United States Interests Section Havana, Cuba

The U.S. Interests Section accepts expedited appointment requests for applicants traveling for medical treatment, or for applicants traveling to visit a family member who is gravely ill, and for applicants traveling to the United States for an event with fixed dates (religious, cultural, academic, etc.).  All applicants will schedule their expedited appointment through the Call Center, which can be reached by phone from the United States at 1-866-374-1769.  A separate expedite request by e-mail is no longer needed as our office now has increased availability for these specific cases.

Please note that at the time of interview, applicants with an expedited appointment MUST submit the supportive documentation, as provided below. Failure to comply with this requirement may lead to the refusal of the application.

Medical Expedites

PART 1: Schedule the Appointment

All applicants or their constituents in the United States must schedule their expedited appointment through the Call Center at 1-866-374-1769. At this time the applicant or constituent must explain to the agent the medical emergency that would warrant an earlier interview appointment date. The agent will determine an expedited appointment date based on the information provided. Your request for an expedite appointment must be valid. Any fraudulent request to receive an earlier appointment will result in a denial of a visa to travel. Please provide the following information to the Call Center to schedule the appointment:

• Full name of the applicant as it appears in the passport
• Date of birth
• Country of birth
• Applicant's complete address, including contact phone number in Cuba
• Email Address
• Passport number
• Purpose of visit

PART 2: The Interview

All applicants for a nonimmigrant visa appointment are required to arrive on the day of their interview with the following documents:

• A valid passport;
• A recent passport style picture 2 inches x 2 inches (50 mm x 50 mm), facing the camera and with  a white background;
• The non refundable visa application fee (currently $160 USD/CUC);
• The confirmation sheet of the electronic form DS-160;
• Applicants traveling to receive medical treatment should bring the following documents:
• (Medical Attachment A) Medical diagnosis from a local physician, explaining the nature of the ailment and the reason the applicant requires treatment in the United States;
• (Medical Attachment B) Official letter from a physician or medical facility in the United States, expressing a willingness to treat this specific ailment and detailing the projected length and cost of treatment (including doctors’ fees, hospitalization fees, and all medical-related expenses);
• (Medical Attachment C) Statement of financial responsibility from the individuals or organization which will pay for the patient’s transportation, medical and living expenses. The individuals guaranteeing payment of these expenses must provide proof of ability to do so, often in the form of bank or other statements of income/savings or an IRS-generated transcript of income tax returns.

Applicants traveling due to the medical emergency of a family member in the United States should bring the following documents:

• (Medical Attachment A) Official documentation from the medical institution in the United States of the illness of the family member whom you plan to visit.

IMPORTANT: Failure to provide these documents may lead to the refusal of their application.

Event-related Expedites

PART 1: Schedule the Appointment

All applicants or their constituents in the United States must schedule their expedited appointment through the Call Center at 1-866-374-1769 and explain to the agent the nature of the event and dates of travel. The Call Center agent will determine an expedited appointment date based on the information provided by the applicant. Your request for an expedite appointment must be valid. Any fraudulent request to receive an earlier appointment will result in a denial of a visa to travel. Please provide the following information to the Call Center to schedule the appointment:

• Full name of the applicant as it appears in the passport
• Date of birth
• Country of birth
• Applicant's complete address, including contact phone number in Cuba
• Email Address
• Passport number
• Purpose of visit and dates of the event

PART 2: The Interview

All applicants for a nonimmigrant visa appointment are required to arrive on the day of their interview with the following documents:

• A valid passport;
• A recent passport style picture 2 inches x 2 inches (50 mm x 50 mm), facing the camera and with  a white background;
• The non refundable visa application fee (currently $160 USD/CUC);
• The confirmation sheet of the electronic form DS-160;
• A letter of invitation from the hosting organization in the United States, to include description of event, draft schedule, and statement of financial responsibility for expenses incurred by the applicant. Religious travelers should also bring an official letter on behalf of the church organization in Cuba.

IMPORTANT: Failure to provide these documents may lead to the refusal of their application.

Additional Information

The DS-160 can be accessed at https://ceac.state.gov/genniv/. For more information on the DS-160 go to: http://travel.state.gov/visa/forms/forms_4401.html.

For additional, prerecorded information regarding nonimmigrant visa processing, please contact the Information Unit at (53)(7) 839-4101. For issues not answered by the telephone information, you may send an email to havanaconsularinfo@state.gov.