is cuba tourism open

The rules for Americans visiting Cuba in 2022

May 20, 2022 • 5 min read

It may soon be easier for Americans to visit Cuba © Matt Porteous / Getty Images

The Biden Administration took several steps toward thawing US-Cuba relations on May 16, 2022, after five years of tightened restrictions. While the measures don’t fully restore the openings of the Obama era, they mark an encouraging start for struggling Cubans and aspiring US travelers.

What has changed?

Of direct interest to US travelers is the Biden Administration’s promise to expand authorized travel in support of the Cuban people. This includes opening up flights to airports beyond Havana (which were closed to US aircraft during the Trump era) and reinstating group people-to-people travel and other categories of group educational travel. Both measures will be good news to US travel agencies who have battled with increased red tape since 2017.  

As yet, there is no word that the US will reinstate individual people-to-people travel, the category that led to a huge influx of US visitors to Cuba between 2016 and 2017. Nor have any Cuban state entities been removed from the US’s restricted list, meaning it’s still difficult for Americans to legally stay in Cuban hotels.

The directives have also lifted limits on family remittances (previously capped at $1,000 a quarter) to provide help in facilitating family reunions and supporting independent Cuban entrepreneurs.

Getting to Cuba from the US

Flying to Havana is one of the easier parts of the Cuba conundrum. As of May 2022, there are approximately a dozen flights a day between the US and Havana departing from the Florida cities of Miami, Tampa, and Fort Lauderdale. Operating airlines include American Airlines , Southwest Airlines , and JetBlue .

More Cuban airports will likely open up to US flights in the coming months.

The 12 categories of travel licenses for US citizens

US law states that US citizens can only travel to Cuba on a ‘general license’ based on one of 12 different approved categories , which include family visits, educational and religious activities, public performances and exhibitions, and the vague sounding 'support for the Cuban people.' Licenses are self-qualifying (there’s no long-winded paperwork), but you’ll be asked to state your category of choice in a signed travel affidavit when booking travel to Cuba. More details are available online from the US Treasury .

The vast majority of current visitors are Cuban Americans entering under the ‘family travel’ category. Independent travelers with no affiliations can qualify under the conveniently vague ‘support for the Cuban people’ category, which is the easiest option for people looking to explore the island. However, bear in mind that before you travel, you’ll need to draw up a detailed itinerary of your plans. Additionally, on your return, you’ll be required to keep all your travel receipts for five years.

The Cuba tourist card

To enter Cuba, all visitors need to present a completed Tourist Card — which serves a similar function to a tourist visa. These are usually available through your airline (ask when booking). Alternatively, you can purchase one through a Cuban travel agency. Costs range from US$50 to US$85, including processing fees.

Health protocols for travel to Cuba

Pre-travel COVID-19 tests and vaccination certificates are no longer required to enter Cuba from the US. Random COVID-19 tests may still be administered at the airport but there’s no mandatory quarantine unless you test positive. Departing US passengers will need a negative rapid-antigen test to re-enter the US. Tests can be procured at Havana’s José Martí International Airport before departure.

All arriving travelers must fill out an online D’Viajeros form containing information relating to public health and immigration.  You’re also required to take out medical insurance that includes cover for COVID-19; this may be included in the cost of your air ticket from the US. Health officials make spot checks at the airport.

Booking travel to Cuba through a travel agency

If it’s your first time traveling to Cuba, it is highly recommended that you enlist the services of a specialist US-Cuba travel agency. Both Cuban Travel Services and Marazul offer comprehensive on-the-ground information and can help organize flights and accommodation.

Alternatively, you can join an organized trip, which takes a lot of the hassle out of traveling to Cuba. Long-time US-Cuba specialists, Insight Cuba are offering a three-night ‘Weekend in Havana’ and a seven-night ‘Classic Cuba Tour’ in 2022.  

Where to stay in Cuba

American citizens are not currently allowed to stay in Cuba’s government-run hotels or use most state-owned enterprises. Instead, it’s best to opt for private accommodation such as apartments, B&Bs and homestays (known in Cuba as casas particulares ). Airbnb has lots of listings of accommodations that are open to US citizens.

For restaurants, stick to private paladares (family-run restaurants, often in the owner's home) where the food quality is better. To get around, use private guides and taxis. In doing so, you’ll be enthusiastically ‘supporting the Cuban people.’

Money tips for Cuba in 2022

Credit cards linked to US banks don’t work in Cuba and the US dollar was taken out of circulation in June 2021. American travelers are best off arriving with plenty of cash in a non-US currency – the euro is the most favored foreign currency and is accepted by most private businesses, from casa particulares to restaurants and taxi drivers, meaning you won’t have to buy many Cuban pesos (which are worthless outside Cuba).

Beware: The Cuban economy is in a state of extreme flux. The current euro-peso black market exchange rate is over four times that of the banks.   

In November 2021, Cuba introduced a tarjeta prepago (prepaid card) designed primarily to aid US travelers with American credit cards. You can purchase and pre-load a tarjeta prepago at a bank in Cuba or at the airport and use it to buy goods that can otherwise only be paid for with a credit card, such as medical services, cigars, and bus tickets. Cards can be loaded with amounts equivalent to US$1000, US$500 or US$200. However, you can only pay for the card in a non-US currency. Euros, Canadian dollars, and pounds sterling are all accepted, cash only.

This article was first published Dec 17, 2020 and updated May 20, 2022.

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What Americans need to know about traveling to Cuba

Making sense of the new travel policies and rules..

This year, Cuba ranked as the top trending destination in the 2023 Travelers' Choice awards , meaning Cuba-focused pages on Tripadvisor are seeing an increase in year-over-year activity.

But having swung back and forth throughout the last three American presidencies, the rules about visiting Cuba can be confusing, and it can be hard to keep them straight. Here’s what U.S. travelers need to know about planning a trip there now.

How has travel to Cuba changed in recent years?

American tourism on Cuba has been limited for decades, but in 2016, former President Barack Obama propped the door open, allowing everyday Americans to plan "people-to-people" trips—trips to visit with Cubans and learn about Cuban culture—on their own. (Previously, travelers could only visit with approved tour operators.) After decades of pause, cruises and commercial flights also resumed service to Cuba in 2016.

The following year, former President Donald Trump reversed that policy , eliminating the people-to-people option and organized group travel; banning cruises; and prohibiting U.S. airlines from flying into any other Cuban city besides Havana. Trump did, however, leave the door open for travel under the broad banner of "Support for the Cuban People," which, per The Washington Post , "required more direct aid to locals on the ground."

In 2022, President Joe Biden announced plans to resume people-to-people group travel in Cuba in a new capacity, though concrete details have yet to be released. (Individual travel is still restricted.) Biden also greenlit commercial flights to Cuban cities other than Havana to resume (though cruises are still banned).

What about now? Can Americans actually go to Cuba?

Yes. But not in typical tourist fashion, meaning you can’t fly to a beach resort and flop down the way you can in other Caribbean countries. But per the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Americans are allowed to travel to Cuba for a dozen state-sanctioned purposes, including family visits, journalistic activity, educational or religious activities, humanitarian projects, and Support for the Cuban People. It’s precisely that last banner under which many Americans travel to Cuba, and those types of trips must have a full-time schedule of activities sponsored by human-rights organizations or other organizations that promote democracy and/or civil society in some way. The activities must "[e]nhance contact with the Cuban people, support civil society in Cuba, or promote the Cuban people's independence from Cuban authorities," per the CFR . Again: no lazy days on the beach.

Rules put in place by the U.S. government prohibit Americans from interacting with businesses owned by or affiliated with the Cuban government; to do so would be a violation of a decades-old trade embargo. That makes many hotels—which, in Cuba, are largely government-owned or government-affiliated—off limits (you can find the list of banned hotels on OFAC's restricted entities list ).

Instead, Americans are required to stay in casa particulares , civilian-owned, guesthouse-like private residences, dine at privately owned restaurants ( paladares ), and shop at privately owned stores owned by non-state-affiliated proprietors ( cuentapropistas ).

Which visa or documents do I need to travel to Cuba?

Cuba requires that all visitors have a visa before arrival. If you're visiting under the "Support for the Cuban People" category, you will need a tourist visa—also known as a tourist card—which grants up to a 30-day stay. (The visa options are listed out on the Embassy of Cuba website .)

The most common way to acquire a tourist visa is through your airline; you can purchase visas (usually between $50 and $85) at the airport before the flight. Because policies vary, be sure to confirm the details before your trip. You can also purchase Cuban tourist visas online through third-party companies or in-person at some Cuban consulates (call ahead to find out whether the nearest consulate offers them). Keep in mind: You will need to prove, typically in the form of a return plane ticket, that you’re planning on exiting Cuba before the visa expires.

Cuba also requires travelers to purchase non-U.S. health insurance, which is typically provided by your airline and included in the airfare. Otherwise, you can purchase it at the airport upon arrival in Cuba. Because of the pandemic, you must also fill out a health declaration form .

All of these rules can change quickly—and sometimes without warning—so it’s important to confirm policy specifics with the Embassy of Cuba before your trip.

On the U.S. side of the equation, there is no paperwork and you don't need to apply for a special license if you plan to travel to Cuba under one of the 12 approved categories. But you must carry an itinerary with you at all times that proves the purpose of your visit. You must also retain documentation of every transaction you make in Cuba for five years after your visit, which you may have to provide to OFAC if requested. Because these rules can change at any point, confirm them with the U.S. Department of State and OFAC before your trip.

Which US airlines fly to Cuba?

In June 2022, Biden opened air travel to other Cuban cities besides Havana , including the beach-resort town of Varadero and historic city of Santiago de Cuba. Today, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines all run flights to Cuba from the U.S. Gateway cities with nonstop flights include several Florida cities, including Miami, as well as Houston and New York City.

What about currency and connectivity in Cuba?

• There is Internet in Cuba, but it's widely known to be limited and slow. You will likely have to pay by the minute, and prices vary.
• Many U.S.–based cell phone providers offer roaming coverage in Cuba, but check with your specific provider.
• Credit and debit cards issued by American banks are not widely accepted in Cuba, and many businesses may not have an infrastructure to support international transactions, so you should bring cash and exchange it upon arrival at the airport, a bank, or a casa de cambio (CADECA) exchange house.
• The only currency in Cuba is the Cuban peso (CUP). The Cuban convertible peso (CUC) ended circulation in 2021. That said, many businesses accept euros.

What else about Cuba should travelers be aware of?

In July 2021, during an extreme economic crisis, Cubans staged public demonstrations, protesting their lack of access to essentials like food, medicine, and electricity, as well Covid-19 restrictions. The government retaliated by detaining hundreds of protestors, some 700 of which were still imprisoned a year later . Protests continue to flare up, even as recently as this fall .

According to Human Rights Watch , "The Cuban government continues to repress and punish virtually all forms of dissent and public criticism. At the same time, Cubans continue to endure a dire economic crisis, which impacts their social and economic rights."

Given these circumstances, Cuba is facing the largest migration crisis in the country's history. In 2022, some 250,000 Cubans —a full 2 percent of the country's total population—left the country for the U.S., marking the largest exodus since the 1959 Cuban Revolution. As of this month, the United States has restarted visa services at the U.S. Embassy in Cuba and plans to issue 20,000 visas to Cubans a year. Follow updates from the Department of State to be aware of the latest travel advisories .

Yes, Americans Can Still Travel to Cuba. Here’s How

Is it legal for u.s. citizens to travel to cuba what types of travel can they take and what are cuba tourist cards here’s what you need to know about visiting cuba..

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Havana, Cuba’s capital city, is known for its vintage cars and historic architecture.

Courtesy of Spencer Everett/Unsplash

Cuba is a beautiful Caribbean island with a complex history and rich culture. But for decades, it’s been just beyond the reach of many Americans. In addition to several difficult years involving devastating hurricanes, pandemic-era travel restrictions, ever-changing U.S. State Department travel advisories, and frequently updated trade and tourism regulations , it’s not surprising that many Americans may be confused about whether and how U.S. travelers can legally visit Cuba .

As of early 2024, the short answer is: Yes, you can travel to Cuba as a U.S. citizen. There are, however, some hoops you’ll need to jump through, because (technically speaking) travel to Cuba for pure vacationing isn’t allowed. For U.S. citizens interested in planning a trip to Cuba, here’s what you need to know before you go.

Can you travel to Cuba?

The relationship between the United States and Cuba has been tumultuous, to say the least. Following the Cuban Revolution during the 1950s and the subsequent rise of Fidel Castro’s regime, diplomatic ties between the two nations deteriorated rapidly. In 1960, the United States imposed a trade embargo on Cuba, effectively severing most economic and political connections.

In the time since, travel between the two countries has been heavily restricted by the U.S. government, which has implemented various policies to discourage or prohibit its citizens from visiting Cuba. Making matters more complex, those policies often changed with each presidential administration. The island nation was more accessible during the Carter, Clinton, and Obama years and more closed off during the G.W. Bush and Trump years.

In 2014, it became significantly easier for Americans to visit Cuba after President Obama announced a series of measures aimed at normalizing diplomatic ties and loosening travel restrictions to allow Americans to visit for certain purposes (more on that later). Additionally, in 2016, commercial flights between the United States and Cuba resumed for the first time in more than half a century.

However, the Trump administration made it significantly harder to visit Cuba. During his time in office, President Trump enacted more than 200 measures against Cuba , which included limiting what Cuban airports flights from the U.S. could fly into, banning cruises from stopping in Cuba, and eliminating the most common visa category under which U.S. citizens planned legal visits to Cuba (known as “people-to-people” travel).

Then in May 2022, President Biden’s administration announced it would undo many of the Cuba-related restrictions enacted under Trump and would work on expanding authorized travel. Under the new order, regular passenger and charter airplanes are again allowed to fly to any Cuban airport (and airlines announced new flight paths ). And officials said that the “people-to-people” category of travel, under which many tours and organized travel companies bring U.S. travelers to Cuba, will ultimately return, though there is no timeline on when that will happen.

Cuba’s music scene is also a big draw.

Photo by Shutterstock

How to travel to Cuba as an American citizen

U.S. law states that those who want to go to Cuba need to qualify for a “general license” based on one of 12 approved categories.

The 12 categories currently authorized by U.S. government, for travel to Cuba are:

• Family visits
• Official business of the U.S. government, foreign governments, and certain intergovernmental organizations
• Journalistic activity
• Professional research and professional meetings
• Educational activities
• Religious activities
• Public performances, clinics, workshops, athletic and other competitions, and exhibitions
• Support for the Cuban people
• Humanitarian projects
• Activities of private foundations or research or educational institutes
• Exportation, importation, or transmission of information or informational materials
• Certain authorized export transactions

Licenses are self-qualifying, meaning that when you purchase your airline ticket, you’ll be asked to state your category in a signed affidavit before checkout.

When former President Obama first eased travel restrictions to Cuba , the move allowed leisure travelers to pursue self-led trips under the “people-to-people” educational activities category. Today, the “support for the Cuban people” category is the most popular because it’s the broadest.

What the “support for the Cuban people” license entails

To adhere to the requirements for independent travel under “support for the Cuban people,” travelers must first declare the category (when prompted) while booking flights and lodging. As part of the license, travelers are also expected to prepare an itinerary outlining how their trip will fulfill the category’s terms and contribute to Cuba’s local economy. (This itinerary could be—but isn’t always—requested on arrival to the country.)

An appropriate “support for the Cuban people” itinerary could including staying in casa particulares (locally run guesthouses), visiting Cuban-owned businesses, going on tours (like classic car rides or architecture walking tours) run by Cubans, visiting independent museums and galleries, partaking in cultural dance and music classes, and eating at locally owned restaurants and markets. (For specific recommendations and local resources, check out AFAR’s Cuba Travel Guide .)

Travelers can visit independently under that category, though it’s important you keep a record of your itinerary and your receipts: The U.S. government can ask for them up to five years after the trip.

Can you still travel to Cuba with organized tour operators?

Even though the Trump administration’s tightened restrictions on travel to Cuba prohibited organized “people-to-people” tours entirely, many tour companies have switched their approach to adhere to the “support for the Cuban people” license, according to Tom Popper, president of U.S.-based tour operator InsightCuba . Other tour providers that offer “people-to-people” trips, such as GeoEx Adventure Travel , Flash Pack , Intrepid Travel, and G Adventures, have similarly transitioned their program itineraries in order to offer legal trips to Cuba that comply with the regulations.

Challenges and considerations for travel to Cuba

Despite the easing of restrictions, traveling to Cuba as an American still presents some challenges. For example, there are limited banking services available to U.S. visitors, and American credit and debit cards are not typically accepted (as noted on the website for the U.S. embassy in Cuba ), so it’s important to bring plenty of cash. Similarly, internet access in Cuba is limited —expect connections to be patchy .

How to get a Cuba Tourist Card

The terms Cuba Tourist Cards and Cuban visas are sometimes used interchangeably.

Courtesy of Easy Tourist Card

Regardless of the license under which you travel to Cuba, you’ll still need to organize a few important documents before you go.

The Cuban government requires that all travelers entering the country provide a valid passport and proof of travel insurance that covers medical emergencies and evacuation by air. In addition, all U.S. travelers—adults, children, and infants—must purchase a Cuba Tourist Card , which grants visitors a maximum stay of 30 days on the island. Tourist Cards are valid for 180 days after purchase, which means you will need to travel within six months of obtaining the document. Note that the terms Cuba Tourist Card and Cuban visa are sometimes used interchangeably; they’re the same thing.

There are several ways to buy a Cuba Tourist Card: Many U.S. airlines with direct service to Havana—among them United Airlines , JetBlue , American Airlines , Delta , and Southwest —offer Tourist Cards either online or at the gate; prices and purchase locations vary among carriers, so it’s important to check in advance.

