France visa requirements for Cuban citizens

Visa section of the Embassy of France in Havana (Calle 14, No 312, between 3rd and 5th avenues, Miramar, Playa), by appointment

A Cuban needs a Schengen visa for France. There is no external provider in Cuba: the application is received and examined by the visa section of the Embassy of France in Havana (Calle 14, No 312, between 3rd and 5th avenues, Miramar, Playa), always by appointment. Appointments are made by phone on (+53) 7 201 31 05, Monday to Thursday from 8:30 to 12:30, and files are lodged Monday to Thursday from 8:30 to 12:00; there is no service on Fridays. Applicants must attend in person for fingerprints and a photo. The fee is paid in euros and in cash on the day of the appointment, and is not refunded if the visa is refused. A short-stay visa takes at least one week, sometimes longer depending on nationality, and the embassy advises booking the appointment a month before travel.

Official application site →

The overseas territories: different entry rules

None of France's territories outside Europe are part of the Schengen area, so a Schengen visa does not get you into Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, Réunion, Mayotte, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin, New Caledonia, French Polynesia, Wallis and Futuna or the French Southern and Antarctic Lands. If your trip covers one of those territories and European France as well, France-Visas requires two separate visas: the Schengen one and a national visa for the territory. Some nationalities are visa-exempt in those destinations, but the exemption is decided territory by territory and is not inherited from Schengen.

Source: france-visas.gouv.fr/en/la-france-dans-l-espace-schengen (comprobado 18/09/2026)

Fee

€90

The €90 is the short-stay Schengen visa fee, set by Article 16 of the Visa Code (Regulation (EC) 810/2009) as amended by Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/1415, in force since 11 June 2024. It is not a fee set by France: the same amount is paid at any Schengen consulate. Children from the age of 6 and under 12 pay €45, and children under 6 are exempt. Travellers entering without a visa pay no fee at all.

Processing time

Where the trip requires a Schengen visa, the consulate must decide within 15 calendar days of an admissible application being lodged. That period may be extended to a maximum of 45 calendar days in individual cases, particularly where the application needs closer examination; in justified urgent individual cases the decision is taken immediately (Regulation (EC) 810/2009, Art. 23). An application may not be lodged more than six months before the intended trip and, as a rule, no later than 15 calendar days before it; where the consulate requires an appointment, it is normally given within two weeks of being requested (Art. 9).

Required documents

• A valid passport or travel document, issued within the previous ten years and valid for at least three months beyond the date you plan to leave the Schengen area (Regulation (EU) 2016/399, Art. 6(1)(a))
• A valid visa, if your nationality requires one. It is not needed if you hold a valid residence permit or long-stay visa issued by a Schengen State (Art. 6(1)(b))
• Documents justifying the purpose and conditions of the intended stay: an accommodation booking or a declaration of invitation from your host, and a return or onward ticket (Art. 6(1)(c) and Art. 6(3), which points to the non-exhaustive list in Annex I)
• Proof of sufficient means of subsistence for the whole stay and for the return to your country of origin, or of being in a position to acquire such means lawfully. They are assessed according to the duration and purpose of the stay, by reference to average prices for board and lodging in budget accommodation (Art. 6(1)(c) and 6(4)). Cash, traveller's cheques, credit cards and declarations of invitation or of sponsorship all count as proof (Art. 6(4))

How much money you need to show

€120 per day without a hotel booking, €65 per day with one, and €32.50 per day with an attestation d'accueil

If the hotel covers only part of the trip, it is €65 for the booked nights and €120 for the rest. The attestation d'accueil is the certificate of accommodation that your host requests from their town hall when you stay in their home.

What each Schengen country asks for →

Source: European Commission, Annex 25 to the Practical Handbook for Border Guards (reference amounts notified by each State), version of 8 June 2026, and France-Visas (page on arriving in France). Checked on 1 November 2026.

Health insurance

Mandatory to apply for the Schengen visa: minimum coverage of €30,000, valid across the whole Schengen area and for the entire length of the stay (Regulation (EC) 810/2009, Art. 15).

Which policies meet the €30,000 requirement →

When travel insurance is mandatory → Travel insurance policies ↓

How long you can stay

Schengen rule: a maximum stay of 90 days within any 180-day period across the whole Schengen area.

Calculate your available Schengen days →

Why isn't your passport being stamped? The EES system →