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Passports & Visas
In order to travel to Cuba, US citizens must be licensed by the Department of Treasury. Only select categories of travellers, usually for family reasons and certain restricted businesses, are licensable. US citizens who are licensed require a passport valid for at least three months and a visa for entry. With these exceptions, travel to the country is illegal under American law due to the US embargo. Some Americans do however visit by travelling through a third country, for instance Mexico or Jamaica.
Other nationalities are free to visit Cuba. Travellers must have a valid passport to enter the island as well as proof of a return or outward journey.
Most tourists must buy a tourist visa card (visada tarjeta del turista) before travelling, these can be purchased from a Cuban embassy or a tour operator. It is usually valid for 30 days and can be extended once for another 30 days at any immigration office in Cuba - beyond this you would need a pretty good reason. The tourist visa is