CAN AMERICANS STILL TRAVEL TO CUBA? HERE IS HOW TO TRAVEL TO CUBA IN 2024
CAN AMERICANS STILL TRAVEL TO CUBA? HERE IS HOW TO TRAVEL TO CUBA IN
2024
Looking for guidance on how to travel to Cuba from the US? We know,
as an American, planning a trip to Cuba may be certainly overwhelming. Unlike
visitors from Canada and the U.K., Americans are subject to certain
restrictions. Since “tourism” technically isn’t allowed, your trip will need to
fall into an authorized travel category. You’ll also be subject to certain
financial restrictions while on the island.
This article has been updated to reflect the new travel
restrictions to Cuba imposed on June 5, 2019. Do not despair! You can still
travel to Cuba and we will show you exactly how. Additionally, on July 26,
2019, the Trump admin the List of Restricted Businesses in Cuba. In this
article, we want to answer all your burning questions about going to Cuba with
a US passport. The latest Cuba travel rules. The entry requirements to Cuba.
The 12 categories of authorized travel to Cuba. The difference between the
Support for the Cuban People and the People-to-People Travel categories
(prohibited after June 5, 2019). The practical tips for Americans traveling to
Cuba. The new Trump’s Cuba travel policy.
Can Americans
Travel to Cuba in 2024?
Yes! Travel to Cuba in 2024 is still possible for Americans who wish to travel independently. You just need to pay attention to the rules.
Americans are allowed to travel to Cuba under 11 different travel categories of authorized travel that reflect the activities travelers will do while in Cuba. There’s no “tourism” category, but there are categories that will allow you to have an incredible solo trip and enjoy the activities you love, such as the Support for the Cuban People category.
Even during the coronavirus pandemic?
The current travel restrictions to Cuba include random Antigent test upon arrival, and a Sanitary Statement, and some mobility and business restrictions.
While in Cuba, you must comply with the restrictions imposed by the Cuban authorities to mitigate the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic:
Social distancing (5 ft) and face masks are required everywhere.
You may be subject to contact tracing questions or random temperature checks.
There is limited capacity and operating hours at most tourist facilities.
You can even receive fines for non-compliance! (Although that would be very rare)
Please, notice that as of April 4th, 2022, proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative PCR test is not required.
Traveling to Cuba with a US Passport is Simple
You can fly from your hometown airport
to Cuba on a major airline with less than two stops on the journey. You
can even go non-stop from New York-JFK, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and a few other
cities. You could also travel via Mexico or Canada, but it’s no
longer necessary. The Cuban government
allows Americans to visit their country. The restrictions on reasons for travel
and where you can spend money are all American rules. So, regardless
of American regulations, your US passport is valid in Cuba.
A
Few Things to Keep in Mind About Your Passport
You will need a full-sized passport
to travel to Cuba. The Passport Card is not sufficient. It’s wise to make
sure your passport will not expire for at least six months after the date of
your trip to Cuba. Cuban officials do not enforce this rule, but some
airlines and cruise lines do. If you're traveling to Cuba on a cruise,
make sure to read this information on Cuba shore excursions.
You might get a passport stamp entering or
leaving Cuba, or you might not. Don’t worry about it unless you specifically
want a stamp as a souvenir, in that case, if you don’t get one—ask!
The Cuba visa
requirements (Tourist Card) and how to get a visa for Cuba:
All visitors to Cuba, regardless of country of origin, need to have
a special visa called a Tourist Card.
You’ll need to have your tourist card
in hand when you board your flight to Cuba.
Note: The specific process of getting your Cuba visa may vary by country
origin. Since this article is specifically about how to travel to Cuba from the
US, that’s what we’ll cover here. For Canadian and U.K. citizens, check your
government’s official Cuba travel pages.
How do you get the Cuba tourist visa? Can I get a Cuba
visa from American Airlines?
The process is simple. Most commonly, when
you buy a plane ticket, the airline will ask you to select the reason for your
visit (for most people, “support for the Cuban people”). Arriving at the
airport, you’ll go through customs to your gate, as you would for any other
international flight. At your gate, there will be a booth where you can
purchase your tourist card, the equivalent of a visa. The fee will depend on which
airline you fly. (Some tourist cards can be bought earlier and delivered online
or through the mail.)
UPDATED: Since June 5, 2019, US
cruises are not permitted to stop in Cuba anymore.
Note: Some travelers may prefer to cruise their way to Cuba across the
Gulf’s calm, turquoise waters instead of flying. Cruise visitors to Cuba still
need a tourist card. Most of the time, your visa fee will be lumped into the
ticket price, but not always. Be sure to research your cruise line before you
book your tickets, so you know how they handle their visa process. Cruise
Direct features updated listings of upcoming cruises with stops in Cuba so
you can conveniently compare schedules, destinations, and prices.
