hospital you must perform your medical examination at, please download the document at the link below:

https://cu.usembassy.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/140/2024/05/LISTADO-DE-HOSPITALES-19ENE2023.pdf

Before making the phone call, please make sure you have the following information:

• Full name
• Cuban ID number
• Case ID (HAV) as it appears on the interview letter
• Home address (as it appears on you ID)
• Personal phone number
• Visa interview appointment date

IMPORTANT:  You must schedule your medical examination appointment at the corresponding hospital according to your type of case and province of residence, as it appears on you Cuban ID. Applicants must fast for blood tests.  Only the hospitals that appear on the updated official list are the authorized panel physician exam facilities in Cuba, and the embassy will not accept exams by other physicians.

Documents to bring for your medical exam:

• Identity card or minor identification booklet;
• Vaccination card with updated vaccination history;
• Passport;
• One (1) digitized passport photo taken within the previous six months on a white background, saved on a flash drive;
• Appointment letter from the U.S. Embassy;
• Immigrant Visa Electronic Application (DS-260) confirmation page.

Fees and Form of Payment:

Fees

• Applicants age 18 and over:               280 moneda libremente convertible (MLC) or 33,600 CU.
• Applicants age 2 to 17 & 364 days:    140 MLC or 16,800 CUP.
• Applicants under age 2:                      Free of charge

Forms of Payment

• Debit card issued by a Cuban bank.
• Cuban or international electronic payment via Transfermóvil or online payment platform.

You must pay on the day of your medical examination.  Cash payments are not accepted.

If you need information or assistance with a consular service, please visit our Consular Navigator at the link below. Please follow instructions on the Consular Navigator exactly.  If you do not follow these instructions exactly, including the correct subject line according to your specific case, your email will automatically be deleted.

U.S Embassy Havana Consular Navigator

Sincerely,

Immigrant Visa Unit

U.S. Embassy Havana

Embajada de los Estados Unidos de América, Habana, Cuba

Estimado(a) solicitante: 

Nos complace informarle que su caso ha sido transferido a la Embajada de Estados Unidos en La Habana.   Usted deberá presentarse media hora antes de su cita. AVISO DE SEGURIDAD: Por favor, presente un documento de identificación válido y NO traiga ningún bolso o equipo electrónico ya que estos no se permiten dentro del recinto de la Embajada.

Para preparar su entrevista, por favor, lea y siga cuidadosamente las siguientes instrucciones. Usted debe imprimir esta carta y llevarla a su chequeo médico.

1.  Si usted no está seguro si el pago de su visa de inmigrante ya se efectuó, debe traer US $325 dólares en efectivo (o su equivalente en pesos cubanos) por cada persona.

2.  Usted debe traer los siguientes documentos originales (no necesita traducciones o copias):

• Pasaporte:  El pasaporte debe tener al menos seis (6) meses de vigencia a partir de la fecha en que se expide la visa;
• Fotos:  Dos (2) fotografías a color tomadas en los últimos seis meses.  Visite el sitio del Departamento de Estado que aparece a continuación, donde encontrará las instrucciones de las fotos https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/photos.html
• Certificado de nacimiento del beneficiario(s), así como del reclamante;
• Certificado de matrimonio;
• Certificado de divorcio;
• Certificado de defunción (si aplica);
• Antecedentes penales: Todos los solicitantes con 16 años cumplidos o más deben traer sus antecedentes penales.  Los solicitantes que hayan vivido en otro país por más de 12 meses deben obtener un certificado de antecedentes penales de esos países; y
• Formulario I-864 disponible en http://www.uscis.gov/i-864.

Transcripción de impuestos del IRS 2020-21 disponibles en el sitio:

https://www.irs.gov/individuals/get-transcript  y modelo W-2 de los salarios.

Por favor, revise las siguientes instrucciones para programar y asistir al chequeo médico:

INSTRUCCIONES PARA EL EXAMEN MEDICO

Información y gestión de turnos: Para recibir información u obtener un turno de examen médico, debe contactar con el hospital del panel de médicos correspondiente de lunes a viernes entre las 8:00 a.m. y las 4:00 p.m. Para conocer el hospital que le corresponde, debe descargar el documento que aparece en el enlace siguiente: 

https://cu.usembassy.gov/wp-content/uploads/sites/140/2024/05/LISTADO-DE-HOSPITALES-19ENE2023.pdf

En la llamada telefónica para gestionar la cita para el chequeo médico se debe brindar la siguiente información:

• Nombre y apellidos
• Número de carnet de identidad
• Número de caso (HAV) que aparece en la carta de cita
• Dirección particular
• Número de teléfono personal
• Dia de cita de la embajada

IMPORTANTE:  Tiene que realizar el examen médico en el hospital que le corresponde de acuerdo con su tipo de caso y provincia de residencia oficial según el carnet de identidad. Los solicitantes deben estar en ayunas para la realización de los análisis de sangre. Solamente los hospitales que aparecen en el listado oficial están autorizados para los exámenes médicos de panel en Cuba.  Los exámenes médicos realizados por otros doctores no serán aceptado

1. Documentos a presentar en el chequeo médico:

• Carnet de identidad o tarjeta de menor;
• Carnet de vacunación actualizado con el historial de vacunas;
• Pasaporte;
• Una foto de pasaporte digital tomada en los últimos seis meses, con fondo blanco archivada en una memoria flash;
• Carta de cita de la Embajada de Estados Unidos; y
• Página de confirmación del Formulario Electrónico de Visa de Inmigrante DS-260.

2. Precios y Formas de Pago:

Precios

• Solicitantes a partir de 18 años:             280 MLC o 33600 pesos cubanos (CUP).
• Solicitantes de 2 a 17 años, 364 días:    140 MLC o 16800 pesos cubanos (CUP).
• Solicitantes menores de 2 años:            Gratuitos.

Formas de pago

• Tarjetas bancarias emitidas por bancos cubanos.
• Pago electrónico nacional e internacional a través de aplicaciones Transfermóvil con su Pasarela de pago. 

El pago se realizará el día del chequeo médico migratorio y nunca será en efectivo.

Si necesita información o asistencia con un servicio consular, puede visitar nuestro Navegador Consular en el enlace que aparece debajo. Por favor, siga las instrucciones en el Navegador Consular con exactitud. Si no sigue estas instrucciones al pie de la letra, incluyendo poner correctamente el asunto del mensaje de acuerdo con su caso específico, su correo será borrado automáticamente.

U.S Embassy Havana Consular Navigator

Sinceramente,

Sección de Visas de Inmigrante

Embajada de Estados Unidos, La Habana

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