European citizen visiting Cuba while in US?
I may be visiting the US soon for both work (conference) and leisure (sight-seeing) but was wondering whether it is possible to pay a visit to Cuba, as I see that direct commercial flights have been restarted. From what I can tell, it is still not permitted for US citizens to travel to Cuba as tourists (from the US embassy in Cuba).
What is the legal status of European citizens - would it be permitted for me to travel as a tourist from, say, Florida to Cuba on a commercial flight? Would this cause problems for me on my return to the US?
I understand that the question has been asked before (see here) but the situation has changed and I believe it warrants asking again.
Best Answer
There are several direct flights from USA cities to Havana (I just checked a few minutes ago) and there are flights available. Things have not changed under the Trump administration, as yet.
To travel you need a Tourist card. The information for a UK citizen visiting Cuba is found here:
https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/cuba/entry-requirements
There is no indication you would have problems returning to the USA just from the travel, so far as you don't bring items from there which could be seen as trading with Cuba.
Pictures about "European citizen visiting Cuba while in US?"
Can Europeans enter Cuba?
Do EU citizens need a visa to enter Cuba? Yes, all the citizens from an EU country need a visa to properly enter this Caribbean country.Can non US citizens travel to Cuba?
Due to the travel restrictions applied by the US government traveling to Cuba for tourism from or through the US is officially not allowed, regardless of the nationality and citizenship of the traveler.Is it legal to travel between the US and Cuba?
Can Americans travel to Cuba? Yes, but it's complicated. U.S. officials have said that a popular authorized way for groups of travelers to visit Cuba \u2014 called \u201cpeople-to-people\u201d trips \u2014 will be back at some point. The Trump administration eliminated the option in mid-2019.Do I need a visa for Cuba from USA?
TOURIST VISA REQUIRED: Yes. Travel to Cuba for tourist activities remains prohibited by statute. See 31 C.F.R 515.560 and OFAC's Frequently Asked Questions.How to travel to Cuba as an American Citizen 2020
More answers regarding european citizen visiting Cuba while in US?
Answer 2
I agree with Calchas, you should definitely be careful. I live in the U.S. (visitor visa), have a European passport and just came back from Cuba. I was pretty concerned about this as well, so here my experience: Flying to Cuba was not a problem at all, you just need to buy a visa. Also, I had no problems when coming back to the U.S. at all (the officer at customs only asked me what I did in the U.S.), BUT you should bear in mind that non-U.S. citizens entering the U.S. are almost always asked at customs 1) what they're doing in the U.S. and 2) what they were doing abroad (if they live here), meaning that you have to be prepared to answer the latter question without mentioning anything that might be considered as tourism in Cuba.
I didn't want to risk anything, so I had my travel agency prepare me a complete schedule of my trip to Cuba, which stressed activities considered as educational and people-to-people interaction (always accompanied by a local guide). No mentions of anything that may be considered as tourism.
I would recommend always to book your trip with a U.S. travel agency, as they are familiar with all the regulations and work with licensed Cuban agencies. They will give you a schedule that you can present at U.S. customs and the visa you need to enter Cuba.
I hope this helps!
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Son Tung Tran, vectors icon, Ketut Subiyanto, Uriel Mont