Constitution

Cuba 1976 Constitution (reviewed 2002)

Table of Contents

CHAPTER II. CITIZENSHIP

ARTICLE 28

Cuban citizenship is acquired by birth or through naturalization.

ARTICLE 29

Cuban citizens by birth are:

  1. those born in the national territory, with the exception of the children of foreigners who are in the service of their government or of international agencies. The law establishes the requirements and formalities governing the case of children of foreigners who are not permanent residents of the country;
  2. those born abroad of a Cuban father or mother who is carrying out an official mission;
  3. those born abroad of a Cuban father or mother, with prior compliance with the formalities that the law specifies;
  4. those born outside the national territory, of a father or mother who is a native of the Republic of Cuba, who has lost Cuban citizenship, provided that they claim it in the manner specified by law;
  5. foreigners who, through exceptional merit achieved in the struggle for the liberation of Cuba, were considered Cuban citizens by birth.

ARTICLE 30

Cuban citizens by naturalization are:

  1. those foreigners who acquire Cuban citizenship in accordance with the regulations established by law;
  2. those who contributed to the armed struggle against the tyranny overthrown on January 1, 1959, provided they show proof of this in the legal established form; and
  3. those who, having been arbitrarily deprived of their citizenship of origin, obtain Cuban citizenship by virtue of an express agreement of the Council of State.

ARTICLE 31

Neither marriage nor its dissolution affect the citizenship status of either of the spouses or their children.

ARTICLE 32

Cubans may not be deprived of their citizenship except for legally established causes. Nor may they be deprived of the right to change it.

Dual citizenship shall not be allowed. Consequently, when a foreign citizenship is acquired, the Cuban citizenship shall be lost.

The law establishes the procedure to be followed for formalizing the loss of citizenship, and the authorities empowered to decide on it.

ARTICLE 33

Cuban citizenship may be regained in those cases and ways specified by the law.