Travelling to Cuba

Under current regulations travel to Cuba is severely restricted. United States citizens and any person in the United States is subject to these restrictions, regardless of citizenship. Under these restrictions, spending money relating to Cuban travel is prohibited unless the traveler is licensed. Crown International requires that all passengers comply with all U.S. government regulations. To see if you or your organization qualifies for a general license (which does not require prior government authorization) or a specific license (which does require prior government authorization) please consult the website of the the US Department of the Treasury OFAC website. You may also call

United States Treasury Department
Office of Foreign Asset Control
Washington D.C. 20220
Telephone: 202 622-2520

Please consult the above sources before calling since no reservations can be made unless you qualify under current regulations administered by the Office of Foreign Assets Control.

Please remember that Crown International and/or its employees cannot make determinations as to whether or not you qualify for either a general or specific license for travel to Cuba.

For more information please email crown@altour.com

Travelling to Cuba : Licenses and Regulations

In order to travel to cuba, you must obtain a license under one of three categories:

1. General humanitarian license (primarily for Cuban Americans visiting relatives in Cuba - revised 3/11/09)
2. General professional/research/educational/conference license
3. Specific license under another specified category

All persons traveling to Cuba must complete a sworn affidavit that will be made available to United States government officials. If you intend to travel to Cuba, you should download and complete the appropriate affidavit listed below.

• Additional Affidavit, for travellers using the General License.
• General Affidavit, for travellers using either of the other licenses.

The following rules and guidelines apply to anyone travelling to Cuba.

1. For those that qualify to travel to Cuba under either a general license or specific license we suggest that you begin your preparations two months in advance of your travel date.
2. You must have a license to travel to Cuba. A general license applies to diplomats and journalists traveling on official business or those traveling to Cuba to visit a close family relative in humanitarian need and have not been to Cuba in the past twelve months. A general license requires no prior approval. Please consult "Who can visit the Republic of Cuba" as mentioned above.
   If you need a specific license, which requires written government approval, you must acquire that approval before proceeding with a reservation.
3. After you have determined which license you need you must acquire a visa from the Cuban government. You will also need to fill out the travel affadavit for the specific flight you plan to travel on. We must have the original form in our office prior to making your reservation.
4. After you have acquired your visa you need to choose your travel dates and purchase your ticket.
5. You can pick up your ticket at our office or will send your ticket via courier or overnight delivery.

All travelers to Cuba must have a visa from the Cuban government prior to reserving your flight. We can advise you about acquiring your visa. There are two different forms, one for those born in Cuba and one for those born outside Cuba.

• For those born in Cuba you must have 5 photographs and must fill out the visa application form with five copies. In addition there is a separate requirement for those who permanently left Cuba after December 31, 1970. Those that left Cuba after this date are required to have a valid Cuban passport. If you do not have a Cuban passport and you left Cuba after December 31, 1970 you must contact the Cuban Consulate in Washington D.C. to get the required paperwork (202) 797-8609, 797-8610.
• Those Cubans that left Cuba permanently prior to 1959 can acquire a slightly less expensive visa called a 359 Visa. This visa must be acquired directly with the Cuban Consulate in Washington D.C.
• Those people born in Cuba that left Cuba permanently before December 31, 1970 do not have to have a Cuban Passport.
• All travelers must have either a United States passport or residency card that is valid at least six months after the planned travel date.
• Those travelers who were not born in Cuba must provide two photographs and fill out a separate visa application form with five copies.
• Generally speaking you should allow thirty days for the processing of your visa.
• Once you receive your visa we will assist you in choosing your travel dates.

Reservations

Once you have both your license and visa and have filled out the travel affidavit you will be ready to make your flight reservations. It is highly suggested that you prepay for your airfare at the same time you pay for your visa processing. The reason for this is that the flights to Cuba must be authorized every month. Once authorized, the flights fill up almost immediately. Therefore, in order to ensure you get the dates you prefer it is essential that we have all your paperwork processed in advance.

For more information:

• Cuba travel affidavit, humanitarian license (PDF format)
• Cuba travel affidavit, other licenses (PDF format)
• The US Department of Treasury OFAC
• The U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council, Inc.
• US Postal Service info on sending mail to Cuba
• Crown International homepage