Cuba (CU)
Cuba is a unique socialist island nation of 11 million people in the Caribbean — a country of vintage American cars, world-famous cigars, Havana salsa, colonial architecture, and extraordinary natural beauty.
Social Security in Cuba
Benefits, contributions, and how the system works for expats.
Cuba's social security system (Seguridad Social) is managed by the MTSS (Ministerio de Trabajo y Seguridad Social) and covers all formally employed workers. The system is financed through employer contributions (14% of payroll), employee contributions (5%), and substantial state subsidies. Benefits include retirement pensions, disability pensions, maternity allowances, and survivors' benefits. For foreign nationals, access is limited to those formally employed by a Cuban state entity, joint venture, or MIPYMES and registered for contributions. Tourist-visa holders have no access to Cuban social security.
Carnet de Identidad / NIT Laboral
Número de Identidad del Trabajador
Foreign workers in Cuba obtain their labour registration through the MTSS (Ministerio de Trabajo y Seguridad Social) via their sponsoring Cuban employer. The employer initiates registration using the foreign national's Carnet de Extranjería and work visa documentation. Contact MTSS provincial offices or directly through the Cuban entity that is employing you. Self-employed TCP workers register with ONAT (Oficina Nacional de Administración Tributaria) for a NIT (tax identification number), which also serves as the social security identifier.
- Accessing retirement pension entitlements from Cuban formal employment
- Disability pension claims
- Maternity and paternity benefit calculations
- Employment records with Cuban state entities and joint ventures
- TCP and MIPYMES tax filings through ONAT
Benefits & Support Payments
State Retirement Pension
Pensión por Vejez
Monthly state pension for workers who reach retirement age (65 for men, 60 for women) after 30+ years of contributions. Based on average salary and contribution history.
Workers with at least 30 years of contributions to Cuban social security who have reached retirement age. Foreign nationals with formal contribution history are eligible on the same basis.
Apply to the MTSS provincial office in the province of your last Cuban employment. Bring NIT, employment records, and identity documents. Processing takes 2–4 months.
Maternity Allowance
Subsidio de Maternidad
18 weeks of paid maternity leave (6 weeks prenatal, 12 weeks postnatal) at 60% of average salary. Paid through MTSS.
Employed mothers with at least 3 months of social security contributions. Both state sector and TCP/MIPYMES workers with registered contributions.
Apply through employer or directly at MTSS with medical certificate confirming pregnancy and expected due date.
Disability Pension
Pensión por Invalidez
Monthly pension for workers permanently disabled and unable to work, based on degree of disability and contribution history.
Workers with sufficient contribution history and medically certified permanent disability through MINSAP medical evaluation.
Apply to MTSS with medical assessment from MINSAP-certified panel doctor and employment/contribution records.
Survivors Pension
Pensión de Supervivencia
Monthly pension for dependant family members (spouse, children) upon the death of a contributing worker.
Dependant spouse and minor children of deceased Cuban social security contributors.
Apply at MTSS provincial office with death certificate, marriage/birth certificates, and proof of dependency.
Unemployment Subsidy
Subsidio por Desempleo
Short-term income support for state-sector workers made redundant (not dismissed for cause). Cuba prioritises full employment — this benefit is rarely accessed.
State sector employees made redundant through no fault of their own. Not available to TCP workers, MIPYMES employees, or those dismissed for cause.
Apply at MTSS within 30 days of employment termination with employer dismissal documentation.
Social Assistance
Asistencia Social
State welfare payments for the most economically vulnerable: elderly without pension, disabled adults, and households with no income. Supplemented by heavily subsidised food and utilities.
Cuban citizens and legal permanent residents in poverty. Generally not available to foreign temporary workers.
Apply at the municipal Dirección de Trabajo y Seguridad Social with proof of circumstances. Social workers may visit to assess eligibility.
Sickness Benefit
Subsidio por Enfermedad
Income support for workers temporarily unable to work due to illness, injury, or quarantine. Covers period of medical incapacity.
Employed workers with social security contributions. Requires medical certificate from Médico de la Familia or polyclinic doctor.
Medical certificate obtained from treating doctor; employer submits claim to MTSS. Payment processed through employer payroll.
Special Pension for Merits
Pensión por Méritos Excepcionales
Special higher-rate pension granted to individuals who made exceptional contributions to Cuban society, culture, science, or the state. Political/presidential discretion involved.
By Council of State decree. Very rare. Not a standard benefit for ordinary workers or expats.
Not a standard application process — granted by state decision.
Contribution Overview
Employee contribution: 5% of gross salary. Employer contribution: 14% of payroll. State subsidises the remainder of system costs, which are substantial. TCP (self-employed) workers pay a fixed contribution amount based on declared income, registered with ONAT. Since 2021, MIPYMES employees contribute on the same basis as state sector workers. Contributions are collected monthly.
International Social Security Agreements
Cuba has limited bilateral social security agreements. No totalisation agreements exist with USA, UK, Canada, Australia, Germany, France, Spain, or most EU countries. Cuba has some social security coordination arrangements with certain Latin American, African, and Eastern European countries under bilateral cooperation frameworks. Foreign nationals from non-agreement countries will have entirely separate pension entitlements in Cuba and their home country — years in Cuba do not count toward home-country pension qualifications.
Foreign nationals working in Cuba through formal employment are entitled to Cuban social security benefits based on their contribution history. However, receiving Cuban pension payments from abroad is extremely difficult given Cuba's limited international banking infrastructure. Most foreign workers in Cuba rely on their home-country social security as their primary long-term protection and treat Cuban contributions as a local employment legal requirement rather than a meaningful retirement asset.
Social Security
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