Are you allowed to go to Cuba? Find out here
Am I allowed to go to Cuba? I’m sure that question has come up in conversation among you and your friends. Well, you had better have a good reason! Tourism, which includes tanning on the beach and chilling out with a coconut and mojito, are still not allowed reasons.
The allowed reasons for travel are:
Family Visits
Official US gov’t business
Journalistic activities
Professional research and meetings
Educational activities and people-to-people exchanges
Religious Activities
Public Performances (including athletic competitions)
Support for the Cuban People
Humanitarian Projects
Private foundation activities
Exportation or importation of informational materials
Authorized export transactions
OFAC Cuba
By no means am I suggesting what reason you have to go to Cuba, but the vast majority of people we’ve spoken to go down under the Support for the Cuban People category. We were lucky enough to go as freelance journalists and had an amazing time.
If you’re not sure which of the reasons you’ll fall into, you can read the US Treasury’s description of each category on their website here.
Once you do decide which of the 12 categories you fall into, you’ll have to fill out a travel affidavit before leaving. This form will be filed with the US Treasury and kept on file for a minimum of 5 years. During that time, the government might ask you for proof that your reason for visit was valid. Many people who we’ve spoke to that go down for “support of the Cuban people†keep a detailed itinerary of all their activities that they did throughout the day in order to prove that they did, indeed, go to support the local communities.
Green and Pink Cuban Visas
There are lots of tour companies that will put together itineraries for you if you decide to go down this route. We’d also be happy to put you in touch with many of our local friends who live there and they too would be able to help you form your itinerary.
You can read about our flight down here.
You can also read about our hotel here.
And make sure you don’t have issues at checkin, read about our experience here.
Last but not least, here’s how to clear customs and immigration.
The most important rule is one that your parents taught you years ago; whatever you do, don’t lie. Cuba is a fantastic place with a rich culture and amazing people, but if you are caught lying on your affidavit you could land yourself in a world of trouble. To my knowledge, previous presidential administrations have not had a widespread campaign of checking these things, but please don’t let yourself be the first one.
February 15, 2017
Am I reading this correctly? If we wanted to take our kids for spring break this April we could put down “support the Cuban people” as our reason, stay in a Cuban family’s incredible air B&B and we could make that reason could work? Or does the capacity in which we fly there need to be a bit more “official”?
March 31, 2017
So, when you select “journalistic activities”, as a freelance writer what do you need to provide the government as proof? Would articles, or blog posts suffice? My wife and I are interested in going next March
March 31, 2017
Hey Antonio. You don’t have to send anything in or provide anything, just keep track of things incase they do ask you. Someone told me that they haven’t actually asked for anything from anyone in a very long time (or ever for that matter) but I would imagine if you’re going as a journalist, keep a log of where you went, what you wrote about, and who you talked to. Have a fantastic trip!
December 14, 2017
Hi Jon! I am interested in planning my upcoming itinerary with a Cuban local. Can you please put me in contact with someone?
December 14, 2017
For sure – when are you going? Feel free to email us and we can chat there!