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Regulations

Who can travel to Cuba under the current restrictions?

The current U.S. restrictions on travel apply to all citizens and residents of the U.S. no matter from what country you travel to Cuba and no matter if you hold citizenship from another country as well.  Only persons authorized by U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) may use the charter service between any US airport designate for Cuba .

Cuba Travel-USA is licensed by OFAC to make travel arrangements for those individuals and groups who either (a) have obtained a Specific License from OFAC authorizing their travel to Cuba, or (b) are traveling under the general authorization given by OFAC for certain categories of persons without any need for them to apply for a Specific license.  This general authorization is called a General License.

A GENERAL LICENSE (no application is necessary), allows certain categories of travel to Cuba and, if your travel is described by one of these categories, then you can travel and do not have to make an application to OFAC. Categories under the General License include:

  • Visiting “close relatives” who are nationals of Cuba or visiting “close relatives” who are U.S. Government employees assigned to the U.S. Interest Section in Havana.
  • Official business travel by officials of the U.S. government, foreign government, or intergovernmental organizations of which the United States is a member.
  • Journalistic activities by persons regularly employed as journalists by a news reporting organizations or by persons regularly employed as supporting broadcast or technical personnel.
  • Professional Research conducted by full-time professionals in their professional areas, attendance at certain professional meetings or conferences organized by international professional organizations, or participation in certain telecommunications-related professional meetings.
  • Educational activities by faculty, staff, and students of accredited U.S. graduate and undergraduate degree-granting academic institutions.
  • Religious activities under the auspices of a religious organization located in the United States.
  • The commercial marketing, sales negotiation, accompanied delivery, or servicing in Cuba of telecommunications-related items that have been authorized for commercial export or 
    re-export by employees or, or an entity duly appointed to represent, a telecommunications services provider.

A SPECIFIC LICENSE (an application must be sent by an individual or institution to OFAC). They will consider issuing a Specific License in a number of categories of travel, including:

  • Visiting a close relative who is neither a national of Cuba nor a U.S. Government employee assigned to the US Interest Section in Havana.
  • Journalistic activities for a free-lance journalistic project.
  • Professional research and professional meetings that do not qualify for the general license.
  • Academic educational activities not authorized by the general license for accredited U.S. graduate and undergraduate degree-granting academic institutions.
  • Educational exchanges not involving academic studies pursuant to a degree program and that takes place under the auspices of an organization that promoted people-to-people contact.
  • Academic seminars, conferences, and workshops related to Cuba or global issues involving Cuba and sponsored or co-sponsored by the traveler’s accredited U.S. graduate or undergraduate academic institution.
  • Religious activities not authorized by the general license for religious organizations located in the United States.
  • Athletic competitions by amateur or semi-professional athletes or teams selected by the relevant U.S. federation.
  • Participation in a public performance, clinic, workshop, other athletic or nonathletic competition, or exhibition in Cuba.
  • Activities intended to provide support for the Cuban people.
  • Humanitarian projects in/or related to Cuba designed to directly benefit the Cuban people.
  • Activities by private foundations or research or educational institutes that have an established interest in international relations to collect information related to Cuba for non-commercial purposes.
  • Activities related to the exportation, importation, or transmission of information or informational materials.
  • The marketing, sales negotiation, accompanied delivery, or servicing in Cuba of exports that appear consistent with the export or re-export licensing policy of the Department of Commerce and that are not authorized by a general license.

For a complete description of the following categories and for the Guidelines to apply for a Specific License, go to:

Comprehensive Guidelines for License Applications to Engage in Travel-Related Transactions Involving Cuba:
http://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/sanctions/Programs/Documents/cuba_tr_app.pdf

Fact Sheet: Treasury Amends Cuban Assets Control Regulations To Implement the President’s Initiative on Family Visits, Remittances, and Telecommunications: http://www.treasury.gov/press-center/press-releases/Pages/tg273.aspx

These restrictions on your right to travel do not originate in Havana, but in the USA.  They have been imposed by our own government and they apply to no other country in the world.