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Cuban Interests Section in Washington
to renew passports despite consulate closure
The Cuban Interests Section in Washington announced
May 12 that it will renew expired passports of Cuban
citizens resident in the United States preparing to
travel to Cuba in the coming months, despite the
currently unresolved issue of the consulate’s
closure in response to the termination of banking
services to Cuba.
The Cuban Interests Section highlighted in a
statement that, this action is a “temporary” measure
which will allow them “to create conditions in our
Consular Office for renewal of the passports that
have expired or are about to expire belonging to
citizens resident in the United States who have made
reservations to travel to Cuba in the period from
May 15 to August 31, 2014”.
The procedure will be completed through travel
agencies that have “working relationships” with the
Consular Office in Washington. Despite the measure
being considered temporary, until a more permanent
solution is found, the framework “could be extended
if implementation of the alternative solution were
to take longer than expected”.
Cuba announced in February the immediate and
indefinite suspension of consular services in the
United States, in response to the “impossibility” of
finding a new bank to handle the accounts of its
diplomatic missions.
The Consular Office reiterated May 12, as it has
over recent months,
“It has not been possible to find a U.S.-based bank
to operate our bank accounts, due to the regulations
derived from the economic, commercial and financial
blockade imposed by the U.S. government against
Cuba.”
The government in Washington has claimed, on various
occasions, to be working “actively” with the Cuban
Interests Section to find a new bank, to date, a
fruitless endeavor.
Cuba issues passports valid for six years, but
requires the holder to obtain an extension every two
years. Due to the suspension of Cuban consular
services in Washington, since the end of April, Cuba
allowed passengers without extensions to enter the
country, on the condition that they obtain one in
Havana. (CubaDebate)
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