Aussies sailing to Cuba

[doubledecker0437]

have any Australians sailed to Cuba from Miami and if so can you tell me the visa requirements, getting mixed messages from everyone. We don't sail till October so plenty of time to organise what ever. Thanks in advance

[lyndarra]

Who did you ask?

Less than 30 seconds spent with uncle Google.

http://smartraveller.gov.au/Countries/americas/caribbean/Pages/cuba.aspx

 

Entry and exit

 

You will need a visa to enter Cuba. A tourist card, which is considered a visa for entry for tourism purposes, can be obtained through your travel agent or through your nearest Embassy or Consulate of Cuba. Information regarding visas for other purposes, such as study or work should be obtained from the nearest Cuban Embassy.

US airlines cannot provide boarding passes to foreign nationals travelling to Cuba, unless they can certify they are travelling on one of the 12 Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) travel categories. Further details can be found on the Cuba Sanctions page of the US OFAC website. If you are travelling to Cuba for tourist purposes do not attempt to book travel on a US carrier.

The Cuban Departure Tax equivalent to US$25 is included in your airline ticket.

Visa and other entry and exit conditions (such as currency, customs and quarantine regulations) change regularly. Contact the nearest Cuban Embassy for up-to-date information.

All Australian minors under the age of 18 years travelling to Cuba without their parents should contact the nearest Cuban Embassy or Consulate before departure for official requirements.

Travellers must present proof of comprehensive travel insurance in order to enter Cuba. Travellers who plan to participate in high-risk sports or sporting competitions and travellers of 70 years of age and older are required to purchase additional insurance from Asistur, the Cuban insurance provider.

All medication must be transported in its original container and have a clear label. Prescription and controlled medication must be accompanied by a prescription from the prescribing physician on letterhead stationery and include the medication's generic name. Contact the nearest Cuban Embassy for a list of restricted medication.

Customs authorities in Cuba may confiscate items they do not consider to be for the personal use of the traveller. Electrical items that draw heavily on electricity, as well as equipment using satellite technology, may be confiscated and not returned. The list of duty free personal items that travellers can take into Cuba is limited, and if not considered for personal use, may be seized. You can obtain further information from the nearest Cuban Embassy or from General Customs of the Republic of Cuba.

Ensure your passport has at least six months' validity from your planned date of return to Australia.

[MMDown Under]

Who did you ask?

Less than 30 seconds spent with uncle Google.

http://smartraveller.gov.au/Countries/americas/caribbean/Pages/cuba.aspx

Entry and exit

You will need a visa to enter Cuba. A tourist card, which is considered a visa for entry for tourism purposes, can be obtained through your travel agent or through your nearest Embassy or Consulate of Cuba. Information regarding visas for other purposes, such as study or work should be obtained from the nearest Cuban Embassy.

US airlines cannot provide boarding passes to foreign nationals travelling to Cuba, unless they can certify they are travelling on one of the 12 Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) travel categories. Further details can be found on the Cuba Sanctions page of the US OFAC website. If you are travelling to Cuba for tourist purposes do not attempt to book travel on a US carrier.

The Cuban Departure Tax equivalent to US$25 is included in your airline ticket.

Visa and other entry and exit conditions (such as currency, customs and quarantine regulations) change regularly. Contact the nearest Cuban Embassy for up-to-date information.

All Australian minors under the age of 18 years travelling to Cuba without their parents should contact the nearest Cuban Embassy or Consulate before departure for official requirements.

Travellers must present proof of comprehensive travel insurance in order to enter Cuba. Travellers who plan to participate in high-risk sports or sporting competitions and travellers of 70 years of age and older are required to purchase additional insurance from Asistur, the Cuban insurance provider.

All medication must be transported in its original container and have a clear label. Prescription and controlled medication must be accompanied by a prescription from the prescribing physician on letterhead stationery and include the medication's generic name. Contact the nearest Cuban Embassy for a list of restricted medication.

Customs authorities in Cuba may confiscate items they do not consider to be for the personal use of the traveller. Electrical items that draw heavily on electricity, as well as equipment using satellite technology, may be confiscated and not returned. The list of duty free personal items that travellers can take into Cuba is limited, and if not considered for personal use, may be seized. You can obtain further information from the nearest Cuban Embassy or from General Customs of the Republic of Cuba.

Ensure your passport has at least six months' validity from your planned date of return to Australia.

 

Makes interesting reading. Like you, I always check smarttraveller.gov.au (plus the country's embassy). Was surprised to read the requirement that those 70 years and older are required to purchase additional insurance from Asistur, the Cuban insurance provider. I wonder if that is because Cuba is well known for its excellent medical services and the risk for older passengers is higher.

