U.S. Gov't will fine you if you dive in Cuba

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Despite all the creative ways to get around the law, it is still illegal for U.S. Citizens to spend money in Cuba without specific business sanctioned by the government.
Doesn't make it "right" or "fair" or "just." It is, however the law of the land.
If you go, you go forewarned.
Rick
 
Originally posted by Rick Murchison
Despite all the creative ways to get around the law, it is still illegal for U.S. Citizens to spend money in Cuba without specific business sanctioned by the government.
Doesn't make it "right" or "fair" or "just." It is, however the law of the land.
If you go, you go forewarned.
Rick

Yeah, I agree it wasn't the smartest thing to do. But apparently the booking agency assured them that it was legal.

:idea: I wonder if the agency had sold them a tour with a "free visit to Cuba" would they have been ok? They wouldn't have "paid" for it at all.
 
You know... if you're 71, you have to have heard about the somewhat uneasy relations between Cuba and the U.S. a few times in your life... I sure the word "embargo" came up at least once too... (yea, yea, we're not going to start defining the word "embargo" here either... :wink: )

All I'm saying is that you know something's up with Cuba and just because a tourist organization (diving or otherwise) says it legal, you as a traveler think, "ok, they say it's legal, so it must be legal... let's go!" I don't think so...

Rick is right, the illegality comes from spending money in Cuba. Americans are free to travel to Cuba as long as they don't travel directly from a U.S. territory, don't get a legal Cuban endoursement for being a guest of the country (stamp in your passport.) or spend money there. (and yes, there are goverment and educationaly approved exceptions)

But these people should get a lawyer. I think that I read once that the last person who accualy had to pay cusoms fines like this was back in the early 80's
 
There is absolutely nothing illegal about a US citizen GOING to Cuba. You just can't spend even one penny that is derived from the US there and you can't go directly to or from the US or get a stamp in your passport.

Makes it kinda hard to do.

Provided you have a non-US citizen pay for the entire trip with funds earned entirely outside of the US and do not belong to any US citizen, there is no major problem. Again, hard to do. This requires a really good friend or relative to cough up the cash for the trip for you who isn't a US citizen and who will never be reimmbursed for that expense.

What these divers assumed is that the dive agency they used in Canada would get THEIR money and that the trip to cuba would then be paid for by the Canadian company. Wala, the trip is paid for by a non-us source of funds.

The issue arises in that the government considers that the mony for the trip was "derrived" from the US in the form of fees paid to the Candain tour operator which were then spent for the trip within Cuba.
 
It was a National Public Radio report discussing some sort of recent congresional hearing on this issue. The hearing focused on instances where the fine seemed inappropriate, or particularly abusive.

One cited example was a person was fined for traveling to Cuba to bury the ashes of his parents in the graveyard of the church they had founded as missionaries.

The report went on to say that legislation would be introduced to remove the travel restrictions from the embargo. I hope it goes through.
 
As a Canadian I have always found it hypocritical that the US still has this sham embargo going on with Cuba, but has no problems trading with The People's Republic of China, Russia, or similar regimes.

Let's see now.. it's being going on for about 30 years now... and what has it accomplished? Nothing! Cuba has no problems getting "American" goods through other sources than the US (like the Netherlands).

BTW, I've been to Cuba.

~SubMariner~
 
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