My husband thinks he can go to CUBA without problems

[LaGreenEyes 0]

My husband thinks that just because he has a Panamanian passport that he can go to Cuba without problems even though he will be a US resident. He wants to go in a year or 2 with a buddy of his, but I told him that it's not as easy to "sneak through" as it was 10 years ago and that is NOT a good idea, becuase they have ways of knowing. He thinks I don't know what I'm talking about, but I am in the travel industry and I have seen MANY passengers both US citizens and foreigners entering that had problems becuause of entrances to CUBA. Believe me, I would love to be able to go myself as it has been a wish of mine, but I am not about to jeopordize our status with USCIS at this point.

Please give me input!

[SOlcayto 0]

I know about 5 US citizens who have gone with no problems at all. I thought it was just that you weren't supposed to bring back anything from there. Of course, I could be wrong.

SOL

This is what I found for US citizens:

You have to get a Treasury license visa and this also applies:

There are still some categories which qualify for a treasury license: full time students, musicians, dancers, anyone going down for professional reasons, journalists, and so on. Treasury tends to encourage group travel and frowns on individual researchers, which makes you wonder who is the collectivist here....

The people I knew were film students so that's probably how they did it. And they went as a group.

SOL

[lucyrich 19]

The travel restrictions to Cuba apply to all persons subject to US jurisdiction, applying equally to US citizens and lawful permanent residents.

See the State Department Consular Information Sheet for some details.

The object of the restrictions is largely to prohibit spending any money there, regardless of whether it's in US Dollars or some other currency. You can't get around the problem by pre-paying a (non-Cuban) foreign tour company for your trip. You can't get around the problem by changing dollars into Mexican pesos and then spending Mexican Pesos in Cuba, either. In any case if you're subject to US jurisdiction, you need a license to travel to Cuba legally.

It is true that some people get away with violating the regulations without being caught. But if your husband tries this, he may be risking heavy fines and/or the loss of his LPR status. He should be aware of the possible consequences before he tries. The treasury department has been cracking down on this.

Another link, from the Treasury Department OFAC

To whom do these sanctions regulations apply?

All U.S. citizens and permanent residents wherever they are located, all people and organizations physically in the United States, and all branches and subsidiaries of U.S. organizations throughout the world.

Edited February 23, 2006 by lucyrich

[almaty 19]

The travel restrictions to Cuba apply to all persons subject to US jurisdiction, applying equally to US citizens and lawful permanent residents.

See the State Department Consular Information Sheet for some details.

The object of the restrictions is largely to prohibit spending any money there, regardless of whether it's in US Dollars or some other currency. You can't get around the problem by pre-paying a (non-Cuban) foreign tour company for your trip. You can't get around the problem by changing dollars into Mexican pesos and then spending Mexican Pesos in Cuba, either. In any case if you're subject to US jurisdiction, you need a license to travel to Cuba legally.

It is true that some people get away with violating the regulations without being caught. But if your husband tries this, he may be risking heavy fines and/or the loss of his LPR status. He should be aware of the possible consequences before he tries. The treasury department has been cracking down on this.

Another link, from the Treasury Department OFAC

To whom do these sanctions regulations apply?

All U.S. citizens and permanent residents wherever they are located, all people and organizations physically in the United States, and all branches and subsidiaries of U.S. organizations throughout the world.

good info...

[Saddle Bronc 124]

It is possible for a Canuck-Yank dual (as there are flights from Canada to Cuba--go figure) to make such a trip by having "only" the US-Canada ticket printed in US and the other ticket printed in Canada and presented at counter--because Canada does NO exit check of passports (so the dual could use the CANUCK passport for the Cuba portion--as it would not be recognised anyway for US re-entry).

Dual citizens of European countries could also use the above gambit with a European passport (same reasoning).

But that would NOT get around the Treasury Dept. regulations; and the Canada-Cuba ticket purchase if done on "plastic" is not untraceable.

[mikeize 0]

So go to canada, buy a ticket there (with cash) and use your panamanian passport to get into cuba, and back into canada. I can't possibly see how this would create a problem. As far as the us gov't would know, you were in canada the whole time.

-mike

[Canuck Carrie 1]

Canada is kinda far from Cuba, couldn't you just go from Mexico or an island of off Florida?

[mikeize 0]

Canada is kinda far from Cuba, couldn't you just go from Mexico or an island of off Florida?

Probably, but since someone said that they don't "check you out" of canada, it seems all the better. I don't know about mexico or other places...

-mike

[Fischkoepfin 1]

Maybe get a second foreign passport? I know that's what you're supposed to do if you plan to travel to Israel and other Middle Eastern countries...

But I have to say I would prefer if they just lifted restrictions; coming up with a research project just to travel to Cuba seems somewhat time-intensive.

I would love to go to Cuba; I just wish I had thought about it earlier in my life...

[Jeff-n-Jana 0]

I met some college guys from Colorado while I was staying in Playa Giron and diving the Bay of Pigs. They got there by going through Mexico since Mexico was not doing passport checks on people leaving the country. And I was there doing research on "non-US ships" that sink to the ocean floor and their impact on the surrounding ecosystem.

With a dual citizenship your husband could feasibly travel on his non-US passport once he is out of the country, but why risk it would be my question.

Jeff

[Satisfaction 1]

I saw an interesting documentary about this on PBS. The journalist was filming Cuban-Americans visiting the island for the first time in many years. I found out (something that I wasn't aware of) that the Bush Administration tightened travel restrictions to limit family visits by Cuban Americans to once every three years.

These restrictions seem indeed very harsh and unfair to Cuban-Americans who still have close relatives there - parents, brothers or sisters - and who have certainly no intention of supporting the government of Fidel Castro.

"President Bush chose Wednesday, barely four months before the election, to impose some of the most restrictive measures ever on Americans' travel to Cuba and on Cuban Americans' practice of sending money to relatives on the island."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/artic...7-2004Jul1.html

[luv2teach77 41]

I guess its a good thing that I visited Cuba before I started the visa process then !!

I'm just glad I got to see Cuba before castro eventually dies. I think it will quickly become just like every other carribbean island after that.

Mark

[Satisfaction 1]

My husband thinks that just because he has a Panamanian passport that he can go to Cuba without problems even though he will be a US resident. He wants to go in a year or 2 with a buddy of his (...)

Please give me input!

If your hubby wants to visit Cuba only once in a three years' period, than there is no reason for him to"sneak in" or shuttle" back and forth through Canada or a Caribbean island, or some other place.

Do Panamians have dual citizenship? I know that when I go home to Guyana, I use my French passport, just so that I don't have to queue at the immigration / customs. It's only a practical question for me. Guyanese / French authorities scrutinize foreigners too.

[pedroh 21]

wow.. nice info

I knew US citizens couldnt go to Cuba but once every 3 years something like that, but I thought me as a resident and Mexican citizen I could go to Cuba whenever I wanted to with my Mexican passport and green card.. but looks like is not like that lol

[Peter Miami 0]

I know people from Miami that got into Cuba and some who have gotten in legal problems.

Peter Miami