gtolj2

Can anybody with GE who has traveled to Cuba weigh in on their experience? Do travelers to Cuba face any additional scrutiny, or is the GE process when returning to the US the same as when traveling to any other destination (i.e. scan passport at kiosk, show immigration officer the ticket, collect bags, give ticket to customs officer, and be on your way)?

Thanks!

VidaNaPraia

The "regular" process in Miami was scan passport at kiosk, show immigration officer the receipt, answer simple inquiry about where returning from, say Thank You to his Welcome Home, collect bags, hand in document at customs, and be on your way.

j.hernandez

Usually Miami is longer the process since there are so many Cubans coming in all the time. But, it's a quick, easy process.

I just flied back from NY and was even quicker

KPhill

Came in to TPA last night from HAV using GE with my wife and daughter and we all proceeded through quickly as is ordinarily the case.

gtolj2

Great to hear, I'm actually flying out of JFK, but it sounds like the experience is still pretty seamless wherever you end up.

NYwriter86

Would you recommend getting Global Entry? Is it really that much faster?

VidaNaPraia

Flying into Miami from Cuba recently without Global Entry, we all used the machines and brought the receipt to the human at the desk. There was really no line for the machines (but I guess that would depend on how many planes, and of what size, were arriving at about the same time) All the guy asked was where I'd been and what I was bringing back (this was before the cigar/rum limit had been lifted). And wished me Welcome Home. I can't imagine GE would have been much faster.

gtolj2

Flew LIR-BOS last March and saved about 2 hours of immigration/customs lines (based on when the rest of the group returned). I'd say it was well worth it.

VidaNaPraia

Which poster are you answering?
The OP question was specifically about returning from Cuba, using GE. I believe the OP had some reservations ("any additional scrutiny?") about using GE because conditions are quite different for travel there/back.

gtolj2

I quoted the question I was answering in my post (i.e. whether it is worth it to get GE).

Since I'm the OP of this thread, I think I'm qualified to respond to your second statement. Judging by the other posts, it seems that there is no noticeable difference between entering the US from Cuba and from all other countries when using GE. If that is the case, then I would like to reiterate that I highly recommend getting GE if you value your time and sanity.

VidaNaPraia

Thanks for your perspective. (Sorry I forgot you were the OP.)
As I mentioned, I walked off the Cuba flight in Miami, went straight to a machine and from there directly to an official with the receipt, and out, with my time as minimal as possible and my sanity intact. (Nothing in comparison with the long line in the hot sun to get into the famous Coppelia ice cream shop in Havana. LOL) So GE may not be a necessity solely for a Cuba trip. That's been my experience at other airports too, on other flights, but I'm not a weekly or monthly international traveler. And I'm more of a budget traveler than some here.
YMMV of course.

gtolj2

I completely agree. GE is great for coming back from any destination, and it's a plus that CBP doesn't seem to add any extra scrutiny on Cuba travelers. Thanks for pointing out Coppelia; I'll have to make sure to check that out!

VidaNaPraia

Coppelia (diagonally across from the Havana Libre hotel in La Rampa):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coppel...e_cream_parlor)

MCB

Just wanted to add something to this thread -- we don't have GE (yet) but do have the CBP Mobile Passport app (iPhone) which worked great returning to the US from China/Japan last year, and from Cuba last week.

At MIA both GE holders and Mobile Passport users were directed to the (super-short) GE line, and there was no delay at all. CBP agent did not ask any questions, not even where I was arriving from (that's probably supplied by the app which produces a scannable QR code on my iPhone) and I was through in less than 60 seconds.

A few others in our travel group had GE, and had basically the same experience. The non-GE people waited in a fairly lengthy line.

One difference in use of Mobile Passport from last year is that when we arrived in SFO from PVG-HND, it printed a slip with a short summary of my info and a QR code. Now, there was no printed slip, only a QR code on my iPhone and my name and photo on the top of the screen.

Yoshi212

No difference when returning to JFK from HAV than if I had been coming in from LHR.

Before I got my entire family to enroll we were coming back from Barbados and I was able to clear CBP, get bags, call the lot where my car was, drive to Brooklyn from EWR, park & get a sandwich before my family was done with CBP.