Guide to Traveling to Cuba as an American

Cuba is like going to a whole other planet. It’s so different but it’s so similar to the United States, to Miami. It’s like a doppelganger. It’s the mirror image. And I have no doubt, that once Cuba becomes democratic, that it will be the favorite tourist destination for Americans. – Henry Louis Gates

As an American, Cuba is one of those places that has been forbidden for a very long time. Being the first born to both Cuban immigrants, I personally had mixed feelings about visiting Cuba. The prospect of traveling to the island holds a different emotional weight to someone of Cuban descent. Do I go and give business to a government that has taken away so much from my family? Do I not go and miss out on meeting family members that only keep getting older as the years go on?

My grandparents, political refugees, fled Cuba in the early 1970s with only the clothes on their backs and leaving their entire family behind. Both of my parents arrived to this country at the age of 12 with my grandparents. None of them spoke any English, but they understood that their lives would change for the better. Fidel Castro took everything from them, he split up their property, their families, took away their freedom, but most importantly, gave them a purpose to break free. It is that purpose that allowed my brother and I to be born in this country and experience what they always dreamed of.

As a child, I can recall three of my maternal grandmothers siblings coming to visit us in the United States. Once they returned to Cuba, I would write them from time to time saying that one day I would come visit them in Cuba. Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to visit them as they eventually passed away. I continued to hold on to a little bit of hope that things would change in the future between the U.S. and Cuba, giving me the chance to step on Cuban soil and meet the family I had only heard of for decades. 

For over half a century, the borders of Cuba have been closed off to American tourists with only a fortunate few being exempt. That was at least, until recently, after former President Obama relaxed travel restrictions to Cuba. One of the greatest results of the embargo lift is that it’s giving the children of Cuban immigrants, like myself, the chance to connect with a culture they’ve heard so much about. Whether or not you are of American or Cuban descent, If you’re also wanting to visit Cuba, but aren’t sure what the rules are for American travel to Cuba, keep reading. I’m here to tell you everything you should know before visiting Cuba.

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Is it Legal to Travel to Cuba as an American?

Cuba has never been closed to U.S. tourism, but immigration watched you much more closely when you re-entered the United States. Despite recent changes, general tourist travel to Cuba is still considered illegal. As an American, you can travel to Cuba IF  you fall under one of the 12 authorized categories from the U.S. Department of Treasury. So what exactly does this mean? Can you can travel to Cuba with the intentions of tourism, claiming you are there for one of the 12 authorized reasons, without any hassle from the American or Cuban government? The rules seem to be pretty lenient these days, but there can also be serious fines and/or revocation of your passport upon your return to the USA if you do not qualify. If you travel to Cuba claiming you fall under one of these 12 categories, but in fact drink a few mojitios…chances are you will be alright, but it’s not guaranteed.

You didn’t hear this from me, but whatever reason you choose – it’s simply a formality. It doesn’t seem anyone really cares or checks upon you.

Do You Qualify?

In order to travel independently to Cuba as an American, you must qualify under one of 12 General License categories. The categories are as follows:

• 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 information materials
• Certain export transactions that may be considered for authorization under existing regulations and guidelines

 

You can visit this US Government FAQ sheet to get detailed information on each one of the General License categories and what is required of you if you choose to claim that license for independent travel to Cuba.

If you don’t qualify for any of the above categories or feel uncomfortable going independently, you can sign up for a U.S. approved people to people tour of Cuba. There are many agencies in the United States that are now licensed by the U.S. government to run tours for American citizens to Cuba. You can search for these online and book them just like you would any other group tour package. Everything is booked for you and the companies have already obtained the necessary licensing for you to travel in Cuba. You just need to show up and enjoy your tour.

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Do You Need a Visa?

Yes, you need a visa to visit Cuba, however it is very simple to get. You can purchase your visa for a fee through your airline at check-in. I flew American and paid $85 for my visa. Be aware that each airline charges a different price for a visa.

When arriving into Cuba, Cuban immigration used to stamp your visa. By doing this, it allowed U.S. travelers to visit Cuba without detection from the government. However, due to policy changes, Cuba has started stamping U.S. passports directly. My passport was stamped and when arriving back into the United States, I had no issues at all with U.S. immigration.

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Do You Need Travel Insurance?

If you’re an American citizen, you are required to have medical insurance coverage for the duration of your stay in Cuba that is backed by a non-U.S. provider. Do not try to enter the country without medical insurance. If anything happens and you need medical assistance, you must have coverage! When booking with American Airlines, $25 is added into your ticket price, so you don’t have to worry about searching for insurance on your own. If you prefer to get your own health insurance, I recommend World Nomads.

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How Do You Get to Cuba?

Direct flights from the United States to Cuba are now available with a variety of airline companies including, but not limited to, American, United, Southwest, Delta, and Jet Blue. There is no need to fly into a different country and take a separate flight into Cuba.

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Can You Use a Debit or Credit Card in Cuba?

As an American, this is a big NO! If you’re an American traveling to Cuba, don’t plan on using the ATM machine to get out any cash. U.S. based bank, credit or debit cards don’t work in Cuba. You will have to estimate the amount of money needed for your ENTIRE trip and bring it with you in cash. Don’t rely on any cards in Cuba. I suggest bringing a little extra cash in case of an emergency. Once you arrive at the airport in Cuba, you can exchange your cash for Cuban currency. I would get plenty of money here, you can always convert it back before you leave if you don’t use it all.

