Effective residency in Cuba: being abroad does not mean losing one's home

No longer being considered an effective resident of Cuba does not by itself mean a person loses a home, business or other property. The rules change the criteria for determining effective residency but do not provide for automatic transfer of those assets to the state.

Beginning November 1, the Directorate of Identification, Immigration, Foreigners and Citizenship may determine that status on its own initiative when a person accumulated more than 180 calendar days in Cuba during the previous year. The calculation considers time inside the country, not days of absence.

The publication also describes a path for people who spent more than 120 days in Cuba during the previous year: they may apply for recognition of effective residency if they show other ties. Migration Law 171 and its regulations were published in Official Gazette No. 39 of 2026.