Travel insurance for Cuba
Travel insurance for Cuba
Travel insurance is a requirement for all visitors to Cuba. Your insurance needs to cover any unexpected medical expenses you may incur during your time on the island.
That’s why there are companies that specialize in insurance just for travelers, like RoamRight. With RoamRight, you’ll get coverage for any medical emergencies that might pop up during your trip. It also offers coverage for travel inconveniences like trip cancellation and lost or stolen gear. One week of RoamRight costs about 50 USD per person.
Valid general travel
“license” to Cuba
All Americans traveling to Cuba need a “license”, technically
referred to as a “general license” or as a category of authorized travel to
Cuba. These categories are defined by the Office of Foreign Assets Control
(OFAC).
For the purpose of this article, we indistinctively use “license”,
“travel license”, “general license” and “travel
category”.
Confusingly, even though it’s called a license, it’s not actually a
license like a driver’s license or even the tourist visa. It’s not a physical
document that you need to bring with you to Cuba.
Getting a Cuba general
license means:
-
You’ve chosen one of the U.S.
government’s 12 categories for legal travel to Cuba.
-
You meet all the criteria for
traveling to Cuba under your chosen category.
Confusing terminology aside, getting your Cuba general license is
pretty easy. Take a look at our step-by-step section below.
How to Travel to
Cuba from the US (Legally): Planning a Trip to Cuba
Step 1:
Choose one of the 12 categories of authorized travel to Cuba
The only step in getting your Cuba general license is to declare the
reason for your trip, according to the list of 12 categories of authorized
travel to Cuba. If your trip falls into one of the 12 categories, you’re good
to go.
The twelve categories of legal travel under the Cuba General License
are:
-
Family visits
-
Official business for the US
government, foreign government, and certain intergovernmental organizations
-
Journalism
-
Professional research
-
Educational activities (NOTE:
This is the category that includes the once popular People-to-People Travel
“subcategory”, now prohibited. See below for more information.)
-
Religious activities
-
Public performances
-
Support for the Cuban
People
-
Exportation, importation or
transmission of information or informational materials
-
Humanitarian projects
-
Activities of private
foundations or research or educational institutes
-
Certain export transactions
During the booking process, you’ll need to declare your category of
authorized travel to Cuba.
UPDATED – Since June 5, 2019, the People-to-People
Travel category is no longer an option.
The People-to-People Travel
category was a subtype of the Educational Activities category. The
People-to-People Travel category used to be the most popular general license to
Cuba before June 2019 when the Trump administration prohibited it.
NOTE: If you made at least one travel-related transaction prior June
5, 2019, you are still authorized to travel under the People-to-People Travel
category. Here is how the People-to-People Travel category worked:
If you’re going to Cuba as part of educational exchange or a group
travel excursion, your trip may fall under the People-to-People category. Keep
in mind that “group travel” in this case is not simply mean traveling with a
group of your friends or family members. Group travel refers to booking a trip
through a licensed tour company with a set schedule, itinerary, and guide (also
known as a chaperone). These groups will keep you busy and active for most of
the day with activities like guided tours, classes, adventures, and more.
Although the schedule can be intense, you’ll still have some downtime each day
to relax and sip on a Mojito.
Important: you cannot travel in this category as an independent
traveler. Traveling through a tour company licensed in the US is a must.
Support for the Cuban
People
It’s the best license to use for Cuba solo trips when any other
license does not cover your purpose of travel. American travelers love this
category because, as you probably already gleaned from the wording, it’s pretty
vague. You have lots of wiggle room and can pretty much do many of the
activities you would in any other Caribbean country.
However, you will have to demonstrate that you’ve participated in
activities that “strengthen Cuban society.” Luckily, these activities tend to
be fun, and many of them are things you’d probably do anyway.
-
Visit museums and historical
sites
-
Eat at locally owned
restaurants (paladares)
-
Take Cuban cooking classes
-
Take salsa dancing lessons
-
Tour a tobacco farm and learn
how to roll Cuban cigars
-
Volunteer with a local
organization or non-profit
But the OFAC itself offers
the very best example of the type of activities that the Support for the
Cuban People category may cover:
“An individual plans to travel to Cuba, stay in a room at a rented
accommodation in a private Cuban residence (casa particular), eat at
privately-owned Cuban restaurants (paladares), and shop at privately-owned
stores run by self-employed Cubans (cuentapropista) during his or her four-day
trip. While at the casa particular, the individual will have breakfast each
morning with the Cuban host and engage with the Cuban host to learn about Cuban
culture. In addition, the traveler will complete his or her full-time schedule
by supporting Cuban entrepreneurs launching their privately-owned businesses.
