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🇨🇺 Cuban citizens · 🇵🇹 Portugal · Business

Portugal business visa success rate for Cuban citizens (2025)

83% of business visa applications for Portugal lodged in Cuba were approved in 2025, and 17% refused. Consulates of Portugal in Cuba received 1,074 short-stay Schengen applications in 2025, of which 183 were not issued. The European Commission groups these figures by the country an application was lodged in rather than by passport, so they describe applicants applying from Cuba. They are an aggregate outcome, not your personal odds: finances, ties, purpose and refusal history all move an individual case well above or below the average. The estimator below weighs your own finances, ties, travel history and refusal record instead.

Last reviewed August 2026 per our editorial standards. Rate: European Commission — Schengen short-stay visa statistics for consulates (per Schengen state) .

Portugal assesses a business visa on whether your trip is a genuine, short business visit. As an approximate starting point, this route runs near a 64% base approval for Cuban citizens — your finances, ties and history then push your personal odds up or down. Published approval rates for Cuba run at 29.1% on US visitor visas in FY2025 and 78.2% on Schengen short-stay applications in 2025.

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Where Cuba sits in the official data

Two governments publish visa outcomes broken down by country. Neither predicts an individual decision, but together they show how Cuban applicants fare relative to everyone else, and which of the destinations we cover currently refuses the fewest applications from Cuba.

UK business visas — year to March 2026

The UK is the only government that publishes outcomes by nationality and visa type, so it is the one place a business-visa figure for Cuba actually exists. 19.9% of Cuban business applications were refused across 1,002 decisions , against 24.3% the year before. That volume makes Cuba the 84th-largest source of UK business applicants, of 110 countries with meaningful numbers. Different country, different rules — a reference point, not your odds here.

US visitor visas — FY2025

A 70.9% adjusted refusal rate places Cuba 189th of 199 nationalities the State Department publishes — a lower refusal rate than 5% of them. The median nationality sits at 31.8%, so Cuba is 39.1 points above it.

Schengen short-stay visas — 2025

Across all Schengen consulates in Cuba, 21.8% of short-stay applications were not issued — 80th of 127 countries with a meaningful application volume, and 6.2 points above the 15.6% median.

Schengen short-stay applications lodged in Cuba in 2025, by issuing state. All rows use the European Commission's methodology, so they are comparable with each other — the US figure is computed differently and is shown separately above.
DestinationRefusedIssuedDecided
Spain11.6%88.4%18,764
Portugalthis page17%83%1,074
Italy34.3%65.7%5,076
France34.9%65.1%2,973
the Netherlands38.7%61.3%1,936
Germany42.9%57.1%2,551

Among Schengen states, applications lodged in Cuba were refused least often by Spain at 11.6% and most often by Germany at 42.9% — a gap of 31.3 points on a like-for-like basis. That gap reflects who applies where as much as how strictly each state decides, so it is a starting point for choosing a main destination, not a ranking of leniency. You must still apply to the state where you will spend the most nights.

Demand and outcome moved together for Cuba between 2024 and 2025. Schengen consulates there decided 37,226 short-stay applications, against 46,118 the year before — down 19.3% — while the refusal rate went from 19.6% to 21.8%. Had 2024's rate held, roughly 805 of the 37,226 applicants refused in 2025 would have been issued a visa instead.

Sources: U.S. Department of State — Adjusted Refusal Rate, B-Visas Only, by Nationality and European Commission — Schengen short-stay visa statistics for consulates . Schengen figures are grouped by the country an application was lodged in, not by passport.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Portugal business visa refusal rate for Cuban citizens?

17% in 2025 — meaning 83% of decided cases ended in a visa. Short-stay (type C) applications lodged in Cuba at consulates of Portugal and refused during 2025, as a share of those decided (issued plus refused) — the European Commission's own basis, which excludes applications still pending or withdrawn. Rows are grouped by where an application was lodged, so this describes people applying from Cuba rather than passport holders. Your own case is assessed on its own evidence, so use the estimator on this page rather than the average.

Where does this Portugal refusal-rate figure come from?

From European Commission — Schengen short-stay visa statistics for consulates (per Schengen state), covering 2025. We restate the published figure without adjustment and link the source file directly, so you can check it yourself.

What matters most for a Portugal business visa?

Officers focus on whether your trip is a genuine, short business visit. In practice the single biggest lever is a credible invitation and ties, so make that part of your application as strong and well-documented as possible.

Does a previous visa refusal affect my chances?

Yes. A prior refusal weighs on new applications until its underlying reason is addressed. Find out exactly why you were refused, fix what caused it, and clearly show what is different this time.

Is this a guarantee of approval?

No. GetVisaOdds is an educational planning tool, not legal advice and not a guarantee. Only a consular or immigration officer can decide your application. We show approximate odds and the reasons behind them so you can prepare better.

Is my information private?

Completely. The estimate runs entirely in your browser. Your answers are never sent to a server or stored — there is no sign-up and nothing to leak.

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Cheapest and fastest EU residency by investment (2026) → Portugal D8 vs Spain digital nomad visa: which wins in 2026? → How to read visa approval and refusal rates → How to prove strong ties to your home country → How to document your finances for a visa → What to do after a visa refusal →