Travel Considerations for Cuba

UPDATED 4/1/21 

Travel to Cuba is... complicated if you are an American citizen. If you are an international traveller, you can skip ahead. For the Americans, please pay special attention to the following:

Can I even Go to Cuba?

As of this writing, the US State Department travel to Cuba is currently prohibited due to COVID-19 concerns. Ordinarily, the United States has limited tourism because of §515.560, the US Federal code section which governs who may enter Cuba from the United States of America. The code section specifies directly that approval is made on a case-by-case basis, but there are some visitation purposes which usually are admissible. I have listed them below for easy access.

- Family visits

- Official US government business


- Educational activities

- Religious activities

- Public performances/ competitions/ workshops/ exhibitions

- Support for the Cuban people

- Humanitarian projects

- Exportation of informational materials

- Certain financial business

- Carrying remittances to family

It can appear confusing to navigate the dense legal framework which dictates travel to Cuba, but the first step is merely to apply for a visa. There are General Licenses and Specific Licenses. Most of the activities listed above will be covered by a General License. Visas are issued by the Office of Foreign Access Control, and their website has a wonderfully informative FAQ about travel to Cuba. 

Before you consider applying for a General or Specific license, you should be aware that an HIV/AIDs test is required before entering Cuba. Additionally, you cannot export any Cuban convertible pesos (CUC) under any circumstances. If you have leftover CUC you should change it back into American dollars or risk having it confiscated at the airport. 

You will have a lot of cash on hand because credit and debit cards to not work in Cuba! 


The US Embassy in Havana has been closed since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and staff have been drawn down significantly. This means there may not be an easy way to contact the US government in case of an emergency. 

Why Would I Want to Go to Cuba in the First Place?

Cuba has a rich culture and a staggeringly long history rife with physical sites to visit. The scenery is gorgeous - with white sand beaches, lush tropical jungles, and mountain forests to explore. The Cuban people are friendly and generous. Cuba, as you may remember from the History post a while ago, was a retreat for the wealthy in the early half of the 20th century and a favorite haunt of Ernest Hemingway. Clearly thisisland has much to offer the traveler with regards to adventure, natural beauty, and warm local people. 


Most people before the 2014 "Cuban Thaw" visited Cuba to see their families left behind, or to bring. money to those same families. Tourism was not much of a thought back then. However, the rise of interest in Cuba following high profile immigrants, media depictions, and  relative isolation of the big island has caught people's imaginations. Maybe soon, COVID-19 restrictions will lift and the US embargo will end and Cuba will become as popular a destination as Cancun, or Port-au-Prince. 

Until then, keep Cuba in your mind. 

I leave you with a final snapshot of Cuba from the perspective of an English traveler with his boots on the ground, away from the carefully cultivated veneer of the tourist-rich Havana. This video chronicles the abject lack of infrastructure, industry, and wealth among standard Cubans. 



Works Cited

US State Department. Cuba Travel Restrictions. 19 01 2021. 1 04 2021. 
https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Cuba.html

"US State Dept." 02 04 2021. 02 04 2021.  
https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/financial-sanctions/sanctions-programs-and-country-information/cuba-sanctions

"e-CFR." 01 04 2021. Electronic Code of Federal Regulation. April 5 2021.

https://home.treasury.gov/policy-issues/financial-sanctions/sanctions-programs-and-country-information/cuba-sanctions






Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Week 1: Introduction

Image
I'm Matt.  For most of my adult life I have been called by my last name, usually attached to a rank. 'Matt' is still somewhat foreign in my ears, and certainly in my own mouth. For the duration of my twenties, and most of my thirties thus far, the phrase "introduce yourself" consisted of standing up in a crowded room full of men and women dressed identically to me, loudly stating my rank, name, and the details of my previous duty assignment.  "Sergeant Long, I'm coming from the 172nd out of Graf."  And the person next to me would stand up and do the same.  "Specialist Jones. 2ID at Hovey." And since I was with 2ID sometime in the past I could find Jones afterward, exchange pleasant insults and perhaps make a friend. Life is so much more complicated now.  This week alone I have sat through grueling introductory exercises where we are encouraged to announce our major, our age, our hobbies, and desperately hope we didn't sound like psychop...
Read more

Getting to know Cuba - Research Part I

Image
S ince the Neolithic era the island known as Cuba has actively affected the surrounding region. This holds true whether we are talking about immigration of the Arawak peoples onto the island from mainland South America, or Fidel Castro's revolution. The history of this island is so vast and rich that  things  were happening throughout all eras in (relatively) recent history.  So where to begin? What to focus on? Entire books have been written about just the effects of Columbus' visit in 1493 to Cuba. On the other side of that coin, there is so little information about the Guanahatabey peoples that historians confused them for a totally different people altogether. Certainly, there are quite a few centuries in Cuba's history which were exciting, but I'm going to have to narrow it down.  I am doing this research for a final project based around this particular island nation. While comprehensive, this project is not a doctorate thesis, and so I cannot be too expansive, ...
Read more

The Failed Promise of Marx: Socialist Impact on the Cuban Economy

Image
When Fulgencio Batista fled Cuba on January 1st, 1959, it was not Fidel Castro who first stepped victoriously into Havana, but Ernesto 'Che' Guevara. This moment was the major turning point for the Cuban people and the beginning of what would amount to the failure of a socialist ideology-driven planned economy. Prior to Castro's Revolution, Cuba was a Republic. Since the days of being a U.S. protectorate, Cuba's government suffered its share of growing pains, but at least in 1958 Cuba enjoyed status as a well advanced country for Latin America, and in some cases, the world (Smith and Llorens). Cuba ranked 5th in per capita income, 3rd in life expectancy, and 2nd in automobile ownership (Public Broadcasting Service). In 1929, Cuba's per capita income was 41% of the U.S. national average, putting it easily above Mississippi and South Carolina. Sugar sales and tourism drove the early republic's economy to expand rapidly and two-thirds of Cuba's population were ...
Read more