Starting January 14, Cubans will no longer need to apply for an exit permit to travel abroad, nor will they need to present a letter of invitation from hosts abroad. The change is greatly anticipated both within and outside the country.

Cubans will also be able to stay outside the country for up to two years without losing their residency, as opposed to the previous 11 month restriction. Minors under the age of 18 will be able to travel as long as they have authorization from their parents, and émigrés will be able to visit the country for up to 90 days as opposed to the previous 30 day limit.

Those who left the country illegally after the 1994 immigration accords with the United States will also be able to return to Cuba as long as eight years have passed since their departure, and the bases for repatriation have been increased.

Travel restrictions will still apply to those whose military service is pending, or are part of a professional workforce considered key to the country´s socio-economic development, or for reasons of defense and national security.

Colonel Lamberto Fraga said on national television last night that every country has the right to defend their societal interests and preserve their professional workforce, nevertheless, the majority of the travel requests ought to meet with a positive response, and the causes for a delayed request need not be permanent.

The DIE stressed that the preparation it has undertaken guarantees the the implementation of the measures will meet with success. The changes are welcomed by Cubans since they speed up migratory procedures and make them more flexible.

According to the new regulations, passport requests can be made at the current Identity Card and Population Registry offices, as well as immigration offices throughout the country.

According to the national media, there are 195 offices prepared to process these applications, throught the entire country.

Likewise, the media said those services have developed normally despite an increase in passport requests.

The new regulation, announced on October 16, includes elimination of a procedure that entailed the solicitation of an exit permit to travel abroad and also elimination of the requirement of a letter of invitation.

The law extends the time citizens may be out of the country without losing their status as resident citizens, from 11 to 24 months and makes it possible for those under 18 years of age to leave the country, as long as they have prior authorization from their parents or legal representatives. In the case of the émigrés, they will be able to visit the island for up to 90 days, 60 more than previously established.

Likewise, the causes for repatriation were also extended, as in the case of those who left Cuba before being 16 years old, as well as for humanitarian reasons.