Can Us Citizen Travel To Cuba?

Until recently, US law prohibited US citizens from traveling to Cuba for tourism even though the two countries have not been on good terms. However, the restrictions have eased over the years, and there are more legal ways for US citizens to visit the Caribbean island nation. Below is a brief insight into the current laws concerning travel to Cuba by people in the United States.

Some of the Changes Made with Obama’s Presidency

In 2014, the Obama administration started a process of gradually lifting some of the travel restrictions between the United States and Cuba. Although general tourism was not allowed, the government allowed a few special privileged categories of travel. They were family visits, official government business, journalism, professional research, educational purposes, religious functions, performing arts, humanitarian missions, and some export licenses.

According to these changed regulations, US citizens could visit Cuba for only one of the 12 permitted purposes. This meant that things like visiting tourist attractions or just taking a sunbath on the beach were prohibited. Travelers had to be busy all the time and produce daily schedules to show that they had stuck to the declared travel plan in their license application.

Loosening Restrictions Under Trump

In 2017, Trump unveiled some new policies he proposed about Cuba that were in the Obama administration. However, most regulations concerning the categories of authorized travel were still present. The Trump administration made individual people-to-people educational trips impossible. However, Americans could still travel to Cuba under a general educational group travel or for “support to the Cuban people”.

Thus, despite the complete ban on general tourism, the authorized types of travel left much room for maneuver. In the recent past, getting visas and organizing the visits through the permitted travel agencies made the visits to Cuba fairly easy.

Is Cuba Open for Americans in 2022?

Now, citizens of the United States can still not visit Cuba for any purpose other than business, as they cannot go there to sunbathe on the beach. However, the categories of travel that are authorized are still quite general. The most common ways US citizens visit Cuba legally include.

• Family visits
  
• Official government business
  
• Journalistic or professional investigation and study
  
• Business conferences or seminars
  
• Teaching-and-learning experiences [including people-to-people trips with a full-timed program].
  
• Religious activities
  
• Concert, recital, show, practice or rehearsal, competition, game, or spectacle; lecture or demonstration, session or seminar, or sports and physical activity; play, concert, recital, show, or exhibit
  
• Humanitarian projects
  
• Measures aimed at strengthening the Cuban people
  
• The export control functions relating to authorized export transactions.

Thus, even if general tourism is not permitted, there are numerous ways for a US citizen to legally visit Cuba.

What Type of Visa/Paperwork Do You Need?

Any American who wants to visit Cuba needs to get a visa and should have health insurance in the event of the following 12 reasons for travel.

There are two visa options when visiting Cuba

• Tourist Card/Tourist Visa – This is a normal visa that lets you be a tourist. As general tourism is still banned for Americans, it is not possible unless one has dual citizenship.
  
• Non-Tourist Card/Visa – This is a special visa/card that is issued to US citizens visiting Cuba for non-tourism purposes.

The majority of visitors coming to Cuba on educational people-to-people programs or under other categories get a Non-Tourist Card. It acts as your visa and health cover while in Cuba.

An application for a Non-Tourist Card can be made through an accredited third-party agency that deals with travel services. They will incorporate it in your travel plan to and fro tickets, hotel bookings, and everything that is written that you will need to sign.

What Are the Most Common Methods of Getting to Cuba?

Here are some of the approved types of visits US citizens can make to Cuba in 2022:

Educational People-to-People Group Tours

Another way is to take a legally authorized tour with a properly licensed tour operator from the USA. They will arrange an entire package to meet the government requirements and that will be in the context of an education group. Such tours should have a daily list of activities that represent Cuban culture and interaction with the people.

“Support for the Cuban People” Trips

Tourists visiting Cuba to support local enterprises, and exploring the Cuban lifestyle are also allowed. In this case, an authorized agency can arrange these trips to ensure that you are compliant with the rules. Some of these may be visiting privately owned restaurants; attending cultural performances; buying art directly from Cuban artists, etc.

Visiting Family in Cuba

Cuban Americans continue to have family members who live in Cuba today. Today, Americans can travel to Cuba to visit close relatives on the island with a frequency of not more than six months within a year under an authorized family visit general license. You must also show proof of your relationship with such a family member.

In conclusion, although tourism is still theoretically banned, new categories of travel allow many Americans to visit Cuba legally. To meet the government requirements, the agencies and records of expenses must be credible. Taking into account these regulations, one can conclude that US citizens have many more opportunities to travel to Cuba than ten years ago.

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