What Americans need to know about traveling to Cuba
Making sense of the new travel policies and rules.
This year, Cuba ranked as the top trending destination in the 2023 Travelers' Choice awards, meaning Cuba-focused pages on Tripadvisor are seeing an increase in year-over-year activity.
But having swung back and forth throughout the last three American presidencies, the rules about visiting Cuba can be confusing, and it can be hard to keep them straight. Here’s what U.S. travelers need to know about planning a trip there now.
How has travel to Cuba changed in recent years?
American tourism on Cuba has been limited for decades, but in 2016, former President Barack Obama propped the door open, allowing everyday Americans to plan "people-to-people" trips—trips to visit with Cubans and learn about Cuban culture—on their own. (Previously, travelers could only visit with approved tour operators.) After decades of pause, cruises and commercial flights also resumed service to Cuba in 2016.
The following year, former President Donald Trump reversed that policy, eliminating the people-to-people option and organized group travel; banning cruises; and prohibiting U.S. airlines from flying into any other Cuban city besides Havana. Trump did, however, leave the door open for travel under the broad banner of "Support for the Cuban People," which, per The Washington Post, "required more direct aid to locals on the ground."
In 2022, President Joe Biden announced plans to resume people-to-people group travel in Cuba in a new capacity, though concrete details have yet to be released. (Individual travel is still restricted.) Biden also greenlit commercial flights to Cuban cities other than Havana to resume (though cruises are still banned).
What about now? Can Americans actually go to Cuba?
Yes. But not in typical tourist fashion, meaning you can’t fly to a beach resort and flop down the way you can in other Caribbean countries. But per the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Americans are allowed to travel to Cuba for a dozen state-sanctioned purposes, including family visits, journalistic activity, educational or religious activities, humanitarian projects, and Support for the Cuban People. It’s precisely that last banner under which many Americans travel to Cuba, and those types of trips must have a full-time schedule of activities sponsored by human-rights organizations or other organizations that promote democracy and/or civil society in some way. The activities must "[e]nhance contact with the Cuban people, support civil society in Cuba, or promote the Cuban people's independence from Cuban authorities," per the CFR. Again: no lazy days on the beach.
Rules put in place by the U.S. government prohibit Americans from interacting with businesses owned by or affiliated with the Cuban government; to do so would be a violation of a decades-old trade embargo. That makes many hotels—which, in Cuba, are largely government-owned or government-affiliated—off limits (you can find the list of banned hotels on OFAC's restricted entities list).
Instead, Americans are required to stay in casa particulares, civilian-owned, guesthouse-like private residences, dine at privately owned restaurants (paladares), and shop at privately owned stores owned by non-state-affiliated proprietors (cuentapropistas).
Which visa or documents do I need to travel to Cuba?
Cuba requires that all visitors have a visa before arrival. If you're visiting under the "Support for the Cuban People" category, you will need a tourist visa—also known as a tourist card—which grants up to a 30-day stay. (The visa options are listed out on the Embassy of Cuba website.)
The most common way to acquire a tourist visa is through your airline; you can purchase visas (usually between $50 and $85) at the airport before the flight. Because policies vary, be sure to confirm the details before your trip. You can also purchase Cuban tourist visas online through third-party companies or in-person at some Cuban consulates (call ahead to find out whether the nearest consulate offers them). Keep in mind: You will need to prove, typically in the form of a return plane ticket, that you’re planning on exiting Cuba before the visa expires.
Cuba also requires travelers to purchase non-U.S. health insurance, which is typically provided by your airline and included in the airfare. Otherwise, you can purchase it at the airport upon arrival in Cuba. Because of the pandemic, you must also fill out a health declaration form.
All of these rules can change quickly—and sometimes without warning—so it’s important to confirm policy specifics with the Embassy of Cuba before your trip.
On the U.S. side of the equation, there is no paperwork and you don't need to apply for a special license if you plan to travel to Cuba under one of the 12 approved categories. But you must carry an itinerary with you at all times that proves the purpose of your visit. You must also retain documentation of every transaction you make in Cuba for five years after your visit, which you may have to provide to OFAC if requested. Because these rules can change at any point, confirm them with the U.S. Department of State and OFAC before your trip.
Which US airlines fly to Cuba?
In June 2022, Biden opened air travel to other Cuban cities besides Havana, including the beach-resort town of Varadero and historic city of Santiago de Cuba. Today, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, and United Airlines all run flights to Cuba from the U.S. Gateway cities with nonstop flights include several Florida cities, including Miami, as well as Houston and New York City.
What about currency and connectivity in Cuba?
- There is Internet in Cuba, but it's widely known to be limited and slow. You will likely have to pay by the minute, and prices vary.
- Many U.S.–based cell phone providers offer roaming coverage in Cuba, but check with your specific provider.
- Credit and debit cards issued by American banks are not widely accepted in Cuba, and many businesses may not have an infrastructure to support international transactions, so you should bring cash and exchange it upon arrival at the airport, a bank, or a casa de cambio (CADECA) exchange house.
- The only currency in Cuba is the Cuban peso (CUP). The Cuban convertible peso (CUC) ended circulation in 2021. That said, many businesses accept euros.
What else about Cuba should travelers be aware of?
In July 2021, during an extreme economic crisis, Cubans staged public demonstrations, protesting their lack of access to essentials like food, medicine, and electricity, as well Covid-19 restrictions. The government retaliated by detaining hundreds of protestors, some 700 of which were still imprisoned a year later. Protests continue to flare up, even as recently as this fall.
According to Human Rights Watch, "The Cuban government continues to repress and punish virtually all forms of dissent and public criticism. At the same time, Cubans continue to endure a dire economic crisis, which impacts their social and economic rights."
Given these circumstances, Cuba is facing the largest migration crisis in the country's history. In 2022, some 250,000 Cubans—a full 2 percent of the country's total population—left the country for the U.S., marking the largest exodus since the 1959 Cuban Revolution. As of this month, the United States has restarted visa services at the U.S. Embassy in Cuba and plans to issue 20,000 visas to Cubans a year. Follow updates from the Department of State to be aware of the latest travel advisories.