I was very nervous to bring such a large amount of cash with me, however I never felt unsafe while in Cuba. You can spread or hide your money within your personal belongings if that makes you feel better. I personally used one of these to hold some of my cash and it worked great!

FYI: The currency exchange counter can be found right outside of the airport where all the taxis are. I’ve heard alot of people say this line is insanely long, but when I visited there was no one in line. My flight arrived around 9 am on a Thursday, not sure if that had anything to do with it, but the money exchange process went smoothly for me.

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What Currency Should You Take to Cuba?

Unfortunately for Americans, the U.S. dollar is the worst possible currency to exchange in Cuba. Currently, there is a 10% penalty charge when you exchange U.S. dollars for Cuban currency as well as 3% currency exchange fee. You can’t buy Cuban currency, CUC or CUP, in other countries like you can buy euros for your trip to, say, France. As a workaround, it is recommended that you take any other currency besides U.S. dollars to Cuba in cash. You could buy Euros/Canadian Dollars/Pesos in the U.S. and bring them into Cuba with you. However, depending on the exchange rate, after the extra fees to buy them, and then the standard money exchange fees in Cuba, it might end up being essentially the same cost as the 10% USD penalty in Cuba.  Remember to calculate the penalty charges into the money you are bringing for your trip so that you aren’t short on cash. Sure, it’s easiest to take dollars, but you’ll get 87 CUCs for every $100 you change. If your budget is $1000, you’ll end up with only $870.

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Should You Check a Bag?

Try to pack everything into a carry-on bag to avoid checking in any luggage.  Otherwise, you might get stuck in the airport, waiting for your luggage to arrive on the carousel for at least an hour or more. I have heard stories from people who stated they waited 2-3 hours for their bags to arrive. This sounds like an awful way to start a trip. The good thing about Cuba is that the weather is tropical and hot so packing light is no problem.

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Should You Stay at a Casa Particular?

Yes, yes and yes! Every hotel is controlled by the Cuban government – by the Castro family, you might have heard of them. Avoid all hotels and stay at a Casa Particular. Casas Particulares are how Cuba deals with lack of hotels. Cuban residents can rent out an extra room in their home to tourists. They pay a monthly government tax and receive government inspections to ensure their accommodation is up to standards. You can easily book a casa through Air BNB. Your casa will typically offer meal options during stay. They are also great at suggesting activities for you to do and will even book them for you. Staying in a casa is a great way to experience living like a local and supporting the Cuban people.

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What About Internet?

Just know that, there is no free Wifi in Cuba! If you need to connect to the internet, you will have to buy a prepaid card that can be used in selected areas of the city, typically hotels & parks only. To get online, you will need to buy an ETECSA wifi card, either for 30 minutes, 60 minutes, or 5 hours. With this card, you will be able to get onto wifi when you are in wifi zones. You can normally spot if you are in a wifi hotspot if there are a bunch of people leaning against a building swiping through their phones. Beware of people trying to sell you overpriced prepaid cards. You’ll be better off buying from authorized shops or hotels.

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Should You Plan Ahead?

Speaking of internet, while one of the things to know before traveling to Cuba is that the internet is not as hard to find as everyone states, it’s still no where near as available and easy to access as other places in the world. You don’t want to spend hours sitting in the park planning your activities for your trip so I’d really recommend researching and planning the things you want to do prior to your visit. You can book things before or wait to book them when you arrive. Your Casa Particular can help you organize practically anything.

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How Do You Navigate Around?

I highly suggest downloading an offline map of the Cuban cities that you intend on visiting, to your phone.  As you already know, wifi connection is very limited in Cuba, and having an offline map with directions is very convenient and will help you a lot. I personally used maps.me.

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Can You Bring back Souvenirs?

Yes! Although the import and export laws are still a bit unclear between the U.S. and Cuba commercially, you can bring back up to $400 worth of Cuban goods into the United States for personal use. But no more than $100 worth of tobacco or alcohol products. So, stock up on all the Cuban cigars and Havana Club Rum!

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Will You Have Issues Re-Entering the US After Cuba?

When I visited Cuba I flew directly from Miami and upon re-entering the United States, I had no issues. This part was surprisingly easy. I was never questioned about my travels in Cuba. You can no longer travel under the People To People category as an individual. You are also prohibited from spending money at military-owned businesses, which is something to keep in mind during your visit. However traveling independently under Support For The Cuban People is still allowed, which is the category I traveled under. You can keep up to date with the latest changes here. 

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My Thoughts After Visiting Cuba

Growing up in South Florida, I have been surrounded by Cuban culture my whole life. I never was able to connect with some of my own Cuban family that was just a 30-minute plane ride away. After visiting Cuba this year, I finally had the opportunity to not only meet some of my family for the first time, but also better understand my heritage! I can finally put everything together to complete my story. Although I look forward to visiting Cuba again in the near future, I really hope the Cuban people will soon experience a life free of oppression.

It seems like there’s a lot of extra preparation and details for Americans traveling to Cuba, but it’s really just like traveling to any other more remote part of the world. It may be harder to travel to Cuba at the moment, but it is very much worth the effort. See for yourself what this economically challenged yet culturally captivating country has to offer.

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