The traveler’s activities promote independent activity intended to strengthen
civil society in Cuba. Because the individual’s qualifying activities are not
limited to staying in a room at a rented accommodation in a private Cuban
residence (casa particular), eating at privately-owned Cuban restaurants
(paladares), and shopping at privately owned stores run by self-employed Cubans
(cuentapropista) and the traveler maintains a full-time schedule that enhances
contact with the Cuban people, supports civil society in Cuba, and promotes the
Cuban people’s independence from Cuban authorities, and that results in
meaningful interaction between the traveler and Cuban individuals, the
individual’s travel qualifies for the general license.”
How does it sound?
When it comes to planning your daily schedule in Cuba, you’re
technically supposed to spend about eight hours a day doing activities that
support the Cuban people. That being said, it’s not like an American official
will be calling you each day to verify your schedule, so don’t stress about it.
Instead, pick out some of the activities mentioned above and immerse yourself
in the beauty of Cuban culture. After you tackle the logistics of visiting Cuba
from as a US citizen, be sure to add lots of fun activities as well!
Step 2: Book a flight.
Something to keep in mind
if you are going to book a flight to Cuba:
For American people, only is possible to
flight from USA to Cuba through the “José Martí” International Airport located in
Havana city.
Starting Dec. 10, 2019, air service from
the United States, which allows travelers to fly into 10 airports in Cuba, will
be restricted to the Havana Jose Marti International Airport. This new
policy, announced in October by the Transportation Department, demonstrates
continued efforts by the Trump administration to rollback decisions made by the
Obama administration to restore relations between the two countries.
The U.S. government will suspend U.S.
airlines’ flights to nine destinations in Cuba in order to limit
revenues for the island, El Nuevo Herald reported this Friday, citing a senior
official of the administration of President Donald Trump. The news was subsequently
confirmed by the State Department.
You no longer need to
fly to Mexico to get to Cuba.
There are several airlines now flying there from the United States:
NOTE: You should go directly to the
airlines website to search for flights. If you look at an aggregator site, like
Tripadvisor, you will come up with this warning: “TripAdvisor is unable to show
requested itineraries or travel plans that include Cuba due to U.S. government
regulations.”
Step 3: Plan your itinerary in Cuba.
Now the fun part begins! It’s time to plan how you’ll spend each day
in sunny Cuba. Whichever category you chose for your travel license will have a
big impact on your itinerary. If you decide to travel under the “Support the Cuban People” category,
your schedule is completely up to you. Therefore, you can also review
the tours available on our platform of Photo Touring Cuba.
Step 4: Book accommodations in Cuba.
Once you have booked your tickets to Cuba, you
will need to set up a place to stay, according to your itinerary. American people
are not allow the stay at Government Hotels in Cuba, So, the best
recommendation to American people for accommodation is the well kwon “Casas
Particulares”. Staying in casas particulares is a great way to
make sure you do not stay in a hotel on the list and have an enriching cultural
experience staying with a local family. You can
book casas particulares on websites like booking.com or
Airbnb.
. However, we highly
recommend renting a room in a casa particular because they give you
an authentic Cuban experience at an affordable price.
Step 5: Do not spend money at restricted businesses (Business own by the Cuban government).
US-Cuba relations have improved over the last decade, but the US
Treasury Department doesn’t like Americans to spend money just anywhere in
Cuba. In fact, the Treasury keeps a list of businesses that Americans must not
give money to. Most of these businesses are backed by the Cuban military or
security services, which the US still has a frosty relationship with.
Step 6: Keep your receipts and records for 5 years
For up to 5 years after your Cuba trip, the US government can ask to
see the travel records and receipts from your trip. This sounds kind of spooky,
but anecdotally, it doesn’t seem to happen very often. But it’s better to be
safe than sorry, so keep your records stored in a safe place for 5 years in
case you’re questioned about your trip.
Bonus Tip for Americans
Traveling to Cuba: Stick to Private
-
Book tours directly from local guides or private business like Photo
Touring Cuba
Cuba is filled with tour guides ready to introduce you to the
island, its culture, and history. Plus, there are tours for everyone–from
riding around Havana in a vintage car to horseback riding or rugged Viñales Valley.
However, keep in mind that not all tour guides are reputable. Cuba
has only recently begun to experience a huge burst in tourism–especially from
the US–and there are lots of people looking to profit off tourists. To avoid
getting scammed by fake or unprofessional guides, you should only book tours through
legitimate local guides.