[lyndarra]

Makes interesting reading. Like you, I always check smarttraveller.gov.au (plus the country's embassy). Was surprised to read the requirement that those 70 years and older are required to purchase additional insurance from Asistur, the Cuban insurance provider. I wonder if that is because Cuba is well known for its excellent medical services and the risk for older passengers is higher.

 

Two years ago we almost booked a combined Mexico/Cuba tour (which included a Panama Canal cruise). It was a bit expensive so we just went with the Mexico and cruise part.

BTW. Cuban authorities do not allow GPS devices into Cuba. A smartphone is ok even though most today have GPS capability. Work that one out.

[Charlie Chan]

We visited Cuba on an Oceania cruise from Miami in March 2017. The information provided by the government 'smart traveller' site seems to refer to travel by air rather than cruise ship. I have no idea if these rules were in place when we were there as we were not flying into Cuba.

 

Certainly, the categories for US residents visiting Cuba have been changed by the Trump administration since we visited, but if you check the 'Ports of Call' forum on CC (under the Caribbean forum then Cuba), no one appears to be having any trouble entering by cruise ship and touring independently. Some of the cruise lines seem to be suggesting that you may only sightsee on a ship organised/sponsored tour. As more people report back, this should be become clearer. It sounds a bit like the scare tactics used cruise lines when visiting St Petersburg.

 

The category for visiting Cuba used to be 'people to people'. This no longer exists. Now the recommended reason for travel is 'support for the Cuban people'. There is no 'tourism' category as this is forbidden by the US govt. You tick your reason for visiting on the paper work the ship provides. The Cuban government is not interested in your reasons - it is an American requirement. Even if you are an Australian, if you are travelling on a ship from a US port, you seem to be classified under the US rules and must fill out this paperwork. US citizens are supposed to keep documentation of their visit for 5 years. This does not apply to us.

 

We obtained our visas from the cruise line. It was actually cheaper and easier than trying to get them ourselves. It was US $75pp. We were given the visa documentation when we boarded. It is scrutinised when you first enter Cuba but after the first inspection, the border control people just look at your passport. We only docked in Havana but did overnight there so left the ship a number of times. It was all quite painless. It is just a bit slow the first time as everything is scrutinised fully then.

 

The ship apparently covered the health insurance requirements. No-one asked to see if we had any insurance cover. My spouse is over 70. Perhaps this has changed - as said before, we did not use the govt web site for any information.

 

I'm guessing that the Aus govt information is more directed at people who are holidaying there independently rather than visiting by ship for a day or two.

 

We had a wonderful visit and organised all of our touring independently. It was so enjoyable that we have booked to go back in 2019 on a more port intensive cruise. I just hope things will not have changed too much by then!

 

Let me know if you need any more information.

Edited February 2, 2018 by Charlie Chan

[doubledecker0437]

We visited Cuba on an Oceania cruise from Miami in March 2017. The information provided by the government 'smart traveller' site seems to refer to travel by air rather than cruise ship. I have no idea if these rules were in place when we were there as we were not flying into Cuba.

 

Certainly, the categories for US residents visiting Cuba have been changed by the Trump administration since we visited, but if you check the 'Ports of Call' forum on CC (under the Caribbean forum then Cuba), no one appears to be having any trouble entering by cruise ship and touring independently. Some of the cruise lines seem to be suggesting that you may only sightsee on a ship organised/sponsored tour. As more people report back, this should be become clearer. It sounds a bit like the scare tactics used cruise lines when visiting St Petersburg.

 

The category for visiting Cuba used to be 'people to people'. This no longer exists. Now the recommended reason for travel is 'support for the Cuban people'. There is no 'tourism' category as this is forbidden by the US govt. You tick your reason for visiting on the paper work the ship provides. The Cuban government is not interested in your reasons - it is an American requirement. Even if you are an Australian, if you are travelling on a ship from a US port, you seem to be classified under the US rules and must fill out this paperwork. US citizens are supposed to keep documentation of their visit for 5 years. This does not apply to us.

 

We obtained our visas from the cruise line. It was actually cheaper and easier than trying to get them ourselves. It was US $75pp. We were given the visa documentation when we boarded. It is scrutinised when you first enter Cuba but after the first inspection, the border control people just look at your passport. We only docked in Havana but did overnight there so left the ship a number of times. It was all quite painless. It is just a bit slow the first time as everything is scrutinised fully then.

 

The ship apparently covered the health insurance requirements. No-one asked to see if we had any insurance cover. My spouse is over 70. Perhaps this has changed - as said before, we did not use the govt web site for any information.

 

I'm guessing that the Aus govt information is more directed at people who are holidaying there independently rather than visiting by ship for a day or two.

 

We had a wonderful visit and organised all of our touring independently. It was so enjoyable that we have booked to go back in 2019 on a more port intensive cruise. I just hope things will not have changed too much by then!

 

Let me know if you need any more information.

Hi Charlie, thank you so much for your very informative reply, answered all my questions. Ship visa it is.