Hats off to wonderful readers! After emailing back and forth with a fellow Not Your Average Gal pal, I got my hands on some updated information regarding Cuba travel restrictions.
Need a Cuba catch-up?
- I’m Going To Cuba!
- How I Traveled To Cuba As An American
- Things To Do In Havana Cuba
- New Cuba Travel Restrictions: Can You Still Go?
Hubster and I on our AirBnb balcony.
Jessica reached out to me concerned that her and her husband weren’t going to be able to go to Cuba now. They had purchased their plane tickets prior to the announcement of the updated travel restrictions that I listed here. After some back and forth and no “real” answer per se, Jessica decided to go Not Your Average Gal style and grab the issue by the balls take the reigns.
“I was on trip advisor and came across the link to the government site for travel to Cuba, so I emailed and got this response. Just thought I’d share with you in case you have other people bugging you about travel there.”
Please read the response she got from a Consular Assistant for American Citizens Services at the US Embassy in Havana, Cuba.
President Trump announced on June 16, 2017 policy changes which could impact Americans planning to travel to Cuba. The Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) will make regulatory amendments regarding travel by Americans to Cuba in the coming months, but the announced changes will not take effect until the new regulations are issued.
We advise Americans planning travel to Cuba to regularly consult the Department of Treasury’s Frequently Asked Questions for the latest updates at https://www.treasury.gov/
Provided that the traveler has already completed at least one travel-related transaction (such as purchasing a flight or reserving accommodation) prior to the President’s announcement on June 16, 2017, all additional travel-related transactions for that trip, whether the trip occurs before or after OFAC’s new regulations are issued, would also be authorized, provided the travel-related transactions are consistent with OFAC’s regulations as of June 16, 2017
Awesome intel, right?
So, basically, if you planned your trip in any capacity by making reservations before June 16, 2017, you should be okay. If you made plans afterwards, it’s a bit dicey, like I mentioned in my previous post. You can go, but there will certainly be more scrutiny.
Sites and sounds just walking around Old Havana.
In the end, that type of scrutiny will prevent travelers from seeing such an incredible country. It’s pretty disheartening.
What do you think? Will you still travel to Cuba?