Posted: October 9, 2023
I am an American citizen — and I have visited Cuba legally!
If I travel to other countries, I often get “That’s so cool!” responses from people. But when I told others about my Cuba trip, their first reaction? “Wait… I thought it was illegal for Americans to visit.” That’s not true!
If you’re a US citizen, yes, you can travel to Cuba to visit the country.
But no, you technically cannot visit Cuba for a vacation.
This is a restriction by the US government. Under a general license, there are 12 categorized legal reasons that allow you to travel to Cuba, but none of them allow for activities that are purely a vacation.
There are some good news! First, the general license is not an actual document. It’s simply your legal reason for traveling to Cuba. You might have to verbally declare your reason and show your itinerary to any immigration officer who may ask you. That’s it.
The other good news? Most visitors to Cuba use the “Support for the Cuban People” license. It simply means you need to plan a full-time itinerary of ways you will spend time supporting the local Cuban people. In other words, you’re spending time in Cuba like you’re spending time at a full-time job. Spend most of your day interacting with the local Cubans, and have the rest of your time off doing vacation-type activities like lounging at the beach.
What does all this mean? You’ll do fun stuff in Cuba just like you would in other countries. It’s not that different, really.
Here are the activities I did that count toward the “Support for the Cuban People” license:
- Take guided history tours around the city (I did a Havana walking tour)
- Go to museums (I really enjoyed the Municipal Museum of Trinidad)
- Visit historic places (I felt honored to visit the home of Polo Montañez, a famous Cuban musician)
- Stroll around local art exhibitions (I enjoyed Salvador’s Afro-Cuban works inspired by the Santería religion)
- Tour a tobacco farm (I did this in Viñales, which is famous for tobacco)
- Take a lesson in salsa dancing (which I did in a local classroom in Trinidad)
- Watch a cooking demonstration (which I did at a hillside restaurant in Viñales)
- Watch music shows (I loved the Buena Vista Social Club in Havana)
- Shop for locally-produced souvenirs (I bought a handmade Cuban shirt)
- Eat at privately-owned restaurants
- Stay at family-run guesthouses
As you can see, you would already do these activities in other countries. Cuba is not that different.
The main difference is you need to be more aware of the activities you plan to do and be ready to share your plans with immigration officials if they ask. Most of my American friends were never interrogated upon entry to Cuba. Only I and one other friend were interrogated. That’s why you need to plan your activities and at least one guesthouse stay before coming to Cuba.
The other main difference is that you can’t go to government-run establishments, like all hotels in Cuba and some restaurants.
If you’re worried about this planning, I recommend taking a tour, which is what I did. Check out these tours for US citizens that I recommend, including the tour I took!
You can travel independently, but keep in mind that there are travel stresses unique to Cuba, like running out of cash and trying to avoid government-run restaurants.
So, if you’re an American citizen, don’t call your trip a “vacation.” Because under US law, it can’t be.
But honestly, Cuba has a lot of fun activities that count under the “Support for the Cuban People” license. Maybe your Cuba visit is not a “vacation,” but it’s still a fun trip! Colorful streets, Caribbean beaches, and cordial Cuban people are waiting for you.
Sources:
Can I Travel to Cuba with a US Passport? (Updated 2023)