Cuba abolishes exit visa requirement

The Cuban government announced today that it will no longer require Cubans to apply for an exit visa, eliminating a bureaucratic procedure that has been a major impediment for many seeking to go abroad, the Associated Press said.

A notice published in Communist Party newspaper Granma said Cubans will also not have to present a letter of invitation to travel abroad when the rule change takes effect January 13, and beginning on that date islanders will only have to show their passport and a visa from the country they are travelling to, AP reported.

“As part of the work under way to update the current migratory policy and adjust it to the conditions of the present and the foreseeable future, the Cuban government, in exercise of its sovereignty, has decided to eliminate the procedure of the exit visa for travel to the exterior,” the notice read.