Problems for non-Americans entering Cuba from the USA?
Oct 15, 2019, 6:37 pm
#1
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Problems for non-Americans entering Cuba from the USA?
My wife and I are planning a Cuba trip with a couple of friends who both have British and Israeli passports. We'd all be flying in from Miami. My friends would probably fly straight to Britain or another European country after departing Cuba. I've read this useful post on visiting Cuba:
https://www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowTopic-g147270-i91-k12881840-Americans_traveling_to_Cuba-Cuba.html
From the research my friends have done, it sounds like they'd fill out the same form as us and pick Support for the Cuban People, since they're coming from the USA. But we have a bit of concern about the possible ramifications for them for when they'd want to visit the USA (and their son and his family) down the line. It sounds like right now there's a stringent policy that isn't enforced - that you don't have to do much beyond stating Support for the Cuban People as a reason for going and that there's no follow-up from the US Government end.
But especially given the realities of the Trump administration and some of its immigration enforcement personnel these days, we wonder whether this policy could come back to bit ethem down the line, such as if an immigration officer decides to prohibit them from entering the USA a year from now. True, this policy could also be unfairly applied to Americans, but Americans are actually in a better position to fight it and wouldn't be excluded from the country because of it.
Any thoughts about or experience with how this policy could affect foreigners?
Thanks for any input.
https://www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowTopic-g147270-i91-k12881840-Americans_traveling_to_Cuba-Cuba.html
From the research my friends have done, it sounds like they'd fill out the same form as us and pick Support for the Cuban People, since they're coming from the USA. But we have a bit of concern about the possible ramifications for them for when they'd want to visit the USA (and their son and his family) down the line. It sounds like right now there's a stringent policy that isn't enforced - that you don't have to do much beyond stating Support for the Cuban People as a reason for going and that there's no follow-up from the US Government end.
But especially given the realities of the Trump administration and some of its immigration enforcement personnel these days, we wonder whether this policy could come back to bit ethem down the line, such as if an immigration officer decides to prohibit them from entering the USA a year from now. True, this policy could also be unfairly applied to Americans, but Americans are actually in a better position to fight it and wouldn't be excluded from the country because of it.
Any thoughts about or experience with how this policy could affect foreigners?
Thanks for any input.
Oct 15, 2019, 9:34 pm
#2
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Southern California
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I understand your concern. Unfortunately, predictions (especially about the future, haha) are very difficult to make. The question is whether the travelers are comfortable taking a risk (which hopefully is a slight risk), If they aren't, and want to visit Cuba, as they should, they can travel through Mexico.
Oct 18, 2019, 11:09 am
#3
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Location: Berkeley, CA USA
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I was curious, so I did a few searches to see if foreigners traveling from the USA to Cuba must qualify for a license, just like Americans. So far I haven't seen anything that squarely addresses that. I booked a trip a few months ago, and I recall selecting the athletic event category on united.com as I booked my flights. What I don't know is whether the site would have asked for my license category had I not been a US citizen.
As a practical matter, it seems extremely unlikely that US authorities would ever look into whether a foreign national traveling from the USA to Cuba was, in fact, eligible for a general license. This hardly ever happens with Americans, and foreigners would seem like even less of a priority.
As a practical matter, it seems extremely unlikely that US authorities would ever look into whether a foreign national traveling from the USA to Cuba was, in fact, eligible for a general license. This hardly ever happens with Americans, and foreigners would seem like even less of a priority.