U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS RELATED TO CUBA TRAVEL

Updated Jan. 25, 2015

1. Are sanctions on Cuba still in place following the President’s announcement on December 17, 2014?

Yes.

2. What are the travel authorizations in the Cuba program?

OFAC has issued general licenses for 12 categories of authorized travel:

1. family visits;
2. official business of the U.S. government, foreign governments, and certain intergovernmental organizations;
3. journalistic activity;
4. professional research and professional meetings;
5. educational activities;
6. religious activities;
7. public performances, clinics, workshops, athletic and other competitions, and exhibitions;
8. support for the Cuban people;
9. humanitarian projects;
10. activities of private foundations or research or educational institutes;
11. exportation, importation, or transmission of information or information materials;
12. certain authorized export transactions.

3. Do travelers who fall within the scope of a general license need to submit a written request to OFAC for permission to travel or conduct transactions?

No.

4. Is travel to Cuba for tourist activities permitted?

No.

5. May an individual authorized traveler use his or her private boat to travel to Cuba?

Yes.

6. Are authorized U.S. travelers permitted to travel aboard a vessel while in Cuba to meet their
transportation needs within Cuba?

Yes.

7. Are there any spending limits for authorized U.S. travelers while in Cuba?

No.

8. Can I purchase Cuban-origin cigars and/or Cuban-origin rum or other alcohol while traveling in Cuba?

Yes, you can return with up to $100.00 worth of alcohol and tobacco products.

9. As an authorized traveler, may I travel from a third country to Cuba and from Cuba to a
third country?

Yes.

10. Are authorized travelers in Cuba permitted to use credit or debit cards issued by a U.S. financial institution?

Yes.

Are you planning to sail to Cuba with a planned departure from within U.S. territorial waters?
If so, then you need to file form CG-3300.

Recreational boaters on U.S. flagged vessels that are less than 100 m (< 328-feet) must have a
Coast Guard permit to depart from within U.S. territorial seas.

An applicant must submit information on form CG – 3300 to the Coast Guard seventh district
before a permit can be issued authorizing a departure to Cuba.

NOTE: At present, U.S. flagged boats are only granted a 14-day stay in Cuba.
CG-3300 (application form and instructions).
The first link will take you to the form and the second link to the instructions for filling out the form.

Application for permit to enter Cuban Territorial Seas (Form CG-3300)
http://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg5/cg531/CG3300.pdf

Instructions for filling in form CG-3300
http://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg6/cg611/COI/omb/1625-0106.pdf

The cost of a Cuban tourist visa is $25 Cuban Convertible Pesos (CuC) per person. Visas are valid for one month and can be renewed for one month for an additional $25CuC. Canadians, however, are issued a tourist visa that is valid for three months and renewable for an additional three months. The fee for this visa is also $25 CuC.

A boat (of any flag) can stay in Cuban waters for up to 5 years. It must then be taken out of the country for a minimum of 24 hours before returning. Failure to take the boat out of Cuba will incur importation fees.

Health insurance is needed for travel to Cuba. Visitors arriving from a country that provides national health coverage (Canada, Europe etc.) do not need to buy Cuban medical insurance but must carry prove of their home provider. U.S. citizens are required to buy Cuban medical insurance. Expect to pay $3CUC/day per person. The total (based on the number of people and the number of days in the country) will be added to the marina bill at your port of entry. According to those who have paid this fee, it is considered good value. Should medical attention be required, facilities and service is good and will be undertaken at a tourist hospital.

Providing a vessel qualifies for insurance, there are marine insurers that will provide coverage for  vessels going to Cuba. Fairway Insurance Services Inc. (Digby, Nova Scotia), Nesika Insurance Services Inc. (Richmond, British Columbia), Dolphin Insurance Services Inc. (Burnaby, British Columbia) and the German Company Pantaenius with offices in the USA.  These companies can be found on the internet.

In 2012, the United States’ Dept. of the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) introduced the “People to People” educational exchange general license which allows U.S. tour operators to fly groups of American travellers to Cuba.

By 2014, American tourists were travelling to all parts of Cuba–including the remote coastal ports and famous diving locations on the south coast–Jardines de la Reina (Queens Garden).

In 2015/16 OFAC allows American flagged vessels to sail to Cuba for 14 days. There is no longer an application process as the permits previously needed for exporting a vessel that is going to Cuba is no longer required. In addition to the people-to-people general license, OFAC has issued 11 more general license categories for authorized travel.

American boaters should find at least one category that they fit into and therefore qualify for legal travel to Cuba. No paperwork is needed but one must maintain a journal of all activities while in Cuba and this must be retained for 5
years. Tourism is not one of the 12 categories. Since tourism is not permissible, the activities conducted in Cuba must fall within the guidelines of the OFAC categories. American passports are not stamped by Cuban immigration upon
entry.

Today, U.S. Coast Guard cutters that patrol the waters off the Florida Keys are not harassing boat traffic that is headed to or coming from Cuba.

The current that runs northward along Florida’s east coast is officially named the Florida Current and not the Gulf Stream, a name most boaters tend to use. Call it what you will, whether bound for the Bahamas or headed to Mexico or Cuba either way this virtual river must be crossed.

The rule of thumb—do not to cross the Gulf Stream during a cold front—in other words when the wind is northerly. North winds create a terrible wind-over-tide effect in the Gulf Stream resulting in a motion that could be described as “putting your boat in a washing machine”. In addition, seas pile up on the Cuban coast making for extremely rough conditions at the entrances to ports and harbour. The entrances are often closed in a strong front. After a cold front has past the seas settle quickly and prevailing easterlies return. The best weather window for crossing the Gulf Stream to Cuba is to have easterly winds of 15 to 18 knots or less.

Your best strategy is to make the crossing during the night, when the winds tend to be light, and reach the coast of Cuba in the morning. The axis of the Gulf Stream will be encountered at approximately 50 nautical miles south of the Florida Keys here the current can attain a velocity upwards of 2.5 knots. The roughest part of this crossing will be approximately 10 miles before reaching the axis and 10 miles after you have crossed it especially if the wind is gusting. Don’t be concerned about compensating for the current. You can easily make back your westing in the morning close to the Cuban coast. Here, you may find a west flowing counter-current.

On our many crossings from the Florida Keys to Cuba, our strategy is this… we depart Marathon and cruise west through Hawk Channel. Our timing is such that we arrive off Key West just before dark. At sunset we head onto a course of about 203°T. In the morning, we awake to see the Havana skyline and then alter course to head for the fairway buoy off Marina Hemingway. We have made about 23 crossings and on a few occasions have detected no current in the Gulf Stream! The crossing from Marathon to Varadero is also easy when taken under the same favourable conditions.