Cuba - Lonely Planet [382]
At the time of writing there were two types of licenses issued by the US government to visit Cuba: general licenses (typically for government officials, journalists and professional researchers) and specific licenses (for visiting family members, humanitarian projects, public performances, religious activities and educational activities). The Bush administration cut back on both types of licenses in 2003 cutting off 70% of the travel that had previously been deemed ‘legal.’ Early moves by the Obama administration have been less asphyxiating and in April 2009 the ‘visiting family members’ category was opened up. Cuban-Americans now face neither time stipulations nor financial restrictions when visiting extended family members on the island.
For more information, contact the Licensing Division ( 202-622-2480; www.treas.gov/ofac; Office of Foreign Assets Control, US Department of the Treasury, 2nd fl, Annex Bldg, 1500 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, DC 20220). Travel arrangements for those eligible for a license can be made by specialized US companies such as Marazul or ABC Charters (Click here).
Under the Trading with the Enemy Act, goods originating in Cuba are prohibited from being brought into the US by anyone but licensed travelers. Cuban cigars, rum, coffee etc will be confiscated by US customs, and officials can create additional problems if they feel so inclined. Possession of Cuban goods inside the US or bringing them in from a third country is also banned.
American travelers who choose to go to Cuba (and wish to avoid unnecessary hassles with the US border guards) get rid of anything related to their trip to Cuba, including used airline tickets, baggage tags, travel documents, receipts and souvenirs, before returning to the US. If Cuban officials don’t stamp their passport, there will be no official record of their trip. They also use a prepaid Cuban telephone card to make calls to the US in order to avoid there being records of collect or operator-assisted telephone calls.
Since September 11, 2001, all international travel issues have taken on new import, and there has been a crackdown on ‘illegal’ travel to Cuba. Though it has nothing to do with terrorism, some Americans returning from Cuba have had ‘transit to Cuba’ written in their passports by Jamaican customs officials. Customs officials at major US entry points (eg New York, Houston, Miami) are onto backpackers coming off Cancún and Montego Bay flights with throngs of honeymoon couples, or tanned gentlemen arriving from Toronto in January. They’re starting to ask questions, reminding travelers that it’s a felony to lie to a customs agent as they do so.
The maximum penalty for ‘unauthorized’ Americans traveling to Cuba is US$250,000 and 10 years in prison. In practice, people are usually fined US$7500. Under the Bush administration, the number of people threatened with legal action had more than tripled, however the early signs from the Obama administration indicate these numbers are likely to fall. More than 100,000 US citizens a year travel to Cuba with no consequences. However, as long as these regulations remain in place, visiting Cuba certainly qualifies as soft adventure travel for Americans. There are many organizations, including a group of congresspeople on Capitol Hill, working to lift the travel ban (see www.cubacentral.com for more information).
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VOLUNTEERING
There are a number of bodies offering volunteer work in Cuba though it is always best to organize things in your home country first. Just turning up in Havana and volunteering can be difficult, if not impossible. Take a look at the following: