Facing one of the world’s largest consular backlogs, Spain’s mission in Cuba is handing over frontline visa intake to a privately run Visa Application Centre (VAC) in Havana’s Miramar district. An official notice published on 22 September confirms that from 5 October short-stay Schengen applications will be lodged exclusively at the new facility, followed by study- and work-visa files on 12 October and family-of-EU-citizen cases on 19 October. The outsourcing mirrors arrangements Spain already uses in some 60 markets and is widely expected to involve BLS International Services, although the Consulate has not named the vendor. Applicants will pay a €17 handling fee on top of standard consular charges; “VIP” add-ons such as document photocopying and appointment outside normal hours will also be on offer but will not influence decision times. For Cuban professionals headed to Spain under digital-nomad or research visas, the shift promises shorter street queues and biometric enrolment in an air-conditioned office—an improvement over the consulate’s crowded courtyard. However, mobility advisers caution that the appointment calendar will remain tight: those without an existing slot cannot even attempt to book until 1 December, and the Consulate will still make the final decision, meaning overall processing times may not fall in the short term. Employers relocating Cuban talent should budget for the extra service fee and build in additional lead time until the transition stabilises. They should also update employee checklists: as of 18 September the old Bookitit appointment system and email credential process have been disabled, and all correspondence now comes via the domain spainvisa-cuba.com. Mis-directed emails risk being ignored. The move underscores a broader trend in Spanish consular practice toward third-party outsourcing to manage soaring demand driven by new mobility schemes such as the Digital Nomad Visa and the Law of Democratic Memory nationality pathway. Similar VAC roll-outs are being explored for Santo Domingo and Bogotá in 2027, according to industry insiders.
Source: 14ymedio
