Law 172 takes effect in Cuba and limits use of another citizenship
The law preserves dual citizenship but requires people retaining Cuban citizenship to identify themselves as Cuban before authorities.
Citizenship Law 172 took effect November 1, 2026, and allows Cuban citizenship to be retained alongside another nationality. Published in the Official Gazette on May 5, it limits use of foreign citizenship in specified procedures before Cuban authorities. The law does not abolish dual nationality; it defines how a person also retaining Cuban citizenship must appear before institutions.
People with more than one nationality must identify themselves as Cuban before Cuban authorities. Holding another citizenship does not permit a person to act as a foreigner in cases covered by the law. Cuban status therefore remains the reference for those procedures even after another nationality is acquired.
The law provides fines for using foreign citizenship in specified situations. The penalty is not for possessing another nationality but for using that status in procedures included in the regulation. Retaining two citizenships and appearing as a foreigner are therefore distinct situations: the first is allowed, while the second can bring consequences in covered cases.
Acquiring another nationality also does not by itself result in loss of Cuban citizenship. The law maintains that distinction by allowing both statuses while requiring Cuban citizens to be recognized as such before island authorities. Naturalization elsewhere does not automatically change the relationship with Cuban citizenship or remove obligations established for certain procedures.
Besides rules on using foreign nationality, Law 172 regulates renunciation and deprivation of Cuban citizenship. Those matters belong to the same legal framework but differ from acquiring another nationality and from fines for specified uses. Its identification and citizenship provisions have applied since November 1, 2026.