Websites like Easy Tourist Card allow travelers to apply for and purchase Tourist Cards online with two-day international shipping. Those who plan to fly to Havana directly from the United States will need to purchase a pink Tourist Card at a rate of $100, while those departing from non-U.S. airports can purchase a green Tourist Card for $37, even with a U.S. passport.

“U.S. travelers should note that travel to Cuba has been regulated since 1963 and has changed under each presidential administration since that time,” states Popper of InsightCuba. “Cuba travel has always been a hot political topic, and you never know when the rules are going to change. I always tell people to go now—while you can.”

This article was originally published in 2018. It was most recently updated on March 21, 2024, to include current information.

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Travel Advisory January 5, 2024

Cuba - level 2: exercise increased caution.

Reissued with updates to crime information.

Exercise increased caution in Cuba due to  crime .

Country Summary:  Petty crime is a threat for tourists in Cuba. Also, violent crime, including armed robbery and homicide, sometimes occurs in Cuba.

Travel outside of the Havana area for U.S. Embassy employees requires a special notification process which may affect the Embassy’s ability to provide emergency assistance to U.S. citizens in Cuba.

Read the  country information page  for additional information on travel to Cuba.

If you decide to travel to Cuba:

• Be aware of your surroundings.
• Do not physically resist any robbery attempt.
• Do not display signs of wealth, such as wearing expensive watches or jewelry.
• Enroll in the  Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)  to receive Alerts and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.

U.S. citizens should always exercise caution when traveling abroad:

• Follow the Department of State on  Facebook  and  Twitter .
• Review the  Country Security Report  for Cuba.
• Prepare a contingency plan for emergency situations. Review the  Traveler’s Checklist .

Embassy Messages

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Quick Facts

Must have six months validity at the time of entry.

Two pages are required for entry/exit stamps.

Yes. Travel to Cuba for tourist activities remains prohibited by statute. See 31 C.F.R 515.560 and OFAC's Frequently Asked Questions .

None. See CDC for recommendations.

U.S. credit and debit cards do not work in Cuba. You should bring U.S. dollars or Euros to Cuba and exchange them for Cuban Pesos (CUP) at authorized banks, CADECA offices, airports or hotels. Travelers should confirm alternative payment options before traveling, as policies concerning the use of U.S. dollars in Cuba are subject to change. The Cuban government requires that travelers declare cash amounts over the equivalent of 5,000 USD.

When departing Cuba, we advise U.S. travelers to spend or exchange CUP to a foreign currency well before reaching airport security checkpoints. Currency exchange houses in the departure area at airports are currently closed and Cuban pesos are not internationally convertible outside of Cuba.. International airlines flying to the United States include departure fees and taxes in the price of airline tickets. U.S. dollars are not accepted for payment of any additional products purchased at the airport. Under Cuban law, travelers may export up to the equivalent of 5,000 USD out of the country. Anyone wishing to depart Cuba with more than this amount of cash must demonstrate evidence that the currency was acquired legitimately from a Cuban bank.

Embassies and Consulates

U.S. Embassy Calzada between L and M Streets, Vedado, Havana, Cuba Telephone:  + (53) (7) 839-4100 (Monday- Friday 0830-1630, except holidays) Emergency after-hours telephone:  + (53) (7) 839-4100 and dial 1 to speak with the emergency operator Fax:  + (53) (7) 839-4247 Website:  https:cu.usembassy.gov

Email:   [email protected] (for concerns with U.S. citizens)

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Learn about the U.S. relationship to countries around the world.

Entry, Exit and Visa Requirements

Travel to Cuba from or transiting through the United States by persons under U.S. jurisdiction (defined as [BE1] U.S. citizens located anywhere, and anyone located in the United States regardless of citizenship and nationality) , is regulated by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.  All travelers falling under U.S. jurisdiction must comply with these regulations.  Individuals seeking to travel to Cuba are not required to obtain licenses from OFAC if their travel is covered under the 12 travel categories authorized by a general OFAC license.  If travel is not covered by a general license, you must seek OFAC authorization in the form of a specific license .  Travelers who fail to comply with regulations may face penalties and criminal prosecution.  For travel-specific questions, please see  31 C.F.R. 515.560  and  OFAC’s Frequently Asked Questions .

Visit the  Embassy of Cuba  website for the most current visa information.

Cuba requires visitors to have non-U.S. medical insurance, which is usually included in airline ticket prices on flights originating in the United States. If you do not have insurance, it can be purchased upon arrival to Cuba at an airport kiosk.  Asistur Medical Insurance is the official company that airlines contract.  Please confirm your coverage with your airline prior to arrival in Cuba and seek additional medical insurance if needed.

Cuba does not recognize the U.S. citizenship of Cuban-born U.S. citizens who maintain residency status in Cuba.  The Cuban government requires Cuban dual nationals to enter and depart Cuba using Cuban passports. Cuban-born U.S. citizens who maintain their residency status in Cuba will be treated as Cuban citizens and may be subject to Cuban restrictions and legal obligations.  

Some HIV/AIDS entry restrictions exist for visitors to and foreign residents of Cuba.  Foreign students on scholarships are required to test for HIV/AIDS.  Please verify this information with the  Embassy of Cuba  before you travel.

Information about  dual nationality , the  prevention of international child abduction , and  customs regulations  can be found on our websites. 

Cuban Requirements for Authorized Travelers:   Attempts to enter or exit Cuba illegally, or to aid the irregular exit of Cuban nationals or other persons, are prohibited.  Entering Cuban territory, territorial waters, or airspace without prior authorization from the Cuban government may result in arrest.  Immigration violators are subject to prison terms ranging from four to thirty years. 

Temporary Sojourn License:  Most aircraft and maritime vessels on temporary sojourn to Cuba are no longer eligible for an Aircraft, Vessels, and Spacecraft (AVS) License Exception.  See 15 C.F.R. § 740.15.  If you are planning to enter Cuba with a U.S. or foreign-registered aircraft or maritime vessel on temporary sojourn, you must meet the criteria set forth in 15 C.F.R. § 740.15. Please see the U.S. Department of Commerce’s  Bureau of Industry and Security website  for additional information. 

In addition, a vessel of the United States, as defined in 33 C.F.R. §107.200, may not enter Cuban territorial waters without advance permission from the U.S. Coast Guard.  The U.S. Coast Guard provides permission information at (305) 415-6920. 

Safety and Security

The security environment in Cuba is relatively stable and characterized by a strong military and police presence.  Demonstrations are infrequent but can draw violent responses from government forces.  Even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational without warning.  Avoid demonstrations and maintain security awareness at all times. Demonstration Alerts are posted on the  Embassy’s website .  Review the  Cuba Travel Advisory .

The Cuban government has detained U.S. citizens suspected of engaging in activities perceived to undermine state security.  The Cuban government may detain individuals for activities that would not be considered criminal or offensive in the United States.

Crime:   With the recent influx of travelers, there has been an increase in the number of property crimes. Crimes of opportunity, such as pick pocketing, purse snatchings, and car break-ins, are on the rise. Exercise vigilance everywhere . Do not display large amounts of cash.  Do not leave your valuables unattended.  Carry money in your front pockets, hold your purse and cellular phone securely and be mindful of purses or bags when dining out. 

• Do not leave a beverage unattended or accept beverages from persons unknown to you. 
• Locations such as Habana Vieja, Playas del Este, Varadero, and other attractions tend to have a higher incidence of property crime than other parts of Cuba. 
• Be wary of misdirection schemes where someone attempts to gain your attention while another comes from behind to steal your purse, wallet, or other valuable items. 
• If confronted by criminals, do not resist, try to remain calm, clearly display your hands and do not make any sudden moves that could be interpreted as resistance. 
• Carry a cell phone with Cuban cellular service for emergency communications and travel in groups if possible. 
• Be aware of your surroundings, especially at night or when traveling in an unfamiliar area. 
• While in your car, place valuables out of sight or in a locked trunk.  When unattended, avoid leaving items in the car, especially on the seat or in plain view.
• Only use marked taxis. 
• Carry a copy of your passport and secure the original. 
• Beware of scam artists, who may speak English and appear friendly. 
• When exchanging currency, use the state-run offices known as CADECAs or official banks.

International Financial Scams:  See the  Department of State  and the  FBI  pages for information. 

Victims of Crime:   We strongly urge U.S. citizen victims of sexual assault to contact the U.S. Embassy for assistance.  Report crimes to the local police by dialing 106 and contact the U.S. Embassy at +53 7839-4100.  Remember that local authorities are responsible for investigating and prosecuting crimes. 

See our webpage on  help for U.S. victims of crime overseas . 

We can: 

• help you find medical care 
• assist you in reporting a crime to the police 
• contact relatives or friends with your written consent 
• provide general information regarding the victim’s role during the local investigation and following its conclusion 
• provide a list of local attorneys 
• provide information on  victim’s compensation programs in the U.S.
• provide an emergency loan for repatriation to the United States and/or limited medical support in cases of destitution 
• help you find accommodation and arrange flights home 
• replace a stolen or lost passport 

Domestic Violence:   U.S. citizen victims of domestic violence are strongly encouraged to contact the Embassy for assistance.

Tourism:   The tourism industry is unevenly regulated, and safety inspections for equipment and facilities do not commonly occur.  Hazardous areas/activities are not always identified with appropriate signage, and staff may not be trained or certified either by the host government or by recognized authorities in the field.  In the event of an injury, even basic medical treatment is typically available only in/near major cities.  First responders are generally unable to access areas outside of major cities and to provide urgent medical treatment.  U.S. citizens should maintain health insurance in Cuba.  If stays exceed 30 days, [CM1] U.S. citizens should purchase medical insurance when they process their visa extensions. 

Local Laws & Special Circumstances

Criminal Penalties:  You are subject to local laws. If you violate local laws, even unknowingly, you may be expelled, arrested, or imprisoned. Individuals establishing a business or practicing a profession that requires additional permits or licensing should seek information from the competent local authorities, prior to practicing or operating a business.

Furthermore, some laws are also prosecutable in the United States, regardless of local law.  For examples, see our website on  crimes against minors abroad  and the  Department of Justice  website.

Arrest Notification:  If you are arrested or detained, ask police or prison officials to notify the U.S. Embassy immediately.  See our  webpage  for further information.

Cuban penalties for the following are particularly severe: 

• Possession, use, or trafficking of illegal drugs. 
• Suspicion of assisting Cubans to leave the country illegally. 
• Drivers involved in accidents that result in injury or death, regardless of fault. 
• Importing weapons or ammunition. 
• Photographing military or police installations or personnel, or harbor, rail, or airport facilities. 
• Crimes against minors.

The Government of Cuba does not recognize the U.S. citizenship of Cuban-born U.S. citizens who maintain residency in Cuba and may not allow U.S. consular access to Cuban-American prisoners. 

Telecommunications:  Many U.S. mobile service carriers provide roaming services in Cuba.  Your U.S. mobile phone will work in Cuba if your mobile phone is capable of roaming in Cuba and your mobile service provider has an international roaming agreement with ETECSA, Cuba's state-owned telecommunications provider.  Currently AT&T, Sprint, Verizon, and T-Mobile have roaming agreements with ETECSA. Wi-Fi is often slow and unreliable. Be sure to confirm your carrier’s coverage before traveling.

SIM cards with a data plan can be purchased at Havana-José Martí International Airport (HAV) and local ETESCA telecommunications offices. To ensure family and friends can reach you in Cuba, check with your mobile provider about roaming options and cost or purchase a Cuban SIM card. See the  FCC Travel FAQs  for more information. 

Cuba-related Travel Transactions:  Only persons whose travel falls into the 12 OFAC approved travel categories or who have received a specific license from OFAC are authorized by the U.S. Department of the Treasury to travel to, from, or within Cuba.  Direct financial transactions with certain entities and sub-entities under the control of, or acting for or on behalf of, the Cuban military, intelligence, or security services are also generally prohibited. For more information see the Department of State’s ﷟ Cuba Restricted List .  Additionally, lodging, paying for lodging, or making reservations on behalf of others to lodge, at certain accommodations in Cuba are prohibited; for a full list of such accommodations, see the Cuba Prohibited Accommodations List .   For more information about licenses, visit OFAC’s  Cuba Sanctions website .   Additionally, lodging, paying for lodging, or making reservations on behalf of others to lodge, at certain accommodations in Cuba are prohibited; for a full list of such accommodations, see the Cuba Prohibited Accommodations List .   For more information about licenses, visit OFAC’s  Cuba Sanctions website . 

Licenses for Remittances:   In June 2022, OFAC published updated Cuba-related regulations .  The new regulations eliminated a cap on remittances to family members in Cuba, and authorized remittances to non-family recipients as well.  Certain Prohibited Officials of the Government of Cuba , Prohibited Members of the Cuban Communist Party , and the close relatives of these two groups, are not eligible to receive remittances.  For information on remittance authorizations, see OFAC’s  Cuba Sanctions website .

What May Be Brought Back From Cuba:  Importation of Cuban merchandise for commercial purposes is restricted, with very limited exceptions.  Certain imports of goods produced by independent Cuban entrepreneurs are authorized, as set forth on the Department of State’s  Section 515.582 List  (see 31 C.F.R 515.582).  There are no limits on the import or export of informational materials.  For more information related to imports, including merchandise entering the United States for personal use as accompanied baggage, please see the  CBP Public Notice .

Cuban law requires foreigners to obtain authorization to remove souvenir paintings and sculptures out of Cuba. Most authorized points of sale, such as galleries and art studios, should be familiar with this process and should provide the proper documentation at the time of purchase.  You can also apply for an export permit via the Cuban Fund of Cultural Assets. Travelers without a valid export permit may have their items confiscated at the port of departure. The U.S. Embassy cannot assist in these cases.  For more information, please contact the embassy of Cuba . 

Travelers may purchase alcohol and tobacco products while in Cuba for personal consumption in Cuba, but may not enter the United States with alcohol and/or tobacco products acquired in Cuba. Persons subject to United States jurisdiction may purchase or acquire Cuban-origin merchandise for personal consumption, including alcohol and tobacco products, while in a third country, but may not import such products into the United States.  For a complete description of what this general license authorizes and the restrictions that apply, see  31 CFR § 515.585(c) and (d).

Storm Season:  Tropical storms and hurricanes between May and November can produce heavy winds and rain. See our  page on disaster and crisis preparedness for more information.

Faith-Based Travelers:  See the following webpages for details:

• Faith-Based Travel Information
• International Religious Freedom Report  – see country reports
• Human Rights Report  – see country reports
• Best Practices for Volunteering Abroad

LGBTI Travelers:  There are no legal restrictions on same-sex sexual relations or the organization of LGBTI events in Cuba, and on September 26, 2022 Cubans passed the referendum legalizing same sex marriage.

See   our  LGBTI Travel Information   page and section 6 of our  Human Rights report  for further details.

Travelers Who Require Accessibility Assistance .  Individuals with mobility issues are likely to find accessibility difficult .   Few facilities or services are available, and information is limited. Most roads and sidewalks are poorly maintained.

Students:   See our  Students Abroad  page and  FBI travel tips .

Women Travelers:   See our travel tips for  Women Travelers .

Currency Restrictions:  Be advised that policies concerning the use and convertibility of U.S. dollars in Cuba are subject to change.  Obtaining U.S. dollar cash is nearly impossible through official channels.  The Cuban Central Bank prohibits certain U.S. dollar cash transactions, including conversion of U.S. dollars to Cuban pesos, the use of U.S. dollars for cash payments, including in government-run establishments such as hotels and restaurants, and the purchase of pre-paid debit cards.. U.S.-issued credit and debit cards do not work in Cuba.  Travelers should bring sufficient cash for the duration of their trip, and consider bringing multiple currencies, such as Euros.

For emergency services in Cuba, dial: 

• 104 for an ambulance or contact the nearest  hospital  directly
• 105 for fire 
• 106 for police 

Ambulance services are

• not present throughout the country or are unreliable in most areas
• not equipped with state-of-the-art medical equipment
• not staffed with trained paramedics and often have little or no medical equipment

Injured or seriously ill travelers may prefer to take a taxi or private vehicle to the nearest major hospital rather than wait for an ambulance.

We do not pay medical bills.   Be aware that U.S. Medicare/Medicaid does not apply overseas.  Hospitals and doctors in Cuba do not accept U.S. health insurance.  Most hospitals require payment up front before services are rendered.

Medical Insurance:   Ensure your airline ticket includes health insurance.  Cuba requires all U.S. airlines departing the United States to pay for health insurance for each passenger.  The health insurance from airlines is valid for 30 days upon your arrival in Cuba.  If you are planning to stay in Cuba for more than 30 days, you will need to extend your coverage before you can extend your visa.   It is important to keep a record of your arrival into Cuba, such as your airline ticket, so that the Asistur agency can coordinate with the hospital on payment MEDEVAC flights from Cuba are difficult to arrange, with costs starting at $15,000 U.S. dollars.  Visit the  U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  for more information on type of insurance you should consider before you travel overseas.

We strongly recommend supplemental insurance to cover medical evacuation.

Ensure you have all medicine you require for your time in Cuba.  Medicine (prescription and over the counter) is not readily available in Cuba.  Always carry your prescription medication in original packaging, along with your doctor’s prescription.  Check with the embassy of Cuba to ensure the medication is legal in Cuba.  Note: This site is in Spanish only.

Diarrheal illness is common among travelers, even in luxury accommodations.  Travelers should wash their hands, drink bottled water, and avoid street and undercooked food.

The following diseases are prevalent: 

• Dengue Fever 
• Hepatitis-A 
• Traveler’s diarrhea 
• Chikungunya 
• Typhoid 
• Rabies 
• Zika Virus 

Visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website for more information about Resources for Travelers regarding specific medical issues in  Cuba . 

Vaccinations:  Be up to date on all  vaccinations  recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Further health information:

• World Health Organization
• U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  (CDC)

The U.S. Embassy maintains a list of doctors and hospitals  here .  We do not endorse or recommend any specific medical provider or clinic.

