Cruise to Cuba Question

[svjustus]

My husband & I (both US citizens with US passports) have been asked to be crew on a sailboat registered in New Zealand (owner of boat has New Zealand passport) leaving from Florida and going to Cuba.
We will have to fly back to Florida from Havana.
The question is, does anyone know what the regulations are?
We would not be spending any money or bringing anything back from Cuba.
Just curious as to the procedure. Thanks for your replies!!

[MarkJ]

You can't

There's an embargo for American citizens.

Ask JFK

[vtcapo]

Originally Posted by svjustus

My husband & I (both US citizens with US passports) have been asked to be crew on a sailboat registered in New Zealand (owner of boat has New Zealand passport) leaving from Florida and going to Cuba.
We will have to fly back to Florida from Havana.
The question is, does anyone know what the regulations are?
We would not be spending any money or bringing anything back from Cuba.
Just curious as to the procedure. Thanks for your replies!!

Once I am finished refitting my boat Cuba, the Gem of the Caribbean is one of my planned destinations. However, there have been conflicting reports concerning the ramification Americans will incur if they travel there. Talks with some US boats that have traveled there mention that they get around not being able to spend money by having a non US citizen on board.

I’m sure my Canadian brother-in-law will be up for it…

Check out this site. I have posted a couple of excerpts. I myself would like to hear from other US boats and hear what they experienced on entry and with US customs on return.

Americans in Cuba - Wikitravel

Although the government of Cuba permits U.S. citizens to visit, the U.S. itself restricts its citizens from traveling there, except with a license issued by the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control [1]. The specific restriction is against spending money in Cuba. However, U.S. authorities consider any visit of more than one day to be prima facie proof that one has spent money there. Furthermore, OFAC also holds that U.S. citizens also may not receive goods or services for free from any Cuban national, eliminating any attempts to circumvent the regulation based on that premise.

By boat
There are no regular ferries or boats to Cuba from foreign ports, although some cruise liners do visit. Yachters are expected to anchor at the public marinas. Also, most ports are closed and tourists are not permitted to walk around them. Private vessels may enter at Marina Hemingway in Havana or Marina Acua in Varadero. Entry requires a U.S. passport, but there are no visa requirements. Your passport will not be stamped by Cuban authorities unless you request it. You will likely be intercepted upon your return to America and fined $5000, although this is just a formality. You will not be expected to actually pay this fine nor have there been any repercussions or attempts to collect. The only attempt to prosecute was the case of Peter Goldsmith v. United States. This case was dismissed with prejudice in late 2004 in the Miami District Court

RT

[Hudson Force]

I'm hesitant to accept the legal interpretations above. My understanding is that there is no restriction to the travel of US citizens to Cuba, but the impediment is that it is not allowed for a US citizen to spend money in Cuba. Normally, with the entry fees, the result would be the same, but if travelling as the guest of a non-US citizen there is a way to circumvent the restriction.

[sailorboy1]

Do people seriously believe that US gov't offials are going to accept some of these "work around" plots for traveling to Cuba?

Kim - run a search here on CF and there lots of these threads

[Astrid]

Why not ask the US Government about restrictions:

http://www.treasury.gov/resource-cen...ments/cuba.txt

Cuba

[AnchorageGuy]

This has been discussed in soooooo many threads here. Most of the facts stated in the posts so far are incorrect. Do a search and you will have enough reading to last about a week. Whether you spend money or not, US citizen are still not legally allowed to travel to Cuba no matter how you get there. You can apply for a license from the Treasury Department but they only issue them under certain conditions and traveling on a boat is not one of them. Chuck

[skipmac]

Travel by US citizens to Cuba without a permit is not allowed. Lots of people do it and very few are fined, none that I have heard of have been jailed, at least just for travel.

You cannot fly from Cuba direct to FL without a US government permit to travel to Cuba. You could fly back via Mexico, Nassau or Canada and probably get away with it.

I choose not to take that risk.

[The Other Gary]

I spent last week in Holguin Cuba, lots of Americans at the hotel but they all arrive from Toronto or Cancun.
FYI, Cuba does not stamp your passport, they stamp the entry visa which you are welcome to throw away after you leave.
If travelling to Cuba bring Canadian dollars or Euros as the US dollar has a 10% discount on the exchange rate.

[Nicholson58]

check Noonsite. They may discuss this in detail.

Cuba — Noonsite

[Hudson Force]

I checked with the US State Dept. site and my thoughts in post #4 that the embargo is economic only is incorrect. Travel by tourism is not permitted and not licensable for US citizens at this time regardless of wether money is spent in Cuba or not.