FAQs

A.

The National Currency is the Cuban Peso (CUP), which are 100 cents. Circulate bills of 1, 3, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1000 pesos, and fractional coins of 1 and 3 pesos and of 1, 2, 5 y 20 cents.

Convertible peso has been discontinued and not been accepted anymore.

US dollars are not accepted in cash anywhere in Cuba, while Canadian currency is widely accepted.

At the hotels and resort areas payments are accepted only with Debit/visa or Visa credit cards from Canadian banks. Clients who don’t have a credit card can buy a pre-paid card in Cuba at the airport, exchange houses and resort areas.

Payments outside the tourist areas are in local Cuban pesos (CUP); we recommend exchanging Canadian dollars into pesos as you need them and only if you are planning to travel around outside of the tourist zones; since you won’t be able to exchange the left-over pesos back into Canadian at the end of the holidays.

The best currency for tips is Canadian dollars.

To check exchange rates, simply visit the website: Banco Central de Cuba.

Banks Hours are: 8:30 am to 3:30 pm

A.

Personal Effects:

The personal effects are considered the articles that by their nature and quantity, the passenger can reasonably use in the journey, taking into consideration the length, circumstances and objective of the trip, and the profession, activity and characteristics of it, with the excluded merchandise that by its type, quantity or valor has commercial objectives.

Generally these are Personal Effects:

• Jewels and personal use wear.
• Clothing, shoes and personal cleaning products, only in personal use quantities.
• One video of photographic camera and its accessories.
• A portable multimedia digital player, with its headphones and accessories.
• A cellphone.
• A portable Television.
• A portable computer.
• Articles for transportation, entertainment, feeding and care or children according to the age.
• A quantity that doesn’t exceed, per adult, 400 unities of cigarette; 500 grams of pipe tobacco; 50 unities of Cuban cigar and 2.500 cubic centimeters of alcoholic beverages.
• Medicines, in necessary quantities just for personal use of the traveler and with the medical prescription, just like a machine for measuring the Blood Pressure and glucose in blood, and other portable machines similar for medical analysis.

In the case of children -10 years, who can only carry their personal effects, are considered also:

• Unities of toys.
• Unities of games, electric or electronic instruments for personal use.

In the case of babies, are included, the articles for transport, cleaning and entertaining, such as:

• A chair.
• A portable crib.
• A stroller.
• A baby walker.

In the case of foreign tourists, personal effects are considered:

• A CD or DVD portable player, with its headphones and accessories.
• Binoculars for personal use.
• A portable television receiver, a portable computer for personal use.
• A portable writing machine; A tent and camping gear.
• Sport articles (A set of fishing gear, a bicycle without a motor, a canoe or kayak least of 5,50 meters length, A pair of skis, two tennis rackets, and other similar items).
• A pair of walkies-talkies.
• In any case, if you import more unities of the indicated in the procedure list of each article, the quantities above them will not be considered personal effects and will be liable to the established for the imported articles.

When we use the method of weight/value to calculate the value in customs of the imported articles from a traveler, are considered like personal effects, 25 kilos. These don’t pay customs rights.

A.

Customs Regulations for Entrance and Exit:

The National Customs of the Republic of Cuba constitutes a control organ of the border and the control in the activity linked to foreign trade. It has the mission of direct in custom matters, collect customs duties and give response inside its jurisdiction and compete to the facts that affect the international traffic of goods, travelers, postal center and the transport means, preventing, detecting and facing fraud and contraband, also contributing to the national and international protection of the environment.

The laws of the General Customs of the Cuban Republic forbid the entrance of:

a) Drugs and Narcotics.
b) Psychotropic or hallucinogenic substances.
c) Precursor substances.
d) Explosives.
e) Blood products.
f) Literature, articles and obscene objects or pornographic or anything that violates the general interests of the Nation.
g) Products of Animal Origin (bovine, pigs, sheep, goats and all species of ungulates) susceptible to be carriers of diseases.

Custom Regulations:
The visitor must possess a valid passport or a travel document issued to his name and the Visa or Tourist card. Exempting the countries which Cuba has agreements of free Visa with. The Tourist cards can be requested in the Custom Cuban representations. Also, in the travel agencies and airlines. There are two kinds: for individual tourists or for tourists that travel in groups.

Business travels, journalism, or long stays or from work, require special Visa, therefore you must go to Consulates or Cuban Embassies.

Health Regulations:
Since March 1st 2016 the Minister of Public Health of Cuba establishes as priorities to:

Strengthen the International Sanitary Control regulations and intensify epidemiological surveillance.
Do the health declarations at the entrance points to people coming from countries that reports Zika, Dengue, Chikungunya and yellow fever.

General Legal Procedures:
All the citizens of any country can travel to Cuba with any immigration restriction, including Americans. It excludes persons persecuted by international justice linked to activities of drug trafficking, terrorism or other crimes.

For traveling to Cuba for pleasure of recreation, the visitor must adjust his trip to some tourist program through an tourist international agency that has agreements with the Cuban Minister of Tourism (MINTUR) and must show his Visa application for conduct of the tourist agency hired for the trip. Also can count with the Cuban consul offices in the embassy of their country of residence, or the Cuban representations where there are no embassies.

It’s necessary the flight ticket (in and out); valid passport for at least 6 months since the entrance date and tourist card or Visa.

• Another Travel and Regulations for Traveling to Cuba:
  Notary Services
• Extension of stay
• Procedures for visas and tourist cards
• Entry and exit stamps
• Foreign investment in Cuba

A.

Located in the insular Caribbean, at the entrance of the Mexican Gulf, the biggest of the Antillas it’s a destiny that has the preference of potential visitors on diverse latitudes.

There are two ways to get to Cuba: Air and Sea.

Cuba has 10 International Airports and 15 National Airports, located in different tourist sites along the archipelago, which allows the connection through the different airlines to and between the main territories.

International Airports in Cuba:

• José martí (Boyeros, La Habana)
• Vitalio Acuña (Cayo largo, Isla de la Juventud)
• Juan Gualberto Gómez (Matanzas)
• Ignacio Agramonte (Camagüey)
• Frank País (Holguín)
• Antonio Maceo (Santiago de Cuba)
• Abel Santamaría (Santa Clara, Villa Clara)
• Jaime González (Cienfuegos)
• Jardines del Rey (Cayo Coco, Ciego de Ávila)
• Sierra Maestra (Manzanillo, Granma)

Cuba also possesses 4 cruise terminals for the sea access, located in La Habana (Avenida del Puerto), Cienfuegos (Calle La Mar), Isla de la Juventud (Punta Francés) and Santiago de Cuba (Avenida Jesús Menéndez); and 15 international marina or strategic points in the touristic destinations where medium and small boats land with visits to events and sea activities.