Pharmaceuticals:  Even the most common over the counter medications are unavailable in Cuba. Other medication, medical equipment or supplies are also unavailable on the island.  If you are able to find medicine, exercise caution when purchasing medication overseas. Counterfeit medication may prove to be ineffective, the wrong strength, or contain dangerous ingredients.  Medication should be purchased in consultation with a medical professional and from reputable establishments.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Food and Drug Administration are responsible for rules governing the transport of medication back to the United States.  Medication purchased abroad must meet their requirements to be legally brought back into the United States.  Medication should be for personal use and must be approved for usage in the United States.  Please visit the  U.S. Customs and Border Protection  and the  Food and Drug Administration  websites for more information.

Water Quality:  Tap water is not potable.  Bottled water is often unavailable for purchase and you should be aware that some restaurants and hotels serve tap water unless bottled water is specifically requested. Be aware that ice for drinks may be made using tap water.

General Health Issues

• There are severe shortages of food, potable water, medicine, medical supplies, etc.  throughout Cuba.
• Visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website for more information about  Resources for Travelers  regarding specific issues in Cuba.

Air Quality:  Air pollution is a problem in several major cities in Cuba. Consider the impact seasonal smog and heavy particulate pollution may have on you and consult your doctor before traveling if necessary. Visit  AirNow Department of State  for information on air quality at U.S. Embassies and Consulates.

Travel and Transportation

Road Conditions and Safety:  Road accidents, many involving pedestrians and bicyclists, are Cuba’s leading cause of death.  Cuban authorities may prohibit drivers from leaving the country until claims associated with an accident are settled.  Drivers found responsible for accidents resulting in serious injury or death may receive long prison sentences.  U.S. citizen drivers are often found at fault for accidents they are involved in. 

Drive with extreme care.  Major streets are generally well-maintained, but secondary streets are not.  Major potholes and obstacles are common on all roads.  After heavy rains in 2022, several bridges collapsed.  Damaged bridges may not be well marked.  

Outside of major cities, avoid driving at night as many roads are unlit. Emergency lights or signals are rare, making it virtually impossible to detect hazards after dark.  Street signage is insufficient and confusing. Many Cuban cars are old, in poor condition, and lack reliable safety equipment.  Heed caution throughout the country as there are rolling blackouts which may leave streets dark and without traffic lights, even in major cities.

The principal Cuban east-west highway is in good condition but extends only part of the way from Havana to the eastern end of the island.  Hazards – including unfenced livestock and farm vehicles – are common. 

When traveling by road, you should carry a printed map of the area, as electronic (smartphone) maps frequently fail due to connectivity issues.

Traffic Laws:   Speed limits are sometimes posted and passengers in automobiles are required to wear seatbelts, if available.  All motorcyclists are required to wear helmets.  Traffic from major roads generally does not stop when entering roundabouts.  Use care at intersections: stop signs are often hard to see. 

Public Transportation: 

Buses designated for tourist travel, both between and within cities, generally meet international standards.  

The public bus and rail system in Cuba is under-resourced and in poor condition.  Public buses used by Cubans, known as "guaguas," are crowded, unreliable, and are sometimes preyed upon by petty criminals. There is a heightened threat of pickpocketing on crowded buses and trains. Embassy personnel are advised not to use public transportation.

Avoid using informal taxis or hailing private vehicles for rides as they are unregulated, the vehicles are often in disrepair, and usually do not have normal vehicle safety equipment such as seat belts and air bags.  “Cocos,” smaller, yellow ball-shaped “tuk-tuk” style vehicles, are not safe, and the Embassy advises its personnel not to use them.

Rental car agencies provide roadside assistance to their clients as a condition of rental contracts.  Travelers should not permit unauthorized persons to drive their rental vehicles.

See our  Road Safety page  for more information.

Aviation Safety Oversight:   As there is no direct commercial air service to the United States by carriers registered in Cuba, the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has not assessed the government of Cuba’s Civil Aviation Authority under its International Aviation Safety Assessment program (IASA) for compliance with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) aviation safety standards. Further information may be found on the  FAA’s IASA website.  The U.S. Embassy in Havana prohibits U.S. government personnel from using any commercial airline for domestic flights within Cuba due to safety concerns.  The Embassy does not authorize government personnel to travel via Cubana Airlines.

Maritime Travel:  Mariners planning travel to Cuba should also check for  U.S. maritime advisories and alerts .  Information may also be posted to the  U.S. Coast Guard homeport website , and the  NGA broadcast warn ings .

For additional travel information

• Enroll in the  Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP)  to receive security messages and make it easier to locate you in an emergency.
• Call us in Washington, D.C. at 1-888-407-4747 (toll-free in the United States and Canada) or 1-202-501-4444 (from all other countries) from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., Eastern Standard Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).
• See the  State Department’s travel website  for the  Worldwide Caution  and  Travel Advisories .
• Follow us on  Twitter  and  Facebook .
• See  traveling safely abroad  for useful travel tips.

Review information about International Parental Child Abduction in Cuba .  For additional IPCA-related information, please see  the International Child Abduction Prevention and Return Act (ICAPRA)  report.

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Cuba Travel Guide for U.S. Citizens: What to Know Before You Go (Updated 2023)

Feb 3, 2023 | Caribbean , Destinations | 0 comments

Planning this trip to Cuba was the most challenging thing I’ve done to date in the name of travel. Out of all 26 countries, thousands of miles, from 5 years of traveling the world.

Once we landed in Havana, I knew that this place was unlike any I’d visited before.

Had I allowed the logistical challenge of traveling to Cuba as a US citizen deter me from visiting this country, it would have been my greatest mistake.

This Cuba travel guide for US citizens is up to date as of early 2023, based on my experience traveling to Cuba in December 2022.

In this post, I will cover Cuba travel FAQ and share how to visit Cuba legally as a US citizen or from a US airport.

Before you read, please note that there are sanctions from the U.S. government that restrict travel to Cuba.

It is the responsibility of each visitor to follow all laws and regulations, at home and abroad.

This website has a limitation of liability policy that applies to all posts, which you can read here .

This post contains affiliate links. See more in the disclaimer .

Can Americans Travel to Cuba?

Yes. And you can even do so independently.

The key is to visit legally, within the confines of OFAC (Office of Foreign Asset Control) regulations due to the embargo and sanctions.

IMPORTANT: These regulations also apply to non-US citizens that are departing from a US airport.

How to Travel to Cuba Legally

There are 12 categories of legal travel to Cuba under OFAC:

• Family visits
• Official business of the U.S. government, foreign governments, and certain intergovernmental organizations
• Journalistic activity
• Professional research and professional meetings
• Educational activities
• Religious activities
• Athletic competitions by amateur or semi-professional athletes or athletic teams
• Support for the Cuban People
• Humanitarian projects
• Activities of private foundations or research or educational institutes
• Exportation, importation, or transmission of information or information materials
• Certain authorized export transactions

Source: U.S. Department of the Treasury

The most common is Support for the Cuban People, which requires the following:

§ 515.574 Support for the Cuban People. (a) General license. The travel-related transactions set forth in § 515.560(c) and other transactions that are intended to provide support for the Cuban people are authorized, provided that: (1) The activities are of: (i) Recognized human rights organizations; (ii) Independent organizations designed to promote a rapid, peaceful transition to democracy; or (iii) Individuals and non-governmental organizations that promote independent activity intended to strengthen civil society in Cuba; and (2) Each traveler engages in a full-time schedule of activities that: (i) Enhance contact with the Cuban people, support civil society in Cuba, or promote the Cuban people’s independence from Cuban authorities; and (ii) Result in meaningful interaction with individuals in Cuba. (3) The traveler’s schedule of activities does not include free time or recreation in excess of that consistent with a full-time schedule. Source: Code of Federal Regulations

It will not be a vacation where you go to the beach and prop your feet up, buy things wherever you want, and stay wherever you want.

You must have a full-time schedule of activities that result in meaningful engagement with Cubans.

For us, that looked like many, many art tours and private gallery visits where we connected with local artists and had countless meaningful, deep conversations.

No topic was off-limits.

Everyone opened up (including us) and shared our passions, life experiences, opinions, and learned about one another. And yes, we talked about politics.

We were on the go, all day, every day.

And we didn’t really spend time with other foreigners. We crossed paths with foreigners a couple times, but everyone else we spoke to and spent time with was Cuban.

Casas particulares and paladares

Aside from your full-time schedule, you should also stay in casas particulares and eat at paladares.

A casa particular is a room in someone’s house. It’s been a normal way to travel in Cuba for years. There’s an infrastructure around it. You can find them on Airbnb.

We highly recommend this casa particular in Havana and this casa particular in Viñales.

Paladares are privately-owned small restaurants. Download A La Mesa for a list of restaurants all over the country. Each listing shows if it’s privately-owned.

The app also works offline, which will make your life much easier in Cuba.

Pro tip: If you’re also a vegetarian, make sure you try Camino al Sol ! It’s an all-vegetarian paladar in Havana.

What you are banned from doing in Cuba

You cannot spend money in OR interact with any of the places on this list from the US Treasury Department.

Many are hotels, so pay attention!

I copied and pasted these into a list to have on my phone, then accessed it offline while in Cuba to ensure there wouldn’t be any issues.

Is Cuba safe to visit?

Absolutely.

As a young woman who visited 25 countries before going to Cuba, I’ve been in a few…sticky situations. Cuba was amazing.

I never worried about being robbed and just felt at ease the entire time I was there. I tend to be a more anxious person, so that’s new for me.

This is my personal experience and I was not in Cuba as a solo female traveler, so yours could be different.

Is Cuba open for travel right now?

As of late 2022, visitors no longer need to show proof of Covid-19 vaccination or testing before entering Cuba. We brought our vaccine cards just in case, but no one asked to see them.

Please refer to this government site for updated information before your visit.

On our way back to the United States, we did have to share contact tracing information with our airlines using a form before we could check in. It was quick and easy.

Although many online sources claim masks are mandatory in certain settings, we did not see any places where masks were required in December 2022.

Accessing Money in Cuba: 2023 Updates

Everything you need to spend in Cuba must be in cash.

Because of the sanctions, your credit and debit cards will not work in Cuba.

If you try to use them, your bank will probably lock your account and it will take a lot of effort to get it unlocked.

In prior years, you would need to convert money to Cuban pesos before using it. Euros were the best to have because CADECA (the government exchange houses) charged a higher fee on USD exchanges.

As of late 2022, everywhere we went accepted U.S. dollars as payment. This was highly unexpected and deviated from every piece of advice I read online before leaving for Cuba.

However, it is still good to have some pesos for a fairer exchange rate. Some menu exchange rates were awful.

When we were in Cuba, we typically got 150 CUP for 1 USD. The CADECA rate was 110.40 CUP for 1 USD.

We exchanged money at our first casa particular and spent USD on activities, private taxis, and one of our casas. We usually spent pesos on art, food, and coffee.

Make sure you get cash in plenty of small bills. Twenties, tens, fives, and ones were useful. Anything larger than that will be annoying to deal with.

If your bank will only give you large bills, go to Publix and ask the customer service to break them when they’re not busy. Works like a charm!

Is it safe to exchange money on the street in Cuba?

You will be offered money exchange on the street wherever you go in Cuba. Just say “No, gracias,” and move on.

As a general rule of thumb, it is not safe or advised to exchange money on the street. This goes for wherever you are in the world.

The main reason it’s unwise to do this is forged currency. If it came from some random person, it may be counterfeit.

A local friend taught us how to know your Cuban pesos are real. Hold the bill up to the sun, and check the watermark.

The watermark will have a number on it, and that number must match the value of the bill.

If it’s a 100-peso bill, the number in the watermark should say 100.

Again, I do not recommend exchanging money in the street. We didn’t on this trip because we were able to get pesos from the front desk of our casa particular.

If you’re ever concerned about any bills you were given as change, use the tip from our friend for some peace of mind.

I also want to make it clear that we were never given counterfeit bills as change while in Cuba, but these things can happen anywhere.

You’re more vulnerable as a foreigner, because you don’t know exactly how the money is supposed to look.

Getting WiFi in Cuba

If a travel guide says there are only one-hour WiFi cards, it is outdated.

Now, you can access WiFi on a one-hour or a five-hour card.

WiFi is now cheaper in Cuba—it was $5 USD per hour; now, it’s $1 USD per hour.

We only needed one 5-hour card per person for the whole week.

Instead of waiting in the ETECSA line, we bought them from our first casa particular .

Overall, our Cuba WiFi experience was much easier than what we expected.

Don’t expect to be online all the time, but WiFi access is not as difficult as prior years.

Pro tip: The two main apps I highly recommend to download BEFORE you leave for Cuba are A La Mesa and Maps.me . Both work well offline and will save you such a headache.

On Maps.me specifically, also download the maps of each city/town you will visit in Cuba. In our case, I downloaded the maps for Havana and Viñales. When you have Internet access, put your casa particular addresses in a Note on your phone, so you copy and paste them into Maps.me whenever you need to. Same goes for any attractions you know you want to see.

If you want (and if your phone is unlocked), you could get a Cuba sim card, which comes with data. I don’t see the point for a one-week trip, but to each their own.

You can reserve those online in advance from Suena and pick them up at the José Martí airport (in Havana). If you go this route, you want the Tourist SIM Card from the top menu.

Can you drink the water in Cuba?

In short, no.

There was bottled water for sale everywhere on our trip in December 2022, but I read online before leaving that you can’t bank on that.

Instead, I bought this LifeStraw to have filtered water and it was the best travel purchase I’ve made. Ever.

Our Viñales casa particular hostess took one look at that bottle and pointed me to her giant drinking water spigot for us to have freely.

She was already familiar with the water situation for foreigners and told me it was smart to bring a reusable filtered bottle.

Highly recommend one of these !

Can you check in online for flights to Cuba?

There are too many documents the airlines must verify before they can issue a boarding pass.

You will also need a paper boarding pass for your Cuban health insurance, often included in your departure airfare.

Do you need to speak Spanish to visit Cuba?

Out of all Spanish-speaking countries I’ve visited, Cuba is the main one you need at least some language skills to visit.

There are people who speak English, especially young people, but it is not the norm.

If you don’t speak Spanish and you’re not traveling with a friend who does, download Google Translate for offline use before you arrive.

It won’t be ideal, but it will work when you need language help.

The best advice I can give is to travel with someone who speaks Spanish fluently. My best friend said many times while we were in Cuba that she would be toast without my language skills.

Can I bring Cuban cigars and rum back into the USA as souvenirs?

The answer used to be yes, as long as you purchased them from a private shop instead of a stated-owned one.

That answer is no longer the case, as of late 2022.

Now, you cannot bring any rum or cigars into the USA from Cuba, no matter how small the amount is or where they were purchased within Cuba.

When you arrive back into the USA, Customs and Border Patrol will ask if you have any rum or cigars. If you do, assume they will be confiscated.

What to Pack for Your Cuba Trip

I pack carry-on only and found Cuba to be one of the easier countries to pack for. The climate in December was perfect, with 80s in the day and 60s-70s at night.

Here is a short packing list of the things you need before going to Cuba:

• Mosquito repellent, because the insects in Cuba will eat you alive (I use these .)
• Comfortable shoes for lots of walking
• Cardigan or light sweatshirt
• Flowy/comfortable clothes (You can see one of the outfits I packed below.)
• One active wear outfit for hiking/horseback or bike riding (if you’re going to Viñales)

I hope this Cuba travel FAQ was helpful for you. I know how stressful it can be to figure out what to do when planning. If you have any questions, comment below and I’ll do what I can to help!

Read more Cuba travel guides:

• Cuba Pre-Departure Checklist
• What to See and Do in Cuba (Havana and Viñales)
• At Dusk in Havana, I Fell in Love
• Havana, the Art Sanctuary
• When It Destroys, It Starts with Us
• The Elephant in the Room: Socialism in Cuba

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Hi, I'm Sarah

Welcome to my oasis! I am a writer and budding entrepreneur with a love for caffeine, capital gains, and seeing the world. If I'm not writing, you can find me reading a good book, trying out a new vegan recipe, or adding to my coffee mug collection. My goal in life? To see every country in the world. Come along for the ride!

Can Americans Travel to Cuba? [2024 Legal Cuba Travel Guide]

I’m an American citizen who travels to Cuba all the time, so “can Americans travel to Cuba?” is one of the questions I’m most frequently asked related to Cuba travel. While many Americans believe that Cuba is still “off-limits” to American citizens, this couldn’t be further from the truth; there are many ways to legally travel to Cuba for American citizens.

Want to travel to Cuba from the United States – as a U.S. citizen or otherwise? Our ultimate guide to Cuba travel for Americans will show you how, answering some of the most common questions about Cuba travel safety , Support for the Cuban People travel , and more.

This post contains affiliate links that may reward me monetarily or otherwise when you use them to make qualifying purchases – at no cost to you. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. For more information, please read our  disclosure policy .

American Travel to Cuba

The short answer to the question “can Americans travel to Cuba” is YES, American citizens can travel to Cuba.

Non-U.S. citizens are allowed to travel to Cuba via the United States as well. American citizens can fly from the United States directly to Cuba, travel independently (no need for a group trip or guided trip here!), and enjoy Cuba just as they would any other travel destination.

The longer answer to the question “can Americans travel to Cuba” is that while legal travel to Cuba is entirely possible and even quite easy, there are some important regulations around American travel to Cuba that travelers should be aware of.

U.S.-Cuba Policy Changes

For years, U.S.-Cuba travel by citizens of the United States has been restricted in many ways. In 2014, President Obama announced a new way forward in the relationship between the United States and Cuba, including lifting many of the travel restrictions that made it quite challenging for U.S. citizens to travel to Cuba.

While the subsequent Trump and Biden administrations have made slight changes to Obama’s new policies, Obama’s new Cuba policies remain mostly intact. Americans can still travel to Cuba more easily than they’ve been able to in decades .

Cuba Travel 101

• Currency in Cuba: A Local’s Guide for Travelers
• How to Get Wifi in Cuba [Updated!]
• Is Cuba Safe? Updated Cuba Safety Guide
• Ultimate Cuba Travel Guide – A Local’s Advice for Travelers

Can Americans Travel to Cuba?

Here’s why so many travelers ask us, “can Americans travel to Cuba?” – because Americans are still not able to legally travel to Cuba purely as “tourists.” Americans must still have a “reason” for traveling to Cuba.

Currently, the U.S. government doesn’t allow American citizens to Cuba as tourists. However, the U.S. government allows American citizens to travel to Cuba so long as they support local, non-government-owned businesses while in Cuba.

Essentially, yes, you can visit Cuba and travel exactly as you would anywhere else. Just avoid government-run hotels, restaurants, and tours while you’re there. This is actually incredibly easy, as all the best things to do in Cuba and the best places to visit in Cuba are local anyway!

So why might it feel like Americans can’t travel to Cuba (when it’s actually quite easy to travel to Cuba)? Americans must give a “reason” for traveling to Cuba – usually when purchasing an airline ticket or booking a hotel room.

How Can Americans Travel to Cuba?

You’ll probably need to check a box when purchasing your airline ticket asking for your “reason” for traveling to Cuba. No need to get nervous; this is easy – by stating that your trip to Cuba is in “ Support for the Cuban People ,” you’re simply acknowledging that while in Cuba, you won’t be staying at government-run hotels and the like.

It’s really that easy. Check a box on a form, and travel to Cuba.

Former President Obama’s policy changes towards travel to Cuba made this possible by creating 12 categories of authorized travel to Cuba , travel that is permitted by the U.S. government for American citizens looking to travel to Cuba. Now it’s as easy as checking a box and booking your airline ticket!

Best Places To Stay in Havana

• Casa Giraldilla ($) 
• Casa Flamboyan ($ – $$) 
• Residencia Santa Clara ($$) 
• El Candil Boutique Hotel ($$ – $$$) 
• La Reserva Vedado ($$$) 

12 Categories of Authorized Travel to Cuba

Now when traveling to Cuba, you simply choose one of these twelve categories of authorized travel to Cuba that applies to your trip. Most travelers’ trips fall under the Support for the Cuban People category of authorized travel, which allows for travel to Cuba so long as it supports local businesses.

These are the Twelve Authorized Categories of travel to Cuba:

• Family visits
• Official business of the U.S. government, foreign governments, and international organizations;
• Journalistic activity;
• Professional research and professional meetings;
• Educational activities;
• Religious activities;
• Public performances, clinics, workshops, athletic and other competitions, and exhibitions;
• Support for the Cuban People ;
• Humanitarian projects;
• Activities of private foundations or research or educational institutes;
• Exportation, importation, or transmission of information or informational materials;
• Certain export transactions.

When you book your airline ticket to Cuba or book your accommodations in Cuba in advance, you may be asked your “reason” for traveling to Cuba. It’s as simple as stating “Support for the Cuban People.”

Read More: Support for the Cuban People Travel Guide

Support for the Cuban People

Most travelers looking to experience Cuba need to only offer “ Support for the Cuban People ” as their “reason” for traveling to Cuba. When you do this, it means you’re saying to the U.S. government that you acknowledge that you’re planning to spend your travel dollars with local, non-government-run businesses while you’re in Cuba – that’s it!

This is stuff that you’d be doing on a trip to Cuba anyway – which is what makes it so easy to travel normally this way.

Stay at a casa particular (room for rent or apartment for rent owned by a Cuban, Airbnb style) or a small boutique hotel, meet up with local guides, eat at any of the innovative new restaurants around the island , or experience Cuba from a local’s eyes. This is all permitted and encouraged on a “Support for the Cuban People” trip.

Travel Insurance

Cuba requires that all travelers have proof of a comprehensive travel insurance policy in order to enter the country. Check out our guide to travel insurance for Cuba for more details. We recommend these brands for Cuba travel insurance:

• Visitors Coverage : Coverage for Cuba travel available to citizens of all countries, though not currently available to residents of New York and Maryland in the United States.
• Insubuy : Coverage for Cuba travel available to citizens of all countries and states of the United States.

Regulations on American Travel to Cuba

While many continue to ask, “ can Americans travel to Cuba ?” – one of our most frequently asked questions on this website! – the answer is yes, and with these new regulations, it’s easier than ever.

However, keep in mind that some travel regulations put in place by the U.S. government still apply to American travelers visiting Cuba. These include:

• American citizens are no longer able to bring rum or cigars back from Cuba ;
• American citizens are now prohibited (by the U.S. government – not the Cuban government) from staying at a variety of hotels in Cuba ;
• Some methods of traveling to Cuba, such as “ people to people Cuba ” travel organized tours and the ability to travel to Cuba by cruise, have been scaled back or eliminated.

Read on for some of the regulations on travel to Cuba that Americans should be aware of during their trip.

Restricted Hotels in Cuba

One of the newer travel restrictions for Americans traveling to Cuba relates to places where American citizens are not allowed to stay while visiting Cuba. The Trump Administration developed a list of specific hotels and guesthouses that are either partially or entirely owned by the Cuban government and declared them off-limits to American travelers.

Check out the full list here before you book your accommodations in Cuba.

Some newspapers and websites have been incorrectly reporting that Americans are not allowed to stay in any hotel in Cuba, but this is not actually the case. Americans are just prohibited from staying in certain hotels that are owned entirely or partially by the Cuban government.

There are many boutique hotels with private ownership where Americans are still able to stay, plus private rentals called “casas particulares” or private home rentals like Airbnbs. In fact, some of our favorite hotels in Havana and around the country are still open and ready for business for American travelers ( La Reserva Vedado , La Rosa de Ortega , El Candil Boutique Hotel , and plenty of other Old Havana hotels are among our favorites in the capital).

Read More: Accommodation Guides in Cuba

• What is a Casa Particular Guest House in Cuba?
• Where To Stay in Havana, Cuba
• 10+ Best Resorts in Cuba
• 16+ Best Hotels in Cuba

Financial Restrictions in Cuba

It’s very important that American travelers to Cuba be aware of the financial and banking restrictions they will experience while traveling in Cuba. Because of the decades-long U.S. embargo against Cuba, American debit cards and credit cards will not work on the island as they do for those traveling from any other country .

That means that while American citizens can travel to Cuba, they can’t access their money from Cuba. This is quite important, as it means that if plan to travel to Cuba, you need to plan ahead and bring the money you’ll need for your trip with you in cash .

You can bring American dollars and convert them into Cuban pesos once you arrive in Cuba. Please read our complete Cuban currency guide before doing this – you’ll see why it’s not wise to exchange your money for Cuban pesos at the airport, for example, and learn how much money to bring with you on your trip to Cuba.

Read More: Financial Restrictions in Cuba

• The Ultimate Guide to Currency in Cuba
• Budget Your Trip: How Much Money To Plan To Bring to Cuba

Internet Restrictions in Cuba

There are no internet restrictions in Cuba that are specific to American travelers. However, it’s important to be aware of some important internet-related challenges in Cuba.

We get a lot of questions about whether there is internet access in Cuba , and if there is, if it’s safe to use or restricted by the government.

While the internet in Cuba is slower than you may be used to, it is now quite widespread and is pretty easy to use in most places in Cuba. Some websites are blocked in Cuba , and there have even been widespread internet outages during times of social unrest, though these blockages have mostly been of news websites that have been critical of the Cuban government.

However, the United States embargo of Cuba and the related financial and economic restrictions on U.S. companies doing business in Cuba means that some companies can’t offer their services to internet users in Cuba (notably, PayPal and many other banking apps, but the list changes) . You will not be able to access these websites from Cuba.

You can easily get around this if you want by using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) in Cuba . We recommend NordVPN – it’s by far the best VPN to use in Cuba But, even without a VPN, you can still use the internet in Cuba without too much of a hassle.

Read More: How To Use the Internet in Cuba: A Local’s Guide For Travelers

Read More: Internet in Cuba

• Guide to Using the Internet + Getting Wifi in Cuba
• Best VPN For Cuba ( + How to Use a VPN in Cuba)

Packing Restrictions in Cuba

There are some limitations worth noting about what you can bring into Cuba. While most are quite obvious – the usual dangerous substances and the like – there are a few rules for packing for Cuba , both for travelers from the United States and elsewhere :

• Travelers can not bring drones to Cuba
• Travelers can not bring devices like walkie-talkies, satellite phones, or GPS devices. Any personal computers, cell phones, cameras, or any other devices you normally travel with are absolutely fine – no worries here.
• Avoid bringing any literature to Cuba that may be seen as critical of the Cuban government. My brother was once held up in customs for bringing a university textbook with Donald Trump on the cover.

What to Pack for Cuba

Check out our  Ultimate Cuba Packing List   to help you pack for your trip – we’re sharing exactly what to bring to Cuba and what we never travel without.

American Travel to Cuba – Frequently Asked Questions

Can americans fly to cuba.

Yes – Americans can fly to Cuba! American citizens can fly to Cuba either from the United States directly or from other countries. Flights to Cuba leave regularly from many of America’s largest cities like Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Atlanta, and New York.

We frequently get the “can Americans fly to Cuba?” question because when travel to Cuba was more restricted, many Americans used to fly to Cuba through Canada or Mexico as a way to skirt travel restrictions .

However, flying to Cuba via another country like Mexico or Canada is no longer a necessity. Obama’s Cuba policy changes allowed many more American citizens to travel to Cuba much more easily, kicking off many more flights to Cuba from the United States.

Do Americans Have to Travel to Cuba With A Group?

One of the most popular ways to travel to Cuba prior to the Cuba travel policy changes of former President Obama was with a “people-to-people” group or as part of an educational tour. However, with the ease of traveling to Cuba from the United States now, these group travel to Cuba experiences are no longer a necessity to visit the island.

While there are groups that travel to Cuba and tout the ease of traveling to Cuba by purchasing a spot on a group trip doing so, it isn’t necessary to travel to Cuba with a group . Feel free to travel to Cuba with a group if this is your preferred style of travel – or plan your trip to Cuba independently, too!

Looking for some engaging tours in Cuba, ways to meet up with local guides, or fun activities and excursions in Cuba? We recommend Civitatis , a fantastic company we’ve used countless times before that runs tours with local guides all around Cuba.

Is Cuba Safe for Americans?

While Cuba isn’t crime free, Cuba is a safe travel destination for all travelers, including American travelers. Statistics prove Cuba is quite a safe destination for travelers, and my own experience exploring Cuba, even as a solo female traveler, confirms it.

In all my years of visiting Cuba, I’ve never been met with anything other than curiosity when people leave I’m from the United States. While many Cubans disapprove of the government of the United States, I’ve never met a single Cuban who holds this against the average American citizen.

Overall, Cuba is safe for Americans , and as a traveler, you have absolutely nothing to fear while visiting.

Read More: Is Cuba Safe for Americans?

Travel Essential

Don’t think about traveling to Cuba without a good  VPN (Virtual Private Network) . Using a VPN while connecting to the internet is an easy way to keep your personal information safe from hackers and trackers.  We’ve used  NordVPN  for years and couldn’t recommend it more – it’s a must for safety online, especially in Cuba. 

American Embassy in Cuba

Part of the policy changes of former President Obama in 2014 paved the way for reopening the United States Embassy in Cuba after nearly 60 years of closure. The American Embassy in Cuba offers emergency services to American citizens traveling in Cuba, including assistance with lost passports, registering births abroad, and more.

Located prominently along the Malecón sea wall in central Havana, the American Embassy in Cuba is currently providing services to American citizens and has just started providing limited services to Cuban citizens seeking visas to the United States.

As a U.S. traveler to Cuba, you should save the address and contact information for the embassy just in case you need it:

U.S. Embassy Havana Malecón, Calzada between L & M, Vedado Havana, Cuba Phone: (53)(7) 839-4100

Travel to Cuba

There are so many things to do in Cuba – much more than laying on the beach and riding in old, classic American cars.

Anything from taking a guided tour of Havana to eating at a restaurant operated as a small business or taking salsa classes are ways to enjoy Cuba. And guess what – all of these things are perfectly legal – and welcome! – when you travel to Cuba as part of a Support for the Cuban People trip.

For more travel ideas, we put together a guide to the top ten activities in Cuba for a Support for the Cuban People trip with our favorite ideas for a fantastic trip! Go ahead – get started planning your once-in-a-lifetime trip to Cuba! As always, we’ll be here to help you get started.

Carley Rojas Avila

Carley Rojas Avila is a bilingual travel writer, editor, content marketer, and the founder of the digital travel publications Home to Havana and Explorers Away. She is a serial expat and traveler, having visited 40+ countries and counting. Carley has written for publications like Travel + Leisure, MSN, Associated Press, Weather Channel, Wealth of Geeks, and more. Find her front row at a Bad Bunny concert, befriending street cats, and taste-testing every pizza in Havana.

Details on Reopening Cuba Tourism post-Covid-19

By Glenda Boza Ibarra   (El Toque)

HAVANA TIMES – Cuba has announced that it will begin lifting restrictions post-Covid-19, in three staggered phases. Tourism, the country’s main economic activity, has been significantly affected by the pandemic and the Cuban people’s main concern is that new cases will be imported, once it reopens.

According to what emerged on the Mesa Redonda TV show last Thursday, the first recovery phase involves hotels offering special holiday packages to national customers. The second phase will mean that foreign visitors are only able to access off-shore beach resorts in Cayo Coco, Cayo Guillermo, Cayo Santa Maria, Cayo Cruz and Cayo Largo del Sur.

“Upon arrival, foreign tourists will have to follow strict health protocols,” prime minister Manuel Marrero Cruz explained on Cuban TV.

“All visitors will be subject to a PCR test at border control and will have their temperature taken. If they test positive for Covid-19, they will be transferred to a hospital.”

The former minister of Tourism detailed the health measures that will determine the reopening of this sector, based on the economic importance this sector has for Cuba and the population’s concerns, at a time when the country seems to have the disease under control.

“Guests at the cays will not have access to the main island. Excursions to the city are on standby and priority will be given to nautical trips or day trips within the cays themselves.”

He also announced that rental cars won’t be an option during the first phase of recovery and, during the second phase, tourists renting cars will not be able to drive on the mainland.

Even though Cubans won’t have access to beaches on the northern and southern cays during the first and second phases, Varadero’s beach resort will be one of the main options for the domestic market.

“Varadero will first open up for Cubans and later for tourists,” the prime minister explained. “We studied the option of dividing the Varadero peninsula: one side for the international market (at the far end) and another for the domestic trade. That way, we would be able to avoid foreigners mixing with the city and locals, during this second phase. Services will resume as normal in the third phase of recovery.

Some 150 measures make up the health and hygiene regulations that have been approved to prevent Covid-19 transmission in Cuban hotels.

Health safety protocols begin with the reception of customers, who must only enter the hotel after their temperature has been taken, and they disinfect their hands, shoes, suitcases and wheels of transport vehicles.

“No hotel will be operating at 100% capacity – 60% max – to ensure physical distancing. There will be a team available made up of a doctor, nurse and an Epidemiology graduate to ensure the disease is being monitored,” said Marrero.

In a video that was recently published by the Cubanacan chain, it has been announced that rooms will be cleaned and disinfected in keeping with guidelines, doing maintenance work with housekeeping. Some sheets, pillows, carpets, dressing gowns and leaflets are being removed. Blankets and robes will be handed out upon request.

Restaurant entrances will have disinfectant readily available and the daily menu will be in clear sight. Tables will be 1.5 m away from each other, and the buffet service will have limited capacity. Room service will be available in every hotel.

During the first phase, service at bars will be banned, but there will be table service. Antibacterial gel or disinfectant will be available in front of elevator entrances, and elevators will have a 50% capacity.

Guests will be given an individual safety kit with mask, gloves, etc.

Manuel Marrero explained on Mesa Redonda that these safety protocols also establish specific regulations for tourism employees.

“All employees will be given a quick test when they enter a hotel and they must wear a mask at all times, as well as other protective gear. They will be given conditions to work seven days straight, and then they will have another 7 days to rest at home. There, they will be monitored and respect quarantine regulations.”

The prime minister also announced that air restrictions continue in the country, and commercial flights will be banned for now. Only humanitarian, cargo or medical collaboration planes will be able to land.

However, during these early phases, foreign tourists will be able to fly to international airports in Cayo Coco and Cayo Largo del Sur, on charter flights. He outlined the specific case of Santa Clara international airport, where customers staying in Cayo Santa Maria will be able to fly into.

“Abel Santamaria Airport will open, with strict safety protocols. Upon arrival in Cuba, customers will be transported by bus (with restroom facilities) to prevent them from stopping on the journey. They will be escorted by the police until they reach their hotel destination.”

In terms of baggage, the restriction of only traveling with one suitcase as well as one piece of hand luggage, remains. Once the country enters its third phase of recovery, passengers will be able to carry two suitcases.

“Cuba’s baggage control allowed 5.6 suitcases per person, on average. Many Cubans travel for commercial purposes (which is illegal), and we can’t encourage these practices again,” Marrero Cruz has said.

During this TV appearance, the minister of Economy Alejandro Gil recognized that there has been a “significant decline in tourism revenue” and it was necessary to cut exports linked to the tourism sector.

“We are facing a very complex situation (…), the drop in revenue has been quite sharp,” he admitted.

According to an assessment by economist Pedro Monreal, Cuba’s tourism sector is facing three main challenges: the drop in tourism before the pandemic, an increase in international customers during a limited demand because of the global crisis and the chance for national tourism to give the sector a boost.

