Checklist: Applying for a Schengen visa in Cuba for a business trip or official visit
Find out what documents you need in order to apply for a Schengen visa in Cuba for a business trip or official visit.
Important to know
- Arrive at your appointment well prepared. Find out how to apply for a Schengen visa in Cuba.
- In most cases you must submit your application in person. This applies to babies and children too.
- If you have had your fingerprints taken for a Schengen visa in the past 5 years (59 months), someone else may submit your application for you. However, if your fingerprints were taken but not saved, you will need to appear in person to have them retaken.
- The Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs may request an interview or additional documents.
- You must sign a document at the appointment, declaring the following:
- you understand that you must submit all documents in order for your application to be processed
- you are aware that an incomplete application may be rejected and that your visa application fee will not be refunded
Personal documents
Bring: original document
You will need a completed and signed Schengen visa application form. Print the form and submit it with your other documents.
Bring: original document
You will need a valid travel document, such as a passport. Your travel document must meet the following requirements:
- it is no more than 10 years old
- it must have at least 2 empty visa pages
- it must be valid for at least 3 months after you leave the Schengen area
- it must bear your signature
Bring: original document
You will need to submit a photo that meets Dutch requirements:
- colour photo
- no more than 6 months old
- 3.5cm by 4.5cm
- white or light-coloured background
Find out where you can have a photo that meets Dutch requirements taken in Cuba
If you are applying for a visa through an external service provider, you do not need to submit a photo. A digital photo will be taken at your appointment.
Bring: original document and colour copy
You will need valid proof of legal residence in the country where you are applying for a visa. You can show that you are legally resident in the country where you submit your visa application using, for instance:
- a passport or other travel document
- a residence permit. This must be valid for at least 3 months after you leave the Schengen area.
- a work permit. This must be valid for at least 3 months after you leave the Schengen area.
If you are not a resident of the country where you are submitting your application, you must show why you cannot apply in your country of residence.
Bring: colour copy of the document
You must show a proof of property ownership or a rental contract in Cuba.
Bring: colour copy of the document
You must be able to prove that you have social or economic ties to the country where you live. What you can use for this depends on your situation:
- If you are employed: a letter from your employer stating your job title and salary, the start date of your employment, and permission to take time off work.
- If you are self-employed: documents that prove you are self-employed and that you pay taxes.
- If you are a student: a letter from your educational institution or university with permission to take time off from your studies.
If none of the above situations apply to you, you can show that you have social or economic ties using, for instance:
- a document proving that you are a caregiver in your country of residence
- a document showing that your children attend school in your country of residence
Documents relating to your travel and stay in the Schengen area
Bring: colour copy of the document
If you will be travelling in the context of business, you will need the following:
- an invitation from the company or authority in the Netherlands (such as a public body or university) to attend meetings, conferences or events related to business, industry or work, stating:
- your personal details
- the purpose, dates and duration of your visit
- a declaration of sponsorship stating whether the inviting party will cover travel or accommodation costs
- documents proving commercial or labour relationships, such as contracts
- documents proving the economic activities of the inviting party, such as a recent copy of their Chamber of Commerce registration
- documents showing your professional status
- any other documents showing the purpose and length of your trip, such as a note verbale from the competent ministry in Cuba, for example the Foreign Ministry or the Ministry of External Trade
- if you will be attending a fair or congress: admission tickets
If you will be travelling in the context of an official visit, you will need the following:
- an official invitation from an intergovernmental organisation on whose behalf you are visiting the Netherlands, stating your personal details, the dates of your visit and the reasons for it
- a note verbale or letter from a government body in your country of residence stating that you are a member of an official delegation travelling to the Netherlands
Bring: colour copy of the document
You must show who will pay your travel and costs of stay.
If you will pay these costs yourself, you must prove that you have enough funds for your stay in the Schengen area and your return to Cuba. For example, with:
- personal or family bank statements showing regular deposits and withdrawals over the past 6 months
- account statements for credit cards in your name
Bring: colour copy of the document
You will need a hotel reservation for the entire duration of your trip.
Bring: colour copy of the document
You will need a reservation in your name for your travel to and from the Schengen area, or another document showing your travel plans. You do not need a paid travel ticket.
Bring: colour copy of the document
You will need proof of travel medical insurance in your name.*
The document must state that:
- the insurance provides cover in all Schengen area countries for the entire duration of your stay.
- the insurance covers at least €30,000 in medical expenses. This includes the costs of a hospital stay and treatment, emergency care, prescription medication and repatriation to your country of residence (including in the event of death).
Find out what requirements your travel medical insurance must meet
*Holders of diplomatic passports are not required to show proof of travel medical insurance coverage.
Documents relating to minors
Bring: original document and colour copy
If you are applying for a visa for a child under 18, you will need a recent extract of the child’s birth certificate, legalized by the Cuban Foreign Ministry.
If the child will be travelling without 1 or both of their parents or guardians, you will need the following documents:
- A consent form less than 12 months old signed by the parents or guardians not travelling with the minor. If the parent travelling with the child can prove that he/she has sole parental responsibility, you do not need a consent form.
Bring: colour copy of the document
- a colour photocopy of a signed valid travel document (such as a passport) of the parents or guardians not travelling with the child
- if 1 of the parents or guardians has a valid Schengen visa: a colour photocopy of the biographical data page of their passport and of their valid Schengen visa. The biographical data page contains the passport holder’s details and photo
- if 1 of the parents or guardians has died: a photocopy of the death certificate of the deceased parent or guardian
- if a guardian has been appointed: a photocopy of official proof of guardianship
- if there is a court order in place: a photocopy of permission from the court for the minor to travel