Is there a convenient and risk-free way for an American to go to Cuba?

[PaulChristenson]

Renounce your citizenship and become a citizen in any other country in the world.

You obviously been spending way too much time around the Hanford Federal Nuclear Facility

Paul in VT

 

[Sirto]

I am an American citizen born in Cuba and still have some relations there though I don't know any of them since I haven't been there in over 40 years. My wife is American born.

Would my wife and I be able to go to Cuba and stay at a resort or does the spending restrictions prevent that? What type of approvals would we need to obtain?

 

[scubamickey]

I am an American citizen born in Cuba and still have some relations there though I don't know any of them since I haven't been there in over 40 years. My wife is American born.

Would my wife and I be able to go to Cuba and stay at a resort or does the spending restrictions prevent that? What type of approvals would we need to obtain?

Your wife can certainly go with you, as can your children. The relations in Cuba must be close blood relatives though. Parent, grandparents,etc. The US has no way of verifying the relationship so you could put down a cousin. But you do have to sighn an affidavit swearing that they are close family. The travel permit is intended to allow you to visit family and you are allowed to spend money while there. I forget the limit but it's something like $200/day. That may have changed after the rules for travel tightened up the following year. We spent 10 days with my family and then 10 days touring around the country where I have other family. We stayed at one of the resorts in Trinidad for a few days. We stayed with family in Havana too.

Also, your wife would have to register as an American visitor staying with Cubans when you arrive in Cuba. Cubans are forbidden from having Americans in their homes for fear that they will find out too much. Not a big deal, they just want to make sure that no Cubans get into trouble for having a foreigner in their home.

American Credit Cards are not accepted, so everything is cash.

Check the OFAC regs on the Treasury dept website, there have been some changes in the last 2 years. Feel free to PM me if you want more details.

 

[TeddyDiver]

your wife would have to register as an American visitor staying with Cubans when you arrive in Cuba. Cubans are forbidden from having Americans in their homes for fear that they will find out too much. Not a big deal, they just want to make sure that no Cubans get into trouble for having a foreigner in their home.

In fact every Cubans are forbidden to have "overnight" foreign visitors (not just Norte Americanos) without a "family visa". With a "simple" cause like being related to a family "family visa" is granted by the local "Imigration" with few hours waiting and couple of fees..
BTW Take to Cuba any other currency in the world except USD..

 

[scubamickey]

In fact every Cubans are forbidden to have "overnight" foreign visitors (not just Norte Americanos) without a "family visa". With a "simple" cause like being related to a family "family visa" is granted by the local "Imigration" with few hours waiting and couple of fees..
BTW Take to Cuba any other currency in the world except USD..

Very true. Here's why:

As of November 8, 2004, the US dollar (USD) is no longer accepted for payment in Cuba. All restaurants, hotels, and shops in Cuba that previously accepted the US Dollar for payment will now only accept the Convertible Cuban Peso (CUC).
On April 9, 2005, the Convertible Cuban Peso (CUC) was revaluated in relation to the US Dollar (USD) at approximately 1 USD = .92 CUC. In addition, Cuba charges a 10% exchange fee when converting USD to CUC. Consequently, you will receive approximately .82 CUC for every 1 USD when you convert directly from US dollars into Convertible Cuban Pesos. For instance, if you exchange $200 USD, you will get back approximately $166 CUC.
The 10% exchange fee for changing US dollars into Convertible Cuban Pesos is not collected for changing other currencies (such as Euros or Canadian dollars, for instance). All currency exchange rates vary on a daily basis.

 

[SubMariner]

Very true. Here's why:

As of November 8, 2004, the US dollar (USD) is no longer accepted for payment in Cuba. All restaurants, hotels, and shops in Cuba that previously accepted the US Dollar for payment will now only accept the Convertible Cuban Peso (CUC).
On April 9, 2005, the Convertible Cuban Peso (CUC) was revaluated in relation to the US Dollar (USD) at approximately 1 USD = .92 CUC. In addition, Cuba charges a 10% exchange fee when converting USD to CUC. Consequently, you will receive approximately .82 CUC for every 1 USD when you convert directly from US dollars into Convertible Cuban Pesos. For instance, if you exchange $200 USD, you will get back approximately $166 CUC.
The 10% exchange fee for changing US dollars into Convertible Cuban Pesos is not collected for changing other currencies (such as Euros or Canadian dollars, for instance). All currency exchange rates vary on a daily basis.

Although I'm not surprised by this, it certainly is a very relevant piece of information, scubamickey. As a Canadian I visited Cuba in the mid 80's while it was still being subsidized by the (then) USSR. At that time there were basically 3 currencies: the USD, the Cuban Peso, and some sort of "tourist money" that foreigners were supposed to use, but basically was useless paper. USD were DEFINITELY perferred, and there was a huge black market on the street of people openly, but quietly, exchanging USD for CP and vice versa.

In all likelihood the the market is blacker for USD, but and it's probably gone underground. I can't ever see it going away.

 

[gratefuljames]

Cancun>Havana is the easiest way. No one even knows you are there, so stay out of trouble. They don't stamp your passport, and as far as the US Government is concerned, you are in Mexico. However, if you have some problem there, you're on your own (I don't know, in other words, what the US Embassy would do if you landed in jail for some reason and called them up crying), so that's not "risk free" but I even got stopped on the streets of Havana (for no reason, ok, maybe I was chasing some girls around), and showed my passport and etc. and the soldier just grunted and sent me on my way. Maria La Gorda was great diving!!!! Personally, I would go now BEFORE it goes back to some big tourist destination from the states. However, there are a lot of Brits, French, Italians, etc. there, because, well, believe it or not, there are a whole world full of people that are not US Citizens traveling around!!!! I don't know about all this other happy crap about "convertible dollars" and all that (last time I went I paid for everything in US dollars, but that was before 11/2004), and if you bring a credit card issued from a bank in Great Britain, for example, you can use that. It's just the US that doesn't do business with them, the rest of the world does.

 

[Supernal]

I had a blast there, playing dominoes on the beach with a bunch of Colombians and trying out my very poor Spanish!