Since President Trump took office in 2017, many North Americans have been under the impression that they are no longer able to visit Cuba. This is not true. People from the United States can indeed safely and legally travel to Cuba. While American Cruise ships no longer make port in Cuba and trade is restricted, travel is not only possible it is fairly easy! Here’s what you need to know:
The most important part of planning a trip to Cuba is knowing that you will need a visa. Luckily, the Cuban visa process is actually easier than most. There are a multitude of companies that you can pay to have a blank visa mailed to you, or some airlines offer the visa as part of the flight. The visa costs $50. An expedited shipping service may cost up to $35 extra. When applying for the visa, if working with a third party company, simply state your reason for travel as “In support of the Cuban People”. You will receive a blank quarter-page document in the mail–be aware: this blank slip of paper is your visa and you need it in order to enter Cuba. You fill in the document with your own information–Name, DOB, Passport Number, dates of travel. Voilà, you have your visa!
The second thing you will need in order to travel to Cuba is mandatory health insurance. This is even easier than the visa because you don’t need to plan ahead at all–they sell it at the airport upon arrival! You simply go to the booth in the airport upon arrival, tell them how long you will be in Cuba, and they sell you the standard government health insurance for about $3/day. All set!
Lastly, you need a flight (obviously). Despite what you may have heard, there are flights from the United States to Cuba every day. It’s not unheard of to get a flight from Florida to Havana for less than $200! Last week it was announced that US airlines will no longer be operating flights to several Cuban cities–but all flights are continuing as normal to Havana.
So that’s all it takes–an easy to obtain visa for $50, health insurance that you can buy upon arrival, and a flight! Next stop, Havana!