Monreal is skeptical about the recovery of the European market “whose potential customers come from six of the most severely affected countries, both in terms of health and finance: Russia, Germany, Italy, France, Spain and the UK.”

“The prospects of extra-continental international travel (both in Europe and Asia) don’t seem to be promising after this summer or the rest of 2020. It is estimated that it will only get back on its feet in 2021, but there is still a great deal of uncertainty.”

The economist highlights the potential of recovering the tourism sector with visitors from the Cuban community abroad, who “haven’t escaped the negative impact of the crisis on their income”, but who have a greater motivation to travel to Cuba than other foreign tourists.

“This isn’t a forecast. It’s just a hypothesis,” he summarized.

Before these measures were revealed, several hotel chains had already begun to promote Cuba as a safe tourist destination.

Even though the first phase of recovery is expected to kick into action in June, no exact date has been released as of yet.

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21 thoughts on “ Details on Reopening Cuba Tourism post-Covid-19 ”

Can you refuse the PCR test?

September 5th is the opening date for canadians from toronto, (i’m from winnipeg but must lay-over in toronto with westjet) to varadero. Is this date only for hotels??? My casa particular is in santa marta.

Tourists in Cuba have been already herded like cattle by the authorities and the locals. Now with Covid I can only imagine how much more bothersome that ‘herding’ will be. Police escorting the tourist bus between the airport and hotel is just a preview and the opening salvo. I was thinking about September but this article made me realize what the tourist will be facing. I’m disappointed to say that I don’t think I can part take in the planned circus. Cuba is losing its last bits and pieces of appeal.

Things could change but as of now I’d say that is quite doubtfull. The main Covid-19 cases in recent days have been in Havana, which because of its population density and overcrowded housing in important parts of the city has been the hardest to control.

Traveling to cuba august 15 what can I expect, will I be able to go to Havana?

We are regular twice a year tourist coming to Cuba for vacation, we have all ready booked our vacation for September. However in revelation that we have to be in self quarantine for two weeks upon return to home, we have to reconsider. We know Cuba needs tourism, but there is also a need for them consider between the revenue from tourism and risk associated with the COVID 19 pandemic. Health risk to local population and associated cost for the healthcare on affected population can outweigh income from the limited tourism. So there is not a easy solution for the Cuban government to choose. We as tourist can wait, but how long Cuba can wait for tourist ?

call me a positive Pollyanna if you must…. We have booked for November – we will resign ourselves to staying on-resort, and enjoy a week of relaxation and fun – and seeing the staff members that we can. 60% occupancy on our fave resort is wonderful for guest experience, and coming in with realistic expectation means that the mask on the plane etc.. will help. I wonder if the police escort to Cayo Santa maria will only go as far as the causeway? There’s a military checkpoint there, and nothing but resorts beyond… either way, that factor doesn’t bother me in the least – i”m chuffed to have a bathroom on the bus!!

My understanding about the quarantine rule is that this will eventually be lifted for all but a select few destinations … (and there has been talk of the UK adopting an ‘air bridge’ to certain areas – Canada may well follow suit to areas that have demonstrated good infection control, and a comprehensive plan for prevention – I think Cuba has that in spades, and will hopefully allow us to get there sooner, and have fewer mishaps.

Fantastically stupid! Nobody is going to plan a vacation to Cuba without concrete information. Beyond the seriousness of Covid19 is this peculiar, KINDA-SORT OF-MAYBE…”try to guess when we’ll reopen” way of doing business. The cash-strapped airlines have also gotten on board with this nonsense by selling tickets they know will likely not be usable on the dates given. Instead they are only to glad to KEEP your money and issue you a voucher for future travel.

It’s late June for crap sake and Cuba has largely made my plans FOR ME: My family will now travel somewhere local and blow off Cuba for another year. Assuming they even survive having yet again shot themselves in the foot.

What of the cost of medical insurance during this pandemic?

Simply lost for words. Cuba needs tourists who will feel that they are still appreciated. The Cuban Government need to ensure that all Cuban citizens feel appreciated if the Country is ever to make up lost ground.

I forgotten to wrote … EACH YEAR …I pass around 6 months in Cuba since 2001 , so a very good customer. But I will return only when the casas particulars will open , and no restrictions to see my girlfriend… / Let’s hope that they will be logical in the following decisions. // If they delay to much to start the business as usual, tourists might find and apreciated other place until they come back to a normal life in the island.. And by the way some tourists might not come back to Cuba, if they found another pleasant place …

It appears that the ever-present internal struggle between the isolationists within the Cuban regime and those that believe that the way forward is by opening up the country is alive and well and hiding behind the pandemic as the excuse-du-jour. These mitigation measures are reasonable but reflect a willingness to keep the tourism sector at bay as a means to avoid spreading the virus. The problem with this plan is that until a vaccine is developed, the risk of new infections remains high. Scientists have acknowledged until 80% of the population carries the virus antibodies or is vaccinated, the risk of infection remains high despite the mitigation practices. Bottom line: the only question is which is worse? COVID-19 with a 1% mortality rate or extreme poverty?

I will return in November IF I can travel the country. If I am restricted to a hotel I will travel elsewhere. I prefer Cuba as I have many friends, but there is no point if I can’t travel within the country to visit with them. The private rental homes must open or my future vacations will be in other countries.

I love cuba and will continue to come to support them as I can.

I have been going to Cuba since 1991, and also go for medical reasons. The travel proposal for foreigners needs a reality check! I realize that marketing studies is a subject not taught in Cuba but who do they think is coming? Also most Cubans that I know living in Cuba can’t afford a hotel in Cuba or a beer at the pool if allowed free entry! Dream on!

This plan is a mess from top to bottom. How many people from Europe want to come to Cuba now – not many How may people want to try and figure this all out when it happens – not many How many people even want to go only to the Cays – not many

The only people that want to go to Cuba now are people that have family there. They need to bring them food and medicine. No tourist really wants to go through the already hellish welcome that is ever present in Havanas Airport. Long waits and heavy taxes – welcome to Cuba!

But Cuba’s government never cared about that anyway. They seem bound and determined to just crush any chance of tourism returning.

Can’t wait to come in February we love Cuba

Thank god we sure want to come in February. Love Cuba

In this particular article, the following paragraph is one I read a few times and tried to imagine what the possible outcomes could be.

“The economist highlights the potential of recovering the tourism sector with visitors from the Cuban community abroad, who “haven’t escaped the negative impact of the crisis on their income”, but who have a greater motivation to travel to Cuba than other foreign tourists.”

Let’s assume the visitors from the Cuban community abroad come from Miami, Florida and are motivated to travel to Cuba. Assume the visitors have family living anywhere in Cuba, which many do, but not in the Cayos to which the Cuban tourism authorities want to send all visitors arriving from abroad.

Do you think the visitors from Miami, Florida want to be isolated in one of these resorts, certainly luxurious, but nevertheless the Floridian visitor has no access to close friends and family relatives because they are not allowed to venture beyond the hotel perimeter. No taxi excursions or Cuban personal pickups for these motivated visitors. Will they come on mass as in the past as the tourism industry hopes they do? Only time will tell.

On the other hand, tourists from say Canada who normally come to Cuba for a week or two and normally stay at all-inclusive hotel resorts and usually don’t venture outside the resort compound may come. However, they may decide not to because of the mandatory Canadian restriction that anyone arriving from abroad, say a Cuban vacation, unto Canadian soil must quarantine for 14 days. Not many Canadians will want or do that.

According to news media reports in Canada, many potential tourists are stay “cationing”, certainly for this summer, which is to say, staying at home and vacationing within Canadian borders. It’s less complicated, safer, cheaper, and absent any personal health monitoring.

The economist who stated the above quote clearly states a presupposition: the quote is not a forecast but a hypothesis. To move from economic projections to just normal human behavior and motivation, any tourist who spends money to venture to another country and is then thoroughly relegated and restricted by that country’s health authorities and police from freely visiting family and friends in that foreign country will certainly reconsider the trip, if not abandon the excursion all together.

That is my hypothetical forecast at best and perhaps a provable hypothesis.

All very logical. There are also some very interesting factors. Marrero Cruz has seized the opportunity to strike a low body blow to those Cubans who show individual capitalist style initiatives by importing goods. No doubt the regime will endeavor to retain those controls when (if) the Covid 19 crises is over.

“significant decline in tourism revenue” actually means that the bottom has dropped out of the market, But increased revenues from the marketing of medical services (which already exceeded those of tourism prior to the epidemic) will in part compensate.

The assessment that both European and Asian numbers will decline due to both “health and finance” is reasonable. Many of the usual package tour segment of the market will be broke.

That implies that the main hope lies in the North American market, where the restrictions upon US travellers to Cuba have been re-imposed. That leaves Canada which was previously the largest individual market. Canada however requires a full mandatory two weeks isolation period for those entering the country. So a tourist visiting Cayo Santa Maria for two weeks, will have to isolate for a similar period upon returning to Canada. Obviously, few will be prepared so to do.

Promoting Cuba as “a safe tourist destination” is exactly what was done in February – and then the Italians arrived!

Reducing the number of suitcases to one, will make it difficult to respond properly to the recent plea received:

“When you come home, bring food.”

Comments are closed.

Beyond the Ban: A Guide to Americans Visiting Cuba in 2024.

If you are a US citizen, you can still visit Cuba in 2024. However, unlike your neighbors traveling from Canada , you will be subject to specific regulations from the US government.

For example, doing “tourism,” like staying at a resort on a Cuban beach , isn’t allowed. Your trip must fall into one of 12 categories of authorized travel to Cuba. You must also comply with certain financial restrictions while on the island.

This article offers our first-hand experience organizing trips from the US to Cuba for over seven years. We will answer all your questions about going to Cuba as an American, including the entry requirements, the 12 categories of authorized travel, People-to-People travel, the Support for the Cuban People license, and much more.

In this guide, we cover all of it.

Can Americans Travel to Cuba in 2024? 

The simple answer is yes. It’s perfectly legal for Americans to travel to Cuba, except for explicit tourism purposes.

Americans can’t go to Cuba for tourism thanks to the Cuban Assets Control Regulations of July 8, 1963, which imposed a trade embargo on the island.

However, you can travel legally to Cuba if you comply with certain Cuban and US government regulations.

Specifically, the Cuban government asks you to bring the following documentation:

• The Cuban Tourist Card (a.k.a Cuban Visa).
• Health travel insurance.
• Customs and health declaration forms.

On the other hand, the US government requires you to:

• Self-certify under one of the 12 travel categories of authorized travel to Cuba
• Avoid spending money at certain restricted businesses.
• Keep your travel receipts and records for five years.

Does that sound like a lot? In the sections below, we explain how to meet these requirements so you can travel legally to Cuba from the US.

The Cuban Tourist Card

The Cuban Tourist Card is a tourist visa that almost everyone traveling to Cuba for tourism must bring. They come in two colors: pink and green.

In most cases, US citizens must get the pink Cuban Tourist Card because they fly directly from a US airport to Cuba. However, if you plan on leaving from a non-US airport, you will need the green version.

In any case, we suggest you purchase the Cuban Tourist Card through your airline or on EasyTouristCard.com .

Buy it From Your Airline

The cost of the Cuban tourist visa is usually bundled into the ticket price. However, in some cases, you will need to purchase the visa separately. Prices range from 50 to 80 US dollars, depending on the airline.

Please note that only a few US airlines fly to Cuba. Check out Skyscanner to find all available flights from the US to Cuba.

Purchase it on EasyTouristCard.com

If you can’t get the Cuban Tourist Card through your airline, the best alternative is to purchase it online from Easy Tourist Card , a widely trusted provider.

The pink version costs about 100 US dollars, while the green version sells for roughly 35 US dollars.

Mandatory Travel Health Insurance

Travel health insurance is an entry requirement to Cuba.

Your policy must cover emergency medical treatment, hospitalization, and repatriation. The Cuban government won’t allow you to leave the country with outstanding medical bills!

Based on our assessment of the most popular travel health insurance providers for Cuba , we recommend Insubuy .

On Insubuy , coverage for medical emergencies, hospitalization, and repatriation starts at 8 USD per week per person and is pretty comprehensive.

Customs and Health Declaration Forms

Cuba requires all travelers to bring a Sanitary Statement and a Customs Declaration form.

You can complete the documentation at D’Viajeros , the government’s website. It will save you time and annoyance at the Havana Airport !

The 12 Categories of Authorized Travel to Cuba

A “category of authorized travel to Cuba” is also known as a “travel license” or “general license.”

Confusingly, even though it’s called a license, it is not a physical or digital document. It’s a self-certification you need to do when travel providers, such as airlines and hotels, ask you about it. In most cases, it’s just about ticking a box.

Obviously, before you tick that box, you should review whether you meet the criteria for traveling to Cuba under your chosen category.

There are 12 categories of authorized travel to Cuba , as defined by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC):

• Family visits
• Official business for the US government, foreign government, and certain intergovernmental organizations
• Professional research and professional meetings
• Educational activities
• Religious activities
• Public performances, clinics, workshops, athletic and other competitions, and exhibitions
• 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

In 90% of the cases, a US citizen will travel to Cuba under either the Education Activities or the Support for the Cuban People categories.

Educational Activities (People-to-People Travel)

People-to-people travel falls under the Educational Activities category. This license aims to promote people-to-people contact, support civil society in Cuba, and encourage the Cuban people’s independence from Cuban authorities.

You can travel under this license provided that your trip is:

• Organized by a US travel company (the “sponsoring organization”).
• Escorted by an employee of the sponsoring organization.

People-to-people travel is the best option for Americans who want to go in a group and prefer to avoid the hassle of planning an itinerary in compliance with the US-Cuba travel regulations.

However, not everyone likes the crowds or having a chaperone around. Besides, traveling to Cuba independently is still legal, easy, and safe . For those, there is the Support for the Cuban People category.

The Support for the Cuban People Travel Category

The Support for the Cuban People category intends to promote US travel to Cuba to strengthen civil society on the island. It covers activities that:

• Foster closer connections with the Cuban people,
• Contribute to the development of Cuban civil society, or
• Advocate for the independence of the Cuban people from the government; and
• Involve meaningful engagement and interaction with individuals in Cuba.

American travelers love this category because it’s pretty vague. You have lots of wiggle room and can pretty much do many of the activities you would in any other country.

Here are examples of activities that can “strengthen Cuban society”:

• Visiting museums and historical sites.
• Eating at locally-owned restaurants (paladares).
• Taking Cuban cooking classes.
• Taking salsa dancing lessons.
• Touring a tobacco farm and learning how to roll Cuban cigars.
• Taking a tour through the best of Havana .
• Volunteering with a local organization or non-profit.

How does it sound?

However, we must remind you that you still can’t do tourism in Cuba under the Support for the Cuban People license. In fact, you should spend about 6-8 hours on a schedule of activities actually supporting the Cuban people.

That said, it’s not like an American official will call you daily to verify your schedule, so don’t stress too much about it.

You can also support the Cuban people in less subtle ways by:

• Bringing inexpensive items as gifts for locals . Most essential products you take for granted (toiletries, hygiene products, etc.) are hard to come by in Cuba. Bringing a thoughtful gift will show your appreciation and may meet your hosts’ vital needs.
• Tipping . The base wage for workers in Cuba is the equivalent of a few US dollars a month. Therefore, locals expect and highly appreciate tipping.

Finally, considering that the Internet is limited in Cuba , you should arrange your activities before you land on the island.

Restricted Businesses and Accommodations

The US Treasury Department doesn’t like Americans spending money anywhere in Cuba.

The Treasury keeps a list of businesses to which Americans must refrain from giving money. Most of these businesses are owned by the Cuban military or security services, with which the US still has a frosty relationship. You can see the full, updated list here .

The US government also forbids Americans from staying at specific accommodations listed in the Cuba Prohibited Accommodations List .

To be safe, we recommend renting a room from Cuban Airbnbs , also known as “casas particulares.” These privately owned and highly affordable accommodations can provide you with an authentic Cuban experience.

Check out Skyscanner for the latest listings of “casas particulares” and hotels in Cuba.

Travel Receipts and Records for Five Years

The US government can ask you for your travel records and receipts for up to five years after your Cuba trip.

This sounds spooky, although anecdotally, it doesn’t happen very often. But it’s better to be safe than sorry, so keep your records safe for five years if you’re questioned about your trip.

Bonus Tip for Americans Traveling to Cuba: Stick to Private

Generally, you should purchase most travel services and products from Cuban private businesses.

We know you can’t always stick to this principle because the Cuban government owns most of the travel facilities and services on the island, including hotels, car rental companies , tour agencies, and souvenir shops.

But whenever you can support Cuban entrepreneurs, please do so. You will strengthen the legality of your trip and genuinely help Cuban society.

Besides, if you want to cut your trip to Cuba costs , purchasing from locals will get you more bang for your buck. Not only is it more affordable, but you will likely pay in Cuban currency , the Cuban Peso, which is hugely devalued compared to the US dollar.

This includes:

• Booking tours from local guides .
• Staying in “casas particulares.”
• Eating at “paladares” (check out our food safety guide for Cuba ).
• Riding in private taxis, including “almendrones,” Cuba’s old classic cars .
• Buying souvenirs directly from local sellers.

For more tips and tricks you can pull in your trip to the island, read our 58 travel tips for Cuba .

US Legal Travel to Cuba, Summarized

If you are an American traveling to Cuba, you can break down the process into five relatively simple steps:

• Choose the best travel category to Cuba based on your travel purpose. If you are going in a group, it will likely be Educational Activities (People-to-People travel) or Support for the Cuban People if you travel independently.
• Ensure your itinerary has a full schedule of activities covered by your chosen travel category.
• Avoid booking an accommodation included in the Cuba Prohibited Accommodations List .
• Do not spend money on the specific prohibited businesses in Cuba .
• Keep your records and receipts for five years.

Once you overcome the legal (but easy!) challenges of traveling to Cuba, you will see that the effort was well worth it. If you feel ready but don’t know when, check out our guide to the best time to travel to Cuba .

Have you traveled to Cuba as a US citizen? We want to hear from you. Please share your experience in the comments below!

Essential Travel Logistics For Cuba

Cuban Tourist Card –  If your  Cuban Tourist Card (a.k.a Cuban Tourist Visa) isn’t bundled into your airline ticket or travel package, buy it only through EasyTouristCard . 

Travel Health Insurance –  Travel medical insurance is an entry requirement for Cuba, so you can’t skip it. Travelers can get travel health insurance for Cuba via  Insubuy . Travel protection benefits such as trip interruption and cancellation, baggage delay insurance, etc., are not required.

Essential Items to Pack –  Bring the essential travel necessities that you may not be able to get in Cuba:

• First aid kit
• Hand sanitizer
• Water bottle with filter
• Mosquito repellent
• Pin adapter (for Europeans)
• Travel guide
• Spanish-English phrasebook
• Suggested Reading: The Cubans: Ordinary Lives in Extraordinary Times

Read our complete packing list for Cuba .

Find Accommodations –  Find hotels or casas particulares (private accommodations) on Skyscanner , which lists thousands of accommodations available in Cuba.

Book Your Flight –  Book cheap flights to Cuba on Skyscanner , our favorite flight search engine to find deals on flights to Cuba.

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Tour republic.

Tour Republic is a marketplace where you can discover, book, and review the very best experiences Cuba has to offer. We are a team of tourism professionals and journalists who have partnered with Cuban entrepreneurs to provide travel experiences that can transform your trip into a life-changing adventure. We also share our profound love for Cuba through in-depth travel guides, myth-busting articles, and captivating narratives. Whether you want to explore Cuba's wonders or understand its intricacies, our blog posts are your gateway to the heart of this extraordinary country.

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64 comments.

Assuming we meet all the other qualifications, is there no way for an American to go a beach in Cuba?

Hi Kat, Unfortunately, Americans are not allowed to simply go to the beach. I also don’t see going to the beach as an activity covered by any of the 12 travel categories. Honestly, if you go to the beach, it is unlikely that you will be fined since it’s hard for an US official to know that you did. However, it is not permitted.

Hola, queria saber si mi novia con ciudadania estadounidense y salvadoreña tiene que pedir algun tipo de visado especial ? Yo soy cubano con pasaporte cubano aun vigente.

Hi we booked our tour package from Canada, flight plus stay at the resort. I understand that my husband (Canadian citizenship) won’t have any problems, but for me (US Citizenship, Canadian resident) do I need to book separately a casa particulares to get into the country? And when i get in there, can I stay with my husband at the resort?

Hi juju, According to the regulations, you shouldn’t. First, you need to make sure that the resort is not on the restricted list . Secondly, keep in mind that Americans are not allowed to go to Cuba only for tourism purposes. Therefore, you should have an schedule of activities that fall under any of the 12 general licenses to travel to Cuba, as explained in the article.

The question: “Do you need a password to Cuba?” Should be: Do you need a PASSPORT to Cuba?

Fixed. Thanks a lot!

Thank you for the great information , very helpful . As an European flying from Miami to Havana with a valid ESTA visa could I enter back the USA with on the same Esta visa . Not easy to get as answer on the official us pages . Thanks .

It appears that you will need to apply for a visa to re-enter the United States. Read more here .

I tried to buy the pink visa on easy tourist but almost at the end my country is not on the list. Puerto Rico is part of USA but can’t complete the order. They wrote me but do not get the problem of the country. Where else can I buy online?

Hi, I’m Italian and I would like to travel to Cuba via Miami, but it seems the nationality doesn’t matter because we need to declare a specific category. But what if I just need to go to Cuba from USA with a one-way flight and I will come back home directly from Cuba to Europe?

How did it go? Where you able to do the trip as mentioned?

I am an adult I was born in the US. Lived here my whole life.

My mom and dad were born in cuba, came to America in the 90s, and got their citizenship over 8 years ago.

I believe for my parents to travel to cuba they may need a Cuban passport because I read that cuba does not recognize them as American, just Cuban.

However, I also read that because both of my parents were born there, I am the daughter and I too am a Cuban citizenship under Cuban law

I’ve read that a few times in a few pages and I wanted to know if it was true. And if I would need to get a Cuban passport myself

Please let me know! Thanks .,

Hi Aileen, If you were born in the US, you don’t need a Cuban passport to enter the country.

In your article, when quoting OFAC, the text “during his or her four-day trip” was included. Are visits to Cuba limited to four days?

I am a professional orchestral and choral conductor and composer, and my associate is a full-time jazz pianist and composer. We want to visit Havana to listen to Cuban salsa, jazz, etc, and to engage in one to one conversations with Cuban musicians—and maybe even join in playing, if invited! Six to eight hours per day would hardly be enough for us: we’d start at 17:00 and leave when everybody goes home—and that’s just the evening. Which category would you recommend for us? EXCELLENT website! Thanks so much!

kayak wont quote flights to me as of today siting regulatory issues…. has something changed?

Hi Danial, That’s correct. It appears that Kayak is not quoting flights to Cuba currently. I suggest you use Skyscanner instead.

So to be clear. We still can’t bring back any alcohol or tobacco from Cuba back into the US? I read in this article that there Is now no value restrictions like there used to be.. Can you advise please?

Hi Mark, No, legally, you cannot bring Cuban tobacco or alcohol to the US.

Ummmm damn I guess I’m the only one with this problem. Can felons go? Not on parole and the case is over and done but I know some counties trip and some don’t. So what’s cubas stance on it?

Hi Mike, According to Felony Record Hub , felons can enter Cuba as long as they don’t have an outstanding felony warrant or are not on a no-fly TSA list. Hope it helps!

Hey great information!! Thank you

When you say you have to declare your license(which mine would fall under the 12) during booking, what does that mean? How do you declare it?

Hi Orlando, Usually, travel providers will provide you with a form where you have to select the license you are using traveling to Cuba. You don’t have to get an “actual” license. That’s it 🙂 The only licenses that do require a physical license from OFAC are: – Professional research and professional meetings. – Public performances, clinics, workshops, athletic and other competitions, and exhibitions.

Hello! This is a great article. I am a US citizen considering sailing my boat from the Dominican Republic to Cuba and then on to Belize. Some of our crew (US citizens as well) may fly directly back to the US from Cuba. Is this plan legal and possible? Will the Cuban authorities have a problem with this plan? Will the US authorities have a problem with it once we return?

Hi Christopher,

Did you ever find out if you can go to Cuba by private boat?

Thanks, Sarah

My fiancée from Ukraine suggested we take a winter trip to Cuba. Since she is booking through a Ukrainian travel agency our stay and flight – is it okay to stay as her guest at a prohibited resort and when would I declare my travel intent/licensing? We would otherwise try to use up 6-8 hours per day supporting the local economy.

Hi Gerald, Usually, travel service providers (airlines, travel agencies, booking sites, etc.) ask you to declare your travel category while booking the trip, not after. I’m not sure at what point the Ukrainian travel agency would ask you about it or if they will do it at all. Unfortunately, if you are a US citizen, you shouldn’t stay at a prohibited accommodation in Cuba, regardless of where you are flying from.

my concern is nobody writes how long does it take to get permit to travel there, on one of our government pages it says up to 6 months ??

Hi there, You don’t need to apply for an actual license unless you are traveling under any of these two categories: – Professional research and professional meetings – Public performances, clinics, workshops, athletic and other competitions, and exhibitions.

I just found this concerning my question on banks in Cuba from US government site. Wonder what the alternative/s is to have funds in Cuba?

U.S. credit and debit cards do not work in Cuba. The Cuban Central Bank announced new restrictions on the use or conversion of U.S. dollars beginning June 21, 2021. U.S. dollars in cash cannot be converted to local currency, may not be accepted for payment, and cannot be used to pay fees or taxes at the airport. Travelers should confirm alternative payment options before traveling, as policies concerning the use of U.S. dollars in Cuba are subject to change. The Cuban government requires that travelers declare cash amounts over the equivalent of 5,000 USD.

Great article, but severely lacking in one area, at least for me. You have nothing on banking inside Cuba. I don’t like to carry large sums of money. Do the banks there work for US banks for ATM’s? Are they few (only in banks) or difficult to receive money from such as small limits for withdrawals?? With limited internet there, I’m assuming if someone changes around to different home casa’s then cash is the only way to purchase rooms? ATM again. Thx!

We actually wrote a whole guide to using money in Cuba as a tourist. Check it out here – https://www.tourepublic.com/blog/cuban-currency/

But I think you figured out the answer to your questions: U.S. credit and debit cards do not work in Cuba.

Are you currently operating tours given the political climate in Cuba? Today is November 15, 2021 and there were planned protests etc.

Thank you, Ash

Hi Ashley, At the moment, we are not operating tours in Cuba.

Are the covid restrictions still in place?

Hi MZ, They are, but most will be lifted on November 15th, 2021 (next week!). We will update the article accordingly.

Hey MZ. Just wanted to give you the heads up that we updated our guide to the latest Cuba travel restrictions . Check it out!

I want to travel to Holguin Cuba to visit friends I have dual citizenship USA-Uruguayan. If I leave from Uruguay do I need to do all of these activities? What happens if I don’t book tours i visiting friends what do you recommend

Hi Alicia, Unfortunately, the current US travel restrictions to Cuba apply to all persons subject to US jurisdiction, regardless of where that person is residing. Therefore, if you are a US citizen, you will need to follow the US regulations to travel to Cuba, even if you use an Uruguayan passport. Follow the steps and advice outlined in the article and you should be fine. I believe that Support for the Cuban People is the right category for you -unless you have family in Cuba- but then again, we can’t offer legal advice.

I am a retired dentist and would like to visit hospitals and dental clinics in Cuba. I would like to professional Oral surgery to people of Cuba. Can I get any information?

Hi Peter, I think you should contact the US embassy in Cuba for more information – https://cu.usembassy.gov/ Thanks,

Why don’t you give advise for foreign tourists who fly to miami then onto Cuba. What can we do and what can’t we do as non Americans. I plan to visit Cuba in febuary/march 2022 via miami/fort laudedale.

Hi, I have the same problem as you. I’m Italian and I would like to travel to Cuba via Miami, but it seems your nationality doesn’t matter, we need to declare a specific category. But, if we choose the ‘Support for the Cuban People’ category, when we have to declare all the activity that we have done? And I didn’t understand if they will check every day’s activities or we just need to show them some of the activities done in the week.

Hi Alessia, You won’t need to declare all the activities you will do in Cuba. You only need to choose the Support for the Cuban People category, and that’s it. In Cuba, no one will monitor what you will be doing. Hope it helps.

So essentially it’s the U.S. government enforcing these restrictions and calling it “Support for the Cuban People” when it really means interacting mostly with civilians likely to oppose the Revolution and tell a one-sided narrative about what it’s like to live in Cuba. U.S. travelers are being carefully kept away from actually supporting Cuba as a sovereign nation whose government has made remarkable progress in health and education, putting the U.S. to shame. This explains why the few friends who went to Cuba come back with a story about happening to run into a Puerto Rican who disses the Cuban government. It’s all a set up, and extremely lame on the part of the U.S. Get over it–Fidel defeated your and overthrew your puppet dictator. Stop this ridiculous embargo and these stupid sanctions.

you’re 100% right, Ann. it’s embarrassing

The U.S. will do anything to make Cuba look bad and undo the revolution. I was looking to travel there to actually learn from and support the Cuban people, not support the counter-revolutionaries

Grow up Ann. Stop trying to aggrandize La Revolución. Many of us who actually lived in Cuba under the regime know the truth.

The problem with fanboys and fangirls (like you and Anthony) is the same as the problem with haters: instead of objectively evaluating things, they just say what feels “truthy” to them.

For instance, a “hater” will say that the Cuban government has not accomplished anything in education or healthcare. But a fan has the opposite problem: they oversell it. So to them—to you—Cuba’s 14.4 average years of education and life expectancy of 73 or so “put to shame” the 77 year of life expectancy and 16 or so years of education of the United States. Someone looking at the situation might give the government some credit by pointing out that this is notably better than the average for the Caribbean or Latin America, without feeling the need to exalt the government with incorrect statements.

I might also mention your assumption, and that of Anthony, that staying at someone’s house means interacting with someone who does not support the Cuban government.

I’m noticing Kayak and Expedia aren’t showing any flights from Boston to Cuba – do you have any info on this? Any other suggestions on how to find flights from Boston to Cuba

Hi Michaela, Sadly, I don’t have much information on this. Did you try Google Flights? I played a little with dates for BOS-HAV flights and found one-stop flights with JetBlue in May, but nothing else 🙁

Hello, I understand that we are able to stay at hotels that are not on the restricted list. Except for the first two days (48 hours) of quarantine required after arrival till receiving PCR test results, if we participate in local guides, local shopping visits, local business services during day activities, hire cuban local to spend time with beach activities, but without staying at Casa Particular, do these qualify for Support for Cuban People license?

Hi there, I am a dual national British and American. I have a UK passport and an American passport. I live in the UK, and my partner (British) and I want to go to Cuba in May 2020. We will be using airmiles from British Airways/American Airlines to get there. There is no availability from Cancun…we tried. As I will be going from the US to Cuba, can I still use my British passport and avoid all of the legal hoopla – and restrictions, or do I need to go on my American passport (since we will be leaving from the US) and comply fully. Don’t want to get turned away at the airport after planning/booking the trip.

Hi John, According to the UK’s government advice on traveling to Cuba , it seems that you will have to comply with the US law if you are traveling to Cuba from the US, regardless of the passport you use. It means that you will have to declare a travel “license” and cannot be for tourism purposes.

This might seem like a dumb question but can I pack my smokes & take them w/me?

I’m wondering if participating and supporting (both economically and artistically) a starting art project would be considered in the “Support for the Cuban people” category. Thank you.

It could be considered as such as long as you have a daily full-time schedule of activities (6-8 hours) to support the private art project. Also, document everything you do while in Cuba. For more specific legal advice, I would suggest you talk to a legal specialist.

I was born in Cuba and would like to take a cruise there. I came to the states in 1961 at the age of 5. I am an American Citizen and was told I need to get a form H-11 from the Cuban Embassy in the U.S. in order to travel to Cuba. I have tried to contact them via email and phone several times, but I’ve not heard from them. Do you have any suggestions?

Best to use an agency rather than try to communicate directly with the Cuban consulate – especially after the US government expelled most of those who work in the visa section.

World Nomads is no longer providing (ar least Canadians) insurance for Cuba. Please suggest another all encompassing insurance provider? Thank you

Hi Dylan, Thanks for the heads up! They for Americans, but haven’t confirmed if their plans are also available for Canadians. Another popular travel insurance provider for Cuba is RoamRight . UPDATE: It seems that they don’t offer insurance for Canadians either. We will do some research and get back with some alternatives. Thank you again!

Can we book a family and friends group to Cuba, intending to do all the required activities?

Yes! You can do it Bee, as long as those activities are covered by the travel license that you declare.

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The Americas

Cuba hopes if it builds new hotels, tourists will come, after a long covid shutdown.

Carrie Kahn

The Grand Aston la Habana, overlooking the Malecón and the sea, is the latest luxury hotel to open as part of the Cuban government's aggressive tourism building project. Carrie Kahn/NPR hide caption

The Grand Aston la Habana, overlooking the Malecón and the sea, is the latest luxury hotel to open as part of the Cuban government's aggressive tourism building project.

HAVANA, Cuba — Cuba is hoping more tourists return to the island, after a lengthy shutdown during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tourism is vital to the communist country's economy, which has taken a beating from not only the pandemic, but also tough sanctions imposed by the Trump administration.

The war in Ukraine has also had an impact, as Western governments gradually closed the airspace to Russia. That makes travel for Russians — one of Cuba's top tourist groups — difficult and very expensive.

Last week, the Biden administration rolled back some restrictions on Cuba travel. But it's unclear if U.S. visitors will return.

Michel Cleray is with a small group of fellow French tourists visiting the island. He says they're enjoying the sights, especially the long line of classic cars along the grand Paseo del Prado boulevard in Old Havana.

For the local taxi drivers, though, it's been a dismal day. Eduardo Cedeño, a 36-year-old driver, says he hasn't had a single rider in his shiny red 1956 Buick convertible. "It is the low season for sure, but even the cooler winter months weren't so great," he says.

The iconic Malecón stretches along Havana's shoreline, with waves often crashing over it. The promenade, usually bustling with visitors and residents, awaits the return of more tourists. Carrie Kahn/NPR hide caption

The iconic Malecón stretches along Havana's shoreline, with waves often crashing over it. The promenade, usually bustling with visitors and residents, awaits the return of more tourists.

There is a trickle of tourists heading back to Havana , but nothing like the more than 4 million a year before the pandemic. Analysts say Cuba missed out on a recuperating Caribbean market by waiting until late November to reopen its border and drop strict coronavirus requirements.

Pilar Álvarez Azze, from the Tourism Ministry, tells NPR that officials are optimistic travelers will return to the island. She says the ministry is hoping to lure at least 2.5 million visitors this year. Fewer than half a million have come so far this year though. In addition to Russians, Canadians, U.S. citizens and Europeans are the leading visitors.

For many ordinary citizens in this state-controlled economy, the tourism is the main way to make money — whether by lodging foreign guests in their homes or staffing hotels and other businesses catering to international visitors.

Experiencing one of its worst economic crises in decades, Cuba needs the cash. It can't buy essential imports, including most food and fuel oil, without foreign currency. Inflation has skyrocketed and Cubans spend hours every day waiting in lines for food and gas.

Yet the government continued its aggressive hotel building spree even through the pandemic. A stroll along the Malecón seaside promenade takes you past one recently opened luxury hotel, the Grand Aston la Habana. It is stunning, with two tall white towers and hundreds of rooms looking out onto the ocean. There's just one problem. It's practically empty.

