This Wednesday, June 5th, 2019, many people woke up with the news about the new regulations of the US government related to travel to Cuba.
Today, the White House and OFAC officially tightened Cuba travel restrictions for the first time since November 2017.
In this article, Yalorde Yoga explains everything you need to know about these changes in regulation and how they will affect travel to Cuba. As always, if you have any questions at all, please don’t hesitate to message us.
Cuba Travel Policy Update June 5, 2019
Today new regulations come into force that limit the ways in which Americans can travel to Cuba.
But the good news is: Yes, you can still travel legally to Cuba as an American citizen!
Now you can not travel to Cuba in the “People to People” category (which was used mainly by cruise lines). You can still travel to Cuba, 100% legally, in the category “Support for the Cuban people”.
Happily, this type of local travel is our specialty as Cubans and what Yalorde Yoga specializes in.
During our tours you will engage in additional authorized Support for the Cuban People activities. In addition, you stay in rooms in a rented accommodation in a private Cuban residence (casas particulares), you eat in private Cuban restaurants (paladares) and you buy in privately-owned stores (cuentapropista), as stated by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) (§515.574 Support for the Cuban People, Note 2 to paragraph (a)).
You need to carry a full time schedule itinerary in order to meet the requirement. We include this itinerary for free when you book with us.
Check out our tours and Travel Cuba today!
How does this regulation affect travel to Cuba?
As an American citizen, you can no longer book trips to Cuba in the People to People travel category. This will affect your ability to take cruises to Cuba. However, you can still travel in the category: Support for the Cuban People.
Do not miss the opportunity to visit Cuba before it's too late.
There are 11 permitted reasons for travel:
- Family visits
- Official business of the U.S. government, foreign governments, and certain intergovernmental organizations
- Journalistic activities
- Professional research or professional meetings
Educational academic activities - Religious activities
- Public performance, clinics, workshops, athletic or 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 informational materials
- Travel related to certain authorized export transactions
Preparing for travel to Cuba. What do you need?
Additional travel requirements
Everyone entering Cuba must have a visa and health insurance with coverage in the area. For insurance, a $25 fee is added to your ticket price.
What to bring
- Valid passport
- Valid visa, travel card or Cuban passport
- Cash
- You can buy a travel card online or at Miami (MIA) before departure if traveling with American Airlines.
