Requirements for US Citizens Traveling To Cuba
Yes, US citizens can travel to CUBA!
We partner with an organization that has crafted an itinerary that complies with the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), to provide travel services to Cuba under the category of Support for the Cuban People. This category is intended to direct the economic activities of U.S. travelers to primarily benefit the private sector in Cuba as well as engage our travelers in meaningful interactions with locals. This requires a full-time agenda of cultural activities that connect us with local artisans and private sector entrepreneurs. This does mean that we have more activities programmed compared to other trips though and sometimes we have less flexibility than other trips. You can see a list of these activities here on our itinerary.
For US Citizens, restraints regarding visits for purely tourist and recreational purposes in Cuba are still in place. “Recreational travel, tourist travel, travel in pursuit of a hobby, or research for personal satisfaction only” remain illegal. Therefore, trips to Cuba are required to be non-commercial as well as purposeful; this requirement is met through our interactions and connections we strive to make on our trips.
The Support for the Cuban People category of travel also encourages travelers to stay in private accommodations (casas particulares), eat in private restaurants and generally avoid spending any money with the Cuban government. This is not so hard to do as the tourism economy in the private sector has grown significantly in the last 10 years.
OFAC has issued a list of specific “restricted” entities that Americans are forbidden from having direct financial transactions with, including certain hotels. You can review this list here. We are abiding by all of these regulations and recommendations in our itineraries.
Please also refer to our list of documents needed for travel to Cuba.