Do you have to pay a fee to enter Cuba?
Question: We are traveling to Cuba in July for a holiday from Ireland. Do we have to pay a fee to enter Cuba when we arrive? Do we have to pay a fee on leaving the country?
Answer: Cuba, like many countries, has a departure tax. It is 25 CUC (pesos convertibles) per person (currently around 22-23 Euros) and is payable after check-in and before passing through Cuban immigration to go to the departure gate. Your boarding pass gets a stamp showing this tax has been paid. Without the stamp, you are not allowed through immigration.
Cuba does not have any entrance fee or tax. There is, however, a small form which must be filled out and presented to immigration, with your passport, that includes such information as name, details of arrival, address while in Cuba, etc. In many cases this form is distributed on the plane before landing in Cuba. The form is also available near the immigration booths.
To answer a few questions 1/ the card you need to have/buy to enter Cuba along with your passport is called a Tourist Card (good for one month only – 30 days for all people travelling for tourism even Americans > except Canadian Passports have 90 days) & when travelling on Canadian Airlines & issued on board (some British & European Airlines also do the same) it is included in your ticket price. Travelling from Caribbean or Latin countries you buy it from the airline counter you are travelling to Cuba with for aprox. $20-$25 usd or if not available at the check-in counter or you lose it you can still buy one when you arrive in Cuba before going through immigration for the same cost but in CUC (Cuban Convertible Pesos > Cuban Dollars equivalent to USD amount) And you just fill out your name, passport number & country to give one half to immigration when arriving in Cuba & give the identical half to immigration when departing Cuba (just so they know you have left the country > they do like “squatters”) if you lose your second half you must buy another one before departing the country. You can renew by going to any international immigration office by the latest 27th day of your stay or more in advance if a weekend or holiday is coming up (open only Mon-Fri 830am-4pm & closed sometimes for different reasons), but you must ask to stay in advance & have proof of staying in a legal Casa Particular (B&B) or hotel for the next length of your stay (to show you can afford to stay) you may also be asked for proof sufficient travel money & travel medical insurance coverage. You can also stay by enrolling & paying in cash for gov’t run educational classes, in various languages or other studies which all the above proof is also required & you must maintain class attendance or be asked to leave the country. Staying longer in Cuba more than 30 days is up to immigration to decide and for what reason. 2/ You can contact us [email protected] for Spanish Classes available in Cuba year round, but none are offered in August as all educational institutions are closed for summer holidays or most of December now. Beginning in Sept & October courses offer a full semester course until April next year but other classes can be taken for one to six months at a time. 3/ If you are Iranian-American technically anyone holding an American passport even from other countries > by US Treasury Dept. laws “you can not spend money in Cuba” thus “can not travel there” because of a need to spend money while staying there. But with a general or specific license any American passport holder can travel there > see the US Treasury Dept. website for details on how you can or we can also help you through it so contact us, we have 13 years experience on all travel to Cuba. For any Iranian passport holders see the Cuban Consulate website or contact the nearest one > I believe a requested visa is all you need & pay for it in advance of travel.
i am planning to learn spanish language and if you can help me find one i’d appreciate
thanks
Abbas (Tony) Boroumand
hello: I am an Iranian American and would like to see Cuba. what kind of visa or passport do I need? I love to see Cuba. by the way let me know as a visitor how long I can stay there and where?