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Your Burning Questions on Travel to Cuba Answered

ViaHero

Updated December 18, 2022

Have a question about travel to Cuba? It's probably been answered below. Read through these frequently asked questions to help you plan a trip to Cuba. Once you give the article a read feel free to message us any questions you still have!

Want to make the most out of your trip? Tap into our network of local travel planners—Heroes—who build unique, locally-curated trip plans, designed just for you. Get started.

Can I still travel to Cuba from the US legally? If so, how?

Yes! Even though the People to People category of allowed Cuba travel was eliminated on June 5, 2019, you can still travel 100% legally under the Support for the Cuban People category.

What was People to People?

The People to People category was eliminated to cut down on what the Trump White House claimed was "veiled tourism" to Cuba. People to People was primarily used by those traveling on guided group trips to Cuba and those taking cruises to Cuba. Both the People to People category and cruises to Cuba as a whole were banned with the most recent Cuba restrictions (in June of 2019). That means no more cruises and no more guided group trips.

What is Support for the Cuban People?

Support for the Cuban People is one of the remaining 11 Categories of Legal Travel to Cuba. Again, you can still travel to Cuba using Support for the Cuban People, because this category is meant to allow you to interact with and support local businesses and Cuban society. While it isn’t for those seeking pure tourism, you can use this category to learn a lot about Cuba and the local culture.

Under this category, you will need to travel independently and make sure you spend at least 6 hours interacting with and supporting the Cuban people (and make sure not to spend money at any government- or military-owned businesses).

Luckily, ViaHero makes it really easy to do so. One of our travel experts in Cuba can plan out as much or as little of your trip as you'd like, helping to ensure that you are visiting legally under the Support for the Cuban People category.

Here’s more info on our trip planning service to Cuba.

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What are the categories of allowable travel? What category should I pick?

Here are the categories of approved travel that you may declare. Our locals usually suggest the ‘Support for the Cuban People’ category as it’s the broadest and many travel activities qualify if you’re engaging with locals.

Your travel category is simply a declaration of why you’re traveling to Cuba. You just need to pick a category and state it when booking a flight, booking lodging, and returning to the United States through immigration.

Which documents do I need to travel to Cuba from the US?

To enter Cuba from the US:

As required by the Cuban government, you need:

Passport
Pink Tourist Card
Cuban health insurance (which is often provided as a part of your airline ticket if you're traveling from the US)

To return to the US from Cuba:

As required by the US government, you need:

Passport
To verbally declare which category of travel to Cuba you chose
An itinerary outlining your activities
Receipts for all major transactions and activities that you paid for

Can I use a ViaHero guidebook and itinerary to fulfill the new travel restrictions from the US?

Yes, if you’d like to travel independently. Our local Heroes will plan your trip to meet all of the requirements for travel to Cuba under the category of your choice.

Each Hero personally caters to your interests and needs, and the service includes:

Trip consulting
Travel arrangements
Personalized guidebook
Offline map navigation

Want to learn more? Here’s more info about how it works and a list of prices.

What kind of activities are typically included in a ViaHero guidebook and itinerary?

ViaHero itineraries for Americans can be tailored to your interests, while fitting in the required activities during your stay. Not every activity has to fit into the category of travel you choose, but it’s expected that 4-8 hours of your weekdays in Cuba are spent participating in activities that do. This could mean meeting and conversing with local artists and entrepreneurs during the morning, and visiting museums and parks during the late afternoon/evening. Your Hero will personalize your trip based on your interests, while meeting the new travel policy requirements.

Here’s an example of what a ViaHero personalized guidebook looks like.

I booked my tickets before the US travel policies changed. Can I still go to Cuba?

Yes, you can still go! Your trip will be grandfathered in if you chose the People to People category when you booked flights or lodging, because you booked before the changes went into effect on June 5, 2019. You can still travel to Cuba without making any changes to your plans!

If you booked a flight or lodging on or after June 5, 2019, chose the People to People category of travel and would still like to travel independently, you’ll need to change your travel category to another category, like Support for the Cuban People.

If you booked a cruise that sails after June 5, 2019, your trip will not be grandfathered in, as all cruises were banned immediately as of June 5th.

Any questions? Our Cuban travel planners are here to help. Message us to get started. And before your trip, make sure to check out:

Still have questions about travel to Cuba?

Why not ask someone who lives there? ViaHero connects you with a local to help plan your trip. They’ll create a guidebook based on your personal travel style.

You’ll see a unique side of a destination and travel independently—all while saving time and money in the planning process. Find a local today.