Classic 1950s-era cars sit idling on Havana's Paseo del Prado. On a recent day, driver Eduardo Cedeño said he hadn't had a single rider in his shiny red 1956 Buick convertible. Carrie Kahn/NPR hide caption

Álvarez defends the controversial construction as necessary for Cuba's long-term well-being. "We keep on building the future, and the future is for our people," she says.

Not all of the Grand Aston's neighbors would agree. "That's where the princes live," says 52-year-old Elias Despine Rodríguez, pointing at the hotel. "Here's where the beggars reside," he says, pointing to his crumbling apartment across the street. "We thought that when they built the hotel, they'd fix our building too, but they didn't." Growing inequality has spurred resentment and sparked rare protests that erupted last July .

Consider This from NPR

How cuba's government is attempting to silence unprecedented protests.

Despine stands next to his 1947 classic Harley Davidson motorcycle with a for sale sign on it. He can't even afford the gas for it. He says he can't find work and has given up hope that even if tourists do come back, the economy would improve for him.

So, like large numbers of Cubans today, he's trying to get enough cash to leave.

• world travel
• Cuba tourism
• Cuban economy

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U.S. announces changes to give private sector, small businesses in Cuba more financial support

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Treasury Department on Tuesday announced regulatory changes to allow more American financial support for Cuba’s nascent private sector and bolster access to U.S. internet-based services, limited but timely measures that officials said would help give the island’s budding small businesses a leg up.

The United States said it would permit small entrepreneurs on the Communist-run island to open and access U.S. bank accounts from Cuba for the first time in decades, following prohibitions put in place shortly after Fidel Castro’s 1959 revolution.

The measures would also allow Cuban entrepreneurs to use U.S.-based social media platforms, online payment sites, video conferencing and authentication services, previously unavailable to the sector and a major hurdle currently facing small businesses on the island.

The moves aim to fulfill the Biden administration’s long-delayed pledge to help Cuba’s budding entrepreneurs, giving its small but fast-growing private sector deference despite the Cold War-era U.S. embargo that has for decades complicated financial transactions by the Cuban government.

“Today we’re taking an important step to support the expansion of free enterprise and the expansion of the entrepreneurial business sector in Cuba,” a senior U.S. official told reporters on Tuesday.

The Cuban government did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the policy changes.

In crafting the measures, U.S. officials, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity, signaled they had sought to balance the goal of bolstering the private sector with a desire to avoid benefit to Cuban authorities.

President Joe Biden  took office in January 2021 with hopes high in Cuba for a reversal of a harsh Trump-era approach, but Cuba’s crackdown on protests during the summer of that year prompted the administration to keep pressure on Havana.

The new measures would exclude Cuban officials, military officers and other government “insiders,” with the aim of minimizing resources available from the benefits to the Cuban government, the officials said.

Republican U.S. Representative Maria Elvira Salazar, a Cuban American lawmaker from South Florida, quickly criticized the Democratic administration’s announcement.

“The Biden Admin is now giving the ‘Cuban private sector’ access to the U.S. financial system,” she said in a post on X. “This would make a mockery of American law, considering no progress has been made toward freedom on the Island and repression has intensified.”

Cuba has long blamed the embargo — a tangled web of U.S. laws and regulations that complicates financial transactions by the Cuban government — for decades of economic crisis that have left it with little choice recently but to open its economy to small private business.

Such businesses — for decades taboo in Communist-run Cuba — are now booming on the island.

New Cuban laws put in place in 2021 have seen the establishment of upwards of 11,000 small businesses as of May, the government has said, ranging from corner grocers to plumbing, transportation and construction businesses.

Those businesses employ upwards of 15% of Cuban workers and accounted for around 14% of gross domestic product, according to economy ministry statistics from late 2023.

The regulations announced on Tuesday also authorize U.S. banks to once again process so-called “U-Turn” fund transfers, allowing them to move money for Cuban nationals — including payments and remittances — so long as senders and recipients are not subject to U.S. law.

Such measures are a step in the right direction, said John Kavulich, president of the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council, but he noted a “glaring omission” in the policy: Cuban businesses are still handicapped by a requirement that they use banks in third countries to move their money.

“As long as financing, investment, and payments need to be routed through third countries, the Biden-Harris Administration will be constraining precisely the activity it professes to support,” Kavulich said in an email.

There was no sign that Tuesday’s announcement could foreshadow a more significant easing of U.S. sanctions and other restrictions on Cuba, beyond the modest steps that Biden has already taken since he became president.

Some analysts have attributed Biden’s cautious handling of Cuba issues to his concern that a softened approach to Havana could hurt him politically among strongly anti-communist Cuban American voters in Florida, a key swing state that he lost to Trump in the 2020 election.

The U.S. officials declined to say whether the administration was conducting a formal review of Cuba’s continuing presence on the State Department’s list of state sponsors of terrorism.

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Geographic expeditions announces a compelling insider tour of cuba.

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Vintage pink oldtimer car driving through Old Havana Cuba

Anyone who has ever been to Havana has seen the day glo colored American 1950’s cars ferrying visitors up and down the streets. And they’ve probably wondered how in the world these cars are still running since replacement parts are probably long out of circulation and likely wouldn’t be sold in Cuba even if they were still available. The answer to this will be provided in a visit to a car restoration workshop beginning next January as one of a number of deeply immersive experiences in a new tour being introduced by veteran travel company Geographic Expeditions called “ The Soul of Cuba .”

Cuban musician playing the trumpet next to a cuban flag at a street in Old Havana

Since this restricted island began opening to visitors from the U.S. following the restoration of diplomatic relations in 2015, People to People trips falling into 12 specific categories have been the way in for Americans; the “support of the Cuban people” option is usually the one selected. Visiting purely for tourism is still forbidden as is patronizing establishments owned by the Cuban government. More private residences turned into hotels and family run restaurants have proliferated, however, that are open for Americans. (Although U.S. credit cards are still not accepted but dollars are in most places.) And under new laws passed a few years ago, Cuban business owners can now import products from some other countries, enhancing the properties they own.

House of Fuster, Fusterlandia, Jaimanitas Neighborhood, Playa District, Havana, La Habana Province, ... [+] Cuba

The trips, which last eight days, will be conducted in January, February and November and go to Havana, the Colonial city of Trinidad and the coastal city of Cienfuegos. The first day in the suburb of Jaimanitas outside of Havana will be taken up with art: first visiting artist Jose Fuster’s colorful outdoor community art project Alegrias de Vivir (Joy of Living) and then going to ceramicist Beatriz Santacana’s studio to create a pottery tile under her direction.

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Dancers on the street in Old Havana.

That day and the next two will be spent in Havana in residence at either La Distancia Hotel or Claxon Hotel , former Colonial era mansions with their previous grandeur restored, now transformed into boutique hotels in the city’s vibrant center. Meetings in the city will be held with several of Cuba’s entrepreneurs in architecture, fashion, restaurants and other businesses on day 2 to learn about how they maneuvered within the country’s restrictions and prospered. Afterward, participants will learn the key elements of Cuban dance forms in private lessons with professional dancers. Lunches and dinners will be in local paladares, the privately owned restaurants serving local dishes and guests will explore the streets of Old Havana which are filled with character, if sometimes crumbling, and musicians playing in the squares and in bars open to the street.

The verdant countryside outside of Havana

The next day takes participants into the world of international diplomacy with a meeting with a former diplomat to discuss the complicated relationship between Cuba and the U.S. Afterward will be a visit to a private domino club to learn the strategies of this game as tiles click. In the afternoon, guests will be transported to the large organic farm Finca Tungasuk to see the range of fruits and vegetables that are produced in the countryside. Back in Havana, they will then visit Vocal Clave de Sol , an after school music program to witness the children’s talents and then meet with a renowned musician David Faya and his bandmates to listen to the varying rhythms and forms of Cuban music.

Early morning view of streets in Trinidad, Cuba, a UNESCO World Heritage Site

On day 4, the trip leaves Havana for a musical stop in the historic town of Cienfuegos before continuing on to Trinidad and a private dance lesson. The next two nights are spent in Mansion Alameda , a manor house from the early 1800s, and the days spent in walking tours through the cobblestone streets and past the 19 th century mansions of this UNESCO designated town. There will also be more music performances and a foray into the countryside to another UNESCO designated site, Valle de los Ingenios (Valley of the Sugar Mills,) three interconnected valleys that were formerly home to 50 mills.

A couple dancing salsa on the streets of Trinidad, Cuba.

On day 6, en route back to Havana, the trip stops in Cojimar, the fishing village which was the inspiration for Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea. Later, a local guide also conducts a tour through Hemingway’s home Finca La Vigia outside of Havana’s center. The last day in Havana features the visit to the car restoration operation NostalgiCar Tours & Garage and then a spin through the city in one of their 30 cars; a visit to the multi space performance/art center Fabrica de Arte Cubano and a gastronomic tour gathering ingredients with the general manager of a popular paladar. A farewell dinner concludes the journey with inevitable discussions about the rich experiences and the welcoming residents encountered over the past week.

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Biden Moves to Open U.S. Banks to Cuba’s Private Sector

The rules will allow Cuban entrepreneurs to open bank accounts in the United States, making it easier for them to expand and encouraging other Cubans to start businesses.

By David C. Adams

The Biden administration, in a major move to support Cuba’s expanding private sector, announced on Tuesday new regulations allowing Cuban entrepreneurs on the island to open bank accounts in the United States for the first time and to make remote online transactions.

The loosening of banking rules could help entrepreneurs to grow and encourage more Cubans to start small businesses, Biden administration officials said, and is meant to help support Cubans facing hardship amid the country’s economic crisis.

Until now, as part of the strict economic embargo the United States has long maintained against Cuba, private owners could not access U.S. banks and have largely had to rely on cash remittances from relatives in the United States to finance their businesses.

The U.S. Treasury Department said the new rules applied only to “independent private sector entrepreneurs” who had no connection to the Cuban Communist Party, the military, members of the Cuban National Assembly, or anyone on a list of officials sanctioned by the United States.

The Cuban government did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In a major reversal that came decades after Cuba’s revolutionary leaders nationalized the economy and outlawed private companies in the 1960s, the Cuban government in 2021 authorized the establishment of small- and medium-size private businesses.

Since then, those enterprises have significantly grown, importing roughly the same amount of goods last year as the Cuban government, according to Cuban officials.

Cuban economists estimate that the private sector now accounts for nearly a third of all employment on the communist-run island, with more than 11,000 licenses issued for private companies. Each private business is allowed to hire a maximum of 100 employees.

Under the new banking regulations independent Cuban private sector entrepreneurs will be able “to maintain and use a U.S. bank account to conduct authorized or exempt transactions,” according to an announcement by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.

The announcement also removes a ban on cloud-based communications services over the internet such as videoconferencing, e-gaming and e-learning platforms, as well as remote data storage.

The new rules will also make remittances to Cuba easier by reversing a measure imposed by the Trump administration that prohibited U.S. banks from processing transactions involving Cuba by sending money to banks in third countries that would then transfer over the funds.

Younger Cubans prefer earning private sector wages instead of working for the state, said one senior administration official who briefed reporters on Tuesday and spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomatic relations.

A class of independent business leaders is rising, the official added, and, in an ironic twist, the communist government is relying on private businesses to provide food and other basic necessities.

The Biden administration said it believed the measures were needed in part because of the dire economic conditions in Cuba that have led more than 500,000 Cubans to leave the country in the last two years, a vast majority of them bound for the United States.

The official said the private sector was serving as a life preserver for many Cuban people.

The United States still places many other restrictions on Cuba, including travel to the island. While the Obama administration had largely opened Cuba to U.S. visitors, some of those restrictions were put back in place under former President Donald J. Trump, limiting American tourism.

The announcement was met with surprise and praise by some Cuban private sector owners and their supporters in the United States.

“This announcement is very positive for the Cuban private sector, since it allows it to legally operate its payments collections in the U.S.,” said Aldo Alvarez, a lawyer based in Havana who runs a private food wholesale business.

The regulations were originally floated last year, but the administration backed away after a backlash from some Cuban Americans, including lawmakers, in South Florida. They argued that the Cuban government’s move to legalize private businesses was a ruse by communist leaders to ride out the economic crisis and cling to power.

Representative Maria Elvira Salazar, a Cuban American Republican representing a South Florida district that includes part of Miami, responded that the Biden administration measures ignored the human rights situation in Cuba.

“This would make a mockery of American law, considering no progress has been made toward freedom on the Island and repression has intensified,” Ms. Salazar posted on X .

But other Cuban leaders in South Florida lauded the action.

“I congratulate the Biden administration for its commitment to civil society, and this economic engine that is helping transform the lives of millions of individual Cubans,” said Joe Garcia, a Cuban American from Miami and a former United States representative who is at the forefront of promoting the private sector in Cuba.

Cuba policy experts say the measures could be a game changer for Cuban entrepreneurs who have had to resort to financial triangulations, like remittances, to pay for imports they need to run their businesses. They include a wide array of enterprises, including supermarkets, restaurants bars, warehouses and tech companies.

A large part of their business relies on Cuban exiles who make purchases online for relatives on the island, or send cash remittances.

It remains unclear, however, how eager U.S. banks will be to do business in Cuba.

The country faces some of the toughest U.S. economic sanctions in the world, including being designated as a “state sponsor of terrorism.”

Cuba experts said that could give banks reason to pause before opening accounts under the new regulations.

Pedro A. Freyre, a lawyer and chairman of international practice at a major law firm in Miami, said the terrorism designation “has a chilling effect and banks engage in overcompliance.”

“But the new regulations will provide more clarity regarding the private sector,” he added. “Until now we’ve been stumbling in the dark.”

Inside the Biden Administration

Here’s the latest news and analysis from washington..

Artificial Intelligence:  The Justice Department and the F.T.C. reached a deal that allows them to proceed with antitrust investigations  into the dominant roles that Microsoft, OpenAI and Nvidia play in the A.I. industry.

Immigration:  President Biden issued an executive order  that prevents migrants from seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border when crossings surge, a dramatic election-year move  to ease pressure on the immigration system.

Israel and Ukraine:  Biden has promised to support the two countries for as long as it takes. Both their wars appear to be at critical turning points .

Attacks on Justice Dept.:  Attorney General Merrick Garland lashed out at House Republicans , accusing them of seeking to undermine the rule of law, peddling “conspiracy theories” and spreading falsehoods.

‘Corporate Offender’ Registry:  The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau finalized a plan to create a public registry  of nonbank businesses that have been penalized for violating consumer protection laws.

U.S. Department of the Treasury

Treasury amends regulations to increase support for the cuban people and independent private sector entrepreneurs.

WASHINGTON —   Today, the Department of the Treasury’s (Treasury) Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) amended the Cuban Assets Control Regulations, 31 CFR part 515, (CACR) to further implement the policy announced by the Biden-Harris Administration on May 16, 2022  to increase support for the Cuban people.  These regulatory amendments update and clarify authorizations in support of internet-based services to promote internet freedom in Cuba, support independent Cuban private sector entrepreneurs, and expand access to certain financial services for the Cuban people.  These regulatory amendments will become effective upon publication in the Federal Register on May 28, 2024.

The latest changes to the CACR are available here. OFAC also updated Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on its website related to Cuba.  The updated FAQs are available here.  Major elements of the revisions in the CACR include:

Authorized Internet-Based Services and Software

OFAC is amending the CACR to update and clarify the scope of authorized internet-based services, including by adding examples of authorized services incident to the exchange of communications over the internet and updating the authorization for services in support of such communication.  Additional examples of authorized services include social media platforms, collaboration platforms, video conferencing, e-gaming and e-learning platforms, automated translation, web maps, and user authentication services.  OFAC is also clarifying that persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction may provide cloud-based services (including remote data storage, data transport service, content distribution networks, virtual machines, software-as-a-service, and infrastructure-as-a-service) to support services incident to the exchange of communications over the internet.  

In addition, OFAC is amending the CACR to expand the authorization for services, including training, to install, repair, or replace items related to communication, or items used to develop software that improves the free flow of information or that will support private sector activities in Cuba consistent with the export or reexport licensing policy of the Department of Commerce, including by removing the requirement that referenced items fall within specific export control classification parameters.  OFAC is further authorizing the export or reexport of Cuban-origin software and mobile applications from the United States to third countries, which will expand the ability for independent Cuban entrepreneurs to offer their software and mobile applications on global application stores.  

Independent Private Sector Entrepreneurs

OFAC is replacing the defined term “self-employed individual” with the new term “independent private sector entrepreneur.”  The new term continues to include self-employed individuals, such as owners or employees of private businesses or sole proprietorships, but the amended definition now also includes private cooperatives or small private businesses that are wholly owned by or consisting solely of such individuals.  In each case, the new term is limited to private cooperatives, small private businesses, and sole proprietorships located in Cuba of up to 100 employees.  The amended definition better reflects Cuba’s non-state sector, as Cuba now authorizes the establishment of small- and medium-sized private enterprises.  Finally, OFAC is excluding prohibited Cuban officials and prohibited Cuban Communist Party members from the new term to ensure they do not take advantage of U.S. actions intended to benefit independent private sector entrepreneurs.

U.S. Bank Account

OFAC is authorizing independent private sector entrepreneurs who are Cuban nationals to open, maintain, and remotely use U.S. bank accounts, including through online payment platforms, to conduct authorized or exempt transactions, whether the independent private sector entrepreneur is physically located in the United States, Cuba, or another country.   