Photo Touring Cuba is a private business based in
Havana – Cuba that specializes in photographic tour personalized, unique and
safe journeys of Havana and around the western of Cuba. The main objective is that visitors spend the day
with a local, which will give you a true educational tour on the Cuban culture
and daily life having at your disposition Photographic and Guiding service over
the day. It has excellent bilingual (English and Spanish) photographer guides
who are all very personable and professional, which will make sure you have the
best time in Cuba.
-
Stay in casas particulares
Note: Americans are not supposed to stay in hotels owned by the Cuban
military, which is most of the big hotels. But Cuba has a thriving Airbnb
industry, where the money goes to the local homeowner, which is allowed. It is
best to book and pay for your lodgings from the United States.
Casas particulares (private houses) are like the Cuban version
of bed and breakfasts.
They’re owned by Cuban families who rent out rooms for a daily fee.
Not only are they more affordable than staying in a hotel, but they also offer
a much more authentic Cuban experience. Plus, many casas even offer
home-cooked breakfast in the morning. You can stay in a casa for
around 20-50 CUC/night.
-
Eat at paladares
Paladares are private restaurants owned by Cubans who have a
passion and talent for serving up fine Cuban food. Menus at paladares have more
variety and better service than Cuba’s government-owned restaurants. The cost
of dining in a paladar varies depending on how fancy or down-to-earth the place
is. But generally speaking, you can expect to pay between 6-18 CUC per meal.
At home, you’re probably used to using websites like Yelp to help
you decide where to eat next, but the Internet is limited in Cuba. Thus,
we recommend bringing a travel guide like this one from Lonely Planet
instead.
-
Move in private taxis
When you flag down a taxi in Cuba, you’ll notice there are two
different kinds of taxis: state taxis and private taxis (Almendrones).
State taxis are owned and operated by the Cuban government, while
private taxis are run by private taxi drivers. Chances are, the Almendrones will
catch your eye because many of them are the colorful, beautifully restored
vintage American cars that have become synonymous with Cuba.
-
Support the local businesses
If you travel to Cuba under the Support
for the Cuban People category, you’ll need to support local Cuban
businesses during your trip.
Note: Supporting local businesses includes staying in casas
particulares, eating at paladares, attending a performance by a local
musician or artist, taking a cooking or salsa dancing class or taking private
tours with local business like us.
The Latest Updates to
Trump’s Cuba Travel Policy (June 2019)
The Cuba travel rules for US citizens can seem tangled and
confusing, especially with the changes that have taken place in the last
decade.
To add to the confusion, US President Donald Trump has recently
rolled back some Obama’s changes. It’s enough to make your head spin!
Changes to the Cuba travel
restrictions in 2017
-
President Trump introduced
a new set of Cuba travel rules in November 2017 to tighten travel
restrictions to Cuba. These changes include:
-
Restricting US travelers from spending
money at Cuban businesses with ties to the Cuban military.
-
Doing away with the individual
People-to-People travel category (Remember: you still could travel under the
group People-to-People category with an authorized tour group).
Changes to the Cuba travel
restrictions in 2019 (the latest)
The Trump admin announced new travel to Cuba restrictions on
June 4, 2019. They essentially include:
-
Ending the group
People-to-People Travel category
-
Ending exports of passenger
vessels, recreational vessels, and private aircraft (Yep, say bye bye to a
weekend cruise stop in Cuba)
What about the Cuba travel
warnings from the State Department?
If you paid attention to the news last year, you probably remember
hearing stories about American diplomats in Cuba suffering from mysterious
“sonic attacks.” Rumors about these attacks sparked the State Department to
issue a travel warning. As of the writing of this article, no American
visitors to Cuba have been targeted by sonic attacks, so you should be just
fine during your trip. Overall, Cuba is
an extremely safe country to visit, especially compared to other neighboring
countries in the Caribbean.
The Final Step…
Keep this handy guide open while planning a trip to Cuba. Cuba is an
exciting, unforgettable, (and perfectly legal!) destination for Americans to
visit. As long as you follow the guidelines we outlined in this article, you
will have a smooth, seamless trip.
And now that we’ve put to rest those rumors about a Cuba travel ban,
it’s time to get packing!
We plan to keep this guide constantly updated. Please, let us know
in the comments in our main page if you want us to address any other question!
Disclaimer: Legal information is not the same as legal advice. Although we do
our absolute best to provide legal information that is both useful and
accurate, we recommend you consult with a lawyer if you need actual legal
advice.
Photo Touring Cuba. All Right Reserved.
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