Selling a house in Cuba, step by step

Which stage are you at?

If you already know what you need, jump straight to it. If not, this order causes the fewest surprises: price first, then what has to be paid, then listing, and the notary last.

• 1 What it is worth
• 2 The taxes
• 3 List it
• 4 Closing

Stage 1

Find out what it is worth

Cuba has no public register of closed sales: nobody can tell you what the house next door actually sold for. What can be measured is what is being asked today for homes like yours.

For your own home there are two routes, and both are worth taking: the valuation tool compares your property with similar ones in your area, and the prices page shows what is being asked in your municipality or neighbourhood, along with how many listings that figure rests on.

Asking well above your area is not free: the listing looks the same, but the phone does not ring. The guide on how to sell measures, on our own listings, the two things that move the needle most: the price and the number of photos.

Stage 2

Find out what taxes are due

The transfer tax is not calculated on the price you agree, but on the reference value set by Resolución 313/2024 — unless the declared price is higher, in which case the declared price governs.

A worked example

Apartment with 2 bedrooms in Plaza de la Revolución, no garage and no yard: a base value of 120,000 CUP, times that area's coefficient (×6.0), gives a reference value of 720,000 CUP. On that, the seller would pay 28,800 CUP and the buyer the same again. The arithmetic is done by the site's own calculator; it is not written into this page.

Stage 3

List it, with or without a professional

Listing on Casas Oasis is free and we charge the buyer no commission. Your listing is moderated before it goes live, and the phone number shown is yours: you talk to interested buyers directly.

On your own

This is what most people do, and it works. You need the photos, the price and a phone you can actually answer. Your account shows how many views and how many contacts the listing gets, which is what tells you whether the problem is the price or the photos.

With an agent or an agency

It makes sense if you cannot take calls, if you do not live in Cuba, or if you want someone to show the house for you. Check for the Verified badge on their profile: it means we checked by hand who they are. Any commission is an agreement between you and that person, not with us.

Stage 4

Sign before a notary and register it

The sale is formalised before a notary and then registered at the Registro de la Propiedad. The deed must state the price and the agreed form of payment.

What the notary does

They verify the parties' identity, capacity and representation and the requirements of the act, draft the deed and record the price and the payment. Article 166 of the Ley 175 del Notariado, in force since 7 January 2026, requires the deed to state the price and the agreed form of payment.

How payment works

Article 70, paragraphs 3 and 4, of the Ley General de la Vivienda provides that the full price be paid when the sale is formalised before the notary, using payment instruments issued by a banking institution, and that the buyer evidence with the corresponding bank document that the money exists at a branch. Confirm with your bank and your notary which instrument applies to your transaction before you set a signing date.

Registration

Article 168 of Ley 175 governs sending the instrument to the Registry and requires prior registration where applicable. Decreto Ley 51 of 2021 governs registry publicity and Resolución 493 of 2021 develops the procedure. There is no closing timeline that holds for every transaction: it depends on the documents, the registry situation and the offices involved.

The full detail — what to check on the title, inheritance, co-ownership, powers of attorney granted abroad — is in the legal guide to buying. It is the same transaction seen from the other side of the table.

Where this comes from

This page is orientation — not legal, notarial, tax or banking advice — and it does not replace what your notary, the Registro de la Propiedad or your bank tell you about your own case. Every statement about a rule links to its official publication and carries a date; if a rule changes and this page does not, the link lets you check for yourself.

• Ley 65 of 1988, General Housing Law — article 70, paragraphs 3 and 4 (payment before the notary).
• Ley 175 del Notariado, in force since 7 January 2026 — articles 166 and 168.
• Resolución 313/2024 of the Ministry of Finance and Prices, GOC-2024-O102, in force since 15 November 2024 — reference value.
• Ley 113 tax code, consolidated version published in 2026 — tax rates.
• Decreto Ley 51 of 2021 and Resolución 493 of 2021 — Registro de la Propiedad.
• The price figures come from Casas Oasis' own inventory and always carry their sample size and date; the method is explained on the market prices page.