U-Turn Transactions

OFAC is reinstating an authorization for “U-turn” transactions, which are funds transfers that originate and terminate outside the United States where neither the originator nor beneficiary is subject to U.S. jurisdiction.  OFAC previously removed the authorization for “U-turn” transactions in September 2019.  This reinstated authorization is intended to help the Cuban people, including independent private sector entrepreneurs, by facilitating remittances and payments for transactions in the Cuban private sector that are authorized by various provisions of the CACR.  Under this reinstated authorization, U.S banks are authorized to process “U-turn” funds transfers in which Cuba or a Cuban national has an interest, provided that neither the originator nor the beneficiary is a person subject to U.S. jurisdiction.   

OFAC is also authorizing the unblocking and return of any “U-turn” funds transfer that was blocked prior to this reinstatement of the “U-turn” authorization.  For more information on Cuba sanctions, see here.

US opens up banking access to private businesses in Cuba

T he U.S. lifted some financial restrictions against Cuba on Tuesday, in a move designed to boost private businesses on the island.

The measures will allow independent entrepreneurs to open and access U.S. bank accounts online to support their businesses. Other measures include steps to open up more internet-based services and expand private companies' ability to use certain financial transactions.

"These regulatory amendments update and clarify authorizations in support of internet-based services to promote internet freedom in Cuba, support independent Cuban private sector entrepreneurs, and expand access to certain financial services for the Cuban people," the Treasury Department said in a news release.

One of the key changes would allow Cuban private business owners to open bank accounts in the United States and then access them online once back in Cuba — something they couldn't do previously. The U.S. also is again allowing something called U-turn transactions, where money is transferred from one country to another but is routed through the United States.

“This reinstated authorization is intended to help the Cuban people, including independent private sector entrepreneurs, by facilitating remittances and payments for transactions in the Cuban private sector,” the release said.

The Trump administration had removed permission for the U-turn transactions in 2019.

The Treasury Department's updated guidance Tuesday also changed terminology that the agency uses to make clear that Cuban officials or prohibited Cuban Communist Party members were not benefiting from the changes that are aimed at the country's emerging private sector.

About 11,000 private businesses in Cuba are responsible for roughly one-third of the island's employment, Cuban officials have said.

The changes come as Cuba is struggling with one of the worst economic and energy crises in its history. Cuban citizens face waves of blackouts that have gotten worse in recent weeks and are frustrated over food shortages and inflation. Hundreds of thousands of people have migrated, many of them headed to the United States.

Ties between the U.S. and Cuba were essentially frozen after the 1959 revolution that saw Fidel Castro rise to power and install a Communist government. There was a wave of nationalizations of large companies, although some small private businesses were allowed to stay open until 1968.

The U.S. implemented a full-scale economic embargo on Cuba in 1962 under President John F. Kennedy.

It wasn't until former President Barack Obama was elected that relations began to thaw a bit, with some restrictions lifted in 2017. Following Obama, then-President Donald Trump largely shut down Obama’s bilateral cooperation. In the waning days of the Trump administration, his government redesignated Cuba as a “state sponsor of terrorism” and hit the country with new sanctions.

Cuba has also slowly opened up its economy to more privately owned enterprises.

In 2010, President Raúl Castro began reforms that expanded independent work for individuals but not for companies. In 2021, Cuban authorities allowed the creation of the first small- and medium-sized companies — called Pymes in Spanish.

Biden administration eases some economic restrictions on Cuba

Private enterprises with no link to the communist government will be granted access to U.S. banks and additional internet services.

The Biden administration amended and clarified a number of existing sanctions against Cuba on Tuesday to allow private entrepreneurs and businesses on the island to open U.S. bank accounts and access online banking as part of its effort “increase support for the Cuban people” while avoiding any assistance to the government.

The actions followed the administration’s lifting of Cuba’s designation as a country that was not “fully cooperating” with the United States on counterterrorism earlier this month, according to senior administration officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity under rules set by the White House.

Lifting of the designation and other sanctions-easing measures came as Cuba has seen the largest exodus in the country’s history over the past three years. More than 500,000 migrants — roughly 5 percent of the population — have crossed into the United States along the southern border since 2021.

In view of what one administration official called the “dire straits” of Cuba’s economy, with growing shortages of fuel, electricity and food, “it’s clear the communist experiment in Cuba has failed and the government is no longer able to provide for its citizens’ most basic needs in a country where there are no free elections.”

By relaxing sanctions, the administration also seeks to stem recent outreach by the Cuban government to both Russia and China for economic and other assistance.

“We believe the organic expansion of the private sector and evolution of the digital economy on the island, led by the Cuban people themselves and not by any foreign government, is critical,” a second official said.

Since the communist government in Havana legalized the creation of small and medium-size private enterprises in 2021, the Biden administration says, 11,000 private businesses have registered in Cuba, accounting for one-third of all employment there, in sectors from tourism to agriculture to car repair.

The new U.S. Treasury Department regulations , which exclude any business with ties to Cuba’s government or its security and intelligence services, will allow direct transactions with U.S. banks, facilitating the procurement of supplies to keep private enterprises alive, the officials said.

In addition to the banking access, U.S. companies will be able to provide private businesses in Cuba with videoconferencing, online learning and cloud-based services.

Still in place is the 1960s economic embargo, which Cuba calls a blockade, and several subsequent legislative expansions, and the U.S. designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism — along with Syria, North Korea and Iran.

In a statement posted on X, Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez called the new measures “limited” and said they “do not reverse the cruel impact and economic strangulation imposed on Cuban families by the genocidal blockade and inclusion in the list of state sponsors of terrorism.”

The state sponsor designation was first made in 1982 because of Cuba’s support at the time for revolutionary and guerrilla groups in Latin America and beyond. It was lifted in 2015 by the Obama administration as part of its diplomatic normalization with Havana, but reimposed by President Donald Trump just a week before he left office in January 2021.

During his 2020 presidential campaign, Biden vowed to roll back Trump’s Cuba policy. But the administration has hesitated to make major moves in that direction amid other international crises and strong opposition from some in Congress and Cuban American voters in Florida.

Trump’s justification was Cuba’s failure to comply with an extradition request by Colombia’s right-wing government for leaders of a militant group who were in Havana to participate in U.S.-backed peace negotiations. Iván Duque, then Colombia’s president, issued arrest warrants for the leaders after the group’s members attacked a Colombian military base in early 2019.

A decision by Colombia’s new left-wing government in 2022 to drop the extradition request eventually led to the Biden administration dropping the noncooperation designation.

The state-sponsor designation has had profound effects on Cuba’s tourism industry, as European and other visitors have resisted travel there for fear of running afoul of the U.S.-visa and other sanctions it authorizes.

The Cuban government’s eased restrictions on private enterprise were designed not only to improve tourism and other aspects of the economy, but to stem the brain drain from the island.

After illegal border crossings to the United States surged in 2021 and 2022, the Biden administration expanded opportunities for Cuban migrants and asylum seekers to enter the country legally. Since the beginning of 2023, illegal entries have fallen sharply, and the administration is allowing about 20,000 Cubans per month to enter the country legally, according to the latest U.S. data.

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US opens up banking to private Cuban businesses as it aims to boost private sector

FILE- This June 6, 2019, file photo shows the U.S. Treasury Department building at dusk in Washington. Brent Neiman, deputy undersecretary for international finance at the U.S. Treasury, said in a speech on Tuesday that Ukraine’s wartime economy has proven resilient in the face of Russia’s invasion and said U.S. and allies’ budget assistance is designed to help the nation combat corruption and increase transparency. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, File)

A person waves a Cuban flag during a gathering marking International Workers’ Day at Jose Marti Anti-Imperialist Square in Havana, Cuba, Wednesday, May 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariel Ley)

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WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. lifted some financial restrictions against Cuba on Tuesday, in a move designed to boost private businesses on the island.

The measures will allow independent entrepreneurs to open and access U.S. bank accounts online to support their businesses. They also include steps to open up more internet-based services and expand private companies’ ability to make certain financial transactions.

“These regulatory amendments update and clarify authorizations in support of internet-based services to promote internet freedom in Cuba, support independent Cuban private sector entrepreneurs, and expand access to certain financial services for the Cuban people,” the Treasury Department said in a news release.

One of the key changes will allow Cuban private business owners to open bank accounts in the United States and then access them online once back in Cuba — something they couldn’t do previously. The U.S. also is again allowing something called U-turn transactions, where money is transferred from one country to another but is routed through the United States.

“This reinstated authorization is intended to help the Cuban people, including independent private sector entrepreneurs, by facilitating remittances and payments for transactions in the Cuban private sector,” the release said.

The Trump administration had removed permission for the U-turn transactions in 2019.

The Cuban authorities downplayed the announcement. Johana Tablada, deputy director of the U.S. department in the Cuban Foreign Ministry, said the steps were “limited” and will do little to ease the embargo or sanctions that have most hurt the Cuban people.

“If these measures are serious and truly intended to bring benefits to the population, even if they are going to bring benefits to a part of the population, they will not be hindered by the Cuban government,” Tablada told The Associated Press.

The Treasury Department’s updated guidance Tuesday also changed terminology that the agency uses to make clear that Cuban officials or prohibited Cuban Communist Party members were not benefiting from the changes that are aimed at the country’s emerging private sector.

About 11,000 private businesses in Cuba are responsible for roughly one-third of the island’s employment, Cuban officials have said.

The changes come as Cuba struggles with one of the worst economic and energy crises in its history. Cuban citizens face waves of blackouts that have gotten worse in recent weeks and are frustrated over food shortages and inflation. Hundreds of thousands of people have migrated, many of them headed to the United States.

In Cuba, caution prevailed about what the changes would mean.

“It is a generally positive measure, but there are many hows and whys that will have to be answered in the coming days,” Oniel Díaz, manager of AUGE, a Cuban corporate services company, told the AP.

Díaz said it could open up avenues for Cuban businessmen who import everything from food to automobiles and help them make payments to suppliers, for example. But he questioned whether banks would want to do operations with businessmen on the island due to the perception of risks.

Díaz recalled that during the Obama administration there was a provision that allowed — albeit in a more limited way — Cubans to open U.S.-based accounts, but the banks did not show “great enthusiasm” for it.

Tuesday’s announcement comes a few weeks after the U.S. removed Cuba from the State Department’s short list of countries that it deems less than fully cooperative against violent groups. However, the U.S. still lists Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism — a description that often scares away banks because they don’t want to become the target of lawsuits in U.S. courts.

Ties between the U.S. and Cuba were essentially frozen after the 1959 revolution that saw Fidel Castro rise to power and install a Communist government. There was a wave of nationalizations of large companies, although some small private businesses were allowed to stay open until 1968.

The U.S. implemented a full-scale economic embargo on Cuba in 1962 under President John F. Kennedy.

It wasn’t until former President Barack Obama was elected that relations began to thaw a bit, with some restrictions lifted in 2017. Following Obama, then-President Donald Trump largely shut down Obama’s cooperation with Cuba. In the waning days of the Trump administration, his government redesignated Cuba as a “state sponsor of terrorism” and hit the country with new sanctions.

Cuba has also slowly opened up its economy to more privately owned enterprises.

In 2010, President Raúl Castro began reforms that expanded independent work for individuals but not for companies. In 2021, Cuban authorities allowed the creation of the first small- and medium-sized companies — called Pymes in Spanish.

Rodriguez contributed from Havana, Cuba.

Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport is getting a new terminal — in 12 years. Why it'll take so long

A new terminal will be built at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego announced during her State of the City address on April 23.

But it will be a while before passengers can use it.

Because of rigorous and lengthy review processes, city aviation officials don't expect construction will begin on the West Terminal at Sky Harbor Airport until the early 2030s.

Jordan Feld, Phoenix's deputy aviation director; and Jay DeWitt, chief development officer of aviation, are working on the new terminal. Feld gave a presentation at a recent City Council meeting that revealed the terminal would be built west of Terminals 3 and 4, will have 40 to 60 gates and will begin construction in 2032 after design planning and an environmental review that will take at least six years.

The Arizona Republic interviewed Feld and DeWitt about plans for the West Terminal. Here's what they shared.

Proposed parking rate increase: Here's how much more you could pay to park at Sky Harbor

Environmental review required for new Phoenix airport terminal

The main reason it will take so long to build the new Phoenix airport terminal is a six-year environmental review process. Sky Harbor staff estimated that work will take place from 2025 to 2031.

The process starts with an airport layout plan review, which involves assembling a complicated regulatory map that the Federal Aviation Administration must approve before the environmental review can start. The airport layout plan takes about a year to complete.

Next, airport officials must complete a benefit-cost analysis, which Feld described as a detailed study that justifies the project and explains the design parameters that will likely be used.

After that comes the environmental impact statement, which is the longest part of the process.

Most of Sky Harbor's projects go through a shorter regulatory process, an environmental assessment under the National Environmental Policy Act, Feld said. But larger projects like new terminals require an environmental impact statement, which involves regular check-ins with regulators and extensive public outreach.

"When you add it all up, you get to five, six years pretty fast," he said. "There's no shortcut (for) EIS. In fact, the five-year timeframe for an EIS is actually relatively quick."

EIS reviews are typical for new airport terminal construction and other large-scale airport investments. Feld said Tucson International Airport had to go through the EIS to build new runways.

Feld and DeWitt estimate the West Terminal's construction will begin in 2032 and it will at least partially open in 2036.

New Phoenix airport terminal will be similar to Terminal 4 in size

Passengers can expect the West Terminal will have a similar size and layout to Terminal 4, including eight concourses, Feld said. Right now, the exact square footage is unknown.

The new terminal will have parking in its upper levels and a connection with the PHX Sky Train, which is free to ride and connects Terminals 3 and 4 to economy parking lots, the Valley Metro light rail and the Rental Car Center.

Additional parking beyond a terminal garage is part of the plan for the West Terminal. Feld floated the possibility of converting the surface lot at the 24th Street Sky Train Station into a garage, which would add more parking spaces.

The design of the terminal will be modular, which will allow staff to build more concourses as the need arises, Feld said.

"It's reasonable to expect the type of aircraft will get larger and larger and the technology will continue to get better and better," Feld said. "This seems like a great thing (with) a more seamless process so you can get planes in and out of the gates quicker and move through the airfield more efficiently."

One way terminal gates at Sky Harbor have evolved is how queuing for flights happens against the wall, allowing more room for seating, DeWitt said. This will be how the concourses in the West Terminal, as well as a new concourse under construction in Terminal 3 expected to open in 2027, are laid out.

Staff won't know until further in the process what airlines and planes will use the terminal. They base their plans on assumptions about the future market needs and what trends they anticipate. Feld envisions larger aircraft and higher passenger occupancy being the prevailing trend at Sky Harbor and other large hub airports in the U.S., things that must be factored into the design of the terminal.

"You don't want to miss a huge opportunity," he said. "It's like putting all your money into LaserDiscs and then you find out about DVDs in a couple of years."

Existing baggage system would exceed capacity in late 2030s

Feld told the Phoenix City Council in May that demand at Sky Harbor's existing terminals will exceed capacity by 2038. A chart displayed during the meeting showed the airport's baggage system would be incapable of handling the forecasted demand.

The baggage system is "very space consuming," he told The Republic. The only way to improve baggage operations is with newer facilities that will improve the system.

"There's only so much you can do to the baggage system ... you can optimize the facility, you can make some investments, you can try to expand it, but there's limits to it," Feld said. "If we continue to grow without improving functions like baggage, you wouldn't be happy with how long it would take to get your bag."

Airport staff plan to address the need by building a high-tech baggage system in the West Terminal that connects to Terminals 3 and 4, allowing bag processing to be shared between terminals, he said.

New customs facility would improve international flight needs

One of the first details to emerge about the West Terminal was it would have a state-of-the-art customs facility for processing international travelers more efficiently.

“Our forecast for international demand is continuing to grow," Feld said. "If you experienced the international facilities in Terminal 4, they're nice. But it would be hard to see how they could accommodate double that activity 20 years from now."

The impact of greater demand for international travel is evident at Sky Harbor through new routes, like Tijuana via American Airlines and Los Cabos via Frontier Airlines ; new planes like Condor Airlines' Airbus A330-900neo for its flights between Phoenix and Frankfurt, Germany; and new airlines, like Air France's newly launched nonstop service to Paris and Canadian carrier Porter Airlines announcing flights to Toronto .

Airport staff think an improved customs infrastructure will help attract new international flights, including long haul. Feld said the new customs facility will build resiliency into the airport's operations, as the existing Terminal 4 customs facility will continue operating.

How much will the new Phoenix airport terminal cost?

The total cost for the West Terminal construction is not yet known, but DeWitt thinks the scope of the project is comparable to Salt Lake City International Airport, where a new terminal was built to replace aging concourses, opening in phases in 2020 and 2023. The terminal cost $4 billion to build, according to Salt Lake City documents and Feld's City Council presentation.

Salt Lake City officials sought to meet fast-growing tourism demand as more people flew in, particularly during ski season. Transportation Security Administration officials stated the old airport was built to accommodate 10 million passengers per year, but was handling up to 26 million passengers before the new terminal's debut.

The goal with Sky Harbor's West Terminal is similar: Develop a state-of-the-art terminal that's better equipped to handle larger airplanes and more travelers.

Sky Harbor intends to apply for federal and state funding to help pay for the terminal construction, DeWitt said. He said grant funding historically wasn't available for airport terminal projects, but the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed in 2021 changed that.

A $20 million grant from the infrastructure law supported the construction of 16 gates in the new Salt Lake City terminal. In Arizona, Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport in east Mesa received $14.4 million under the infrastructure law to build a new six-gate concourse, which opened in February .

Money for most of Sky Harbor's projects comes from airport cash, bonds and passenger facility charges, fees that air travelers pay any time they buy a plane ticket. Airport projects are not paid for using tax dollars.

Michael Salerno is an award-winning journalist who’s covered travel and tourism since 2014. His work as The Arizona Republic’s consumer travel reporter aims to help readers navigate the stresses of traveling and get the best value for their money on their vacations. He can be reached at  [email protected] . Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:  @salerno_phx .

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