Travel to Cuba

General

President Obama re-established U.S./Cuba relations by executive order.  This opened the door for folks under U.S. jurisdiction to resume travel to Cuba, but with very specific restrictions.

U.S. travel to Cuba is governed by the U.S. Department of Treasury, Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC) which administers and enforces the Cuban Assets Control Regulations (CACR).
 
No, you are not allowed to vacation in Cuba.  CACR prohibits tourist travel to Cuba for persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction.

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CACR authorizes travel to Cuba via 12 general license categories.  You are only allowed to travel to Cuba when your visit meets the requirements of one of the prescribed categories.

• Application:  No formal application is required when your travel is within one of the categories.
• Cuba Schedule:  Generally, you must engage in a full-time schedule of activities which directly relates to and supports your specified category of travel while in Cuba.  Your schedule must not include free time or recreation in excess of that consistent with a full-time schedule.
• Records:  You must maintain records of your full-time schedule of activities to demonstrate your compliance with your selected CACR general license and retain your records for 5 years.

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Details

You may familiarize yourself with the U.S. Regulations and General Licensing Categories information through the following official resources online.
 
Cuban Assets Control Regulations (CACR) - §515.560 Travel-related transactions to, from, and within Cuba by persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction:
http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/retrieveECFR?gp=&SID=c3bd2836a85941bcbe52377563828222&mc=true&n=sp31.3.515.e&r=SUBPART&ty=HTML#se31.3.515_1560
 
U.S. Department of the Treasury - Frequently Asked Questions Related to Cuba:
https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Programs/Documents/cuba_faqs_new.pdf
 

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Cuba Travel Documents and Currency

• Cuba Travel Affidavit – Needed for U.S. authorities
• Passport – Valid for 6 months after departure from Cuba
• Cuba Tourist Visa/Card
  • Required by Cuban authorities, has nothing to do with U.S. authorizations or restrictions
  • Valid for 30 days (a 30-day extension usually available once in Cuba)
• Cuba-issued medical insurance
• Cash only – Credit/debit cards are not accepted

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Release of Liability:  The information contained in this posting is provided solely as a courtesy and for general reference purposes.  Each individual traveler is personally responsible for accessing, reading, understanding and complying with all U.S. and Cuba regulations and guidelines governing travel to and from Cuba as well as obtaining and having in his possession all documents required for travel.  You hereby release The Hill Guys Travel from any and all responsibility and/or liability related to errors and omissions and your understanding, compliance, and documentation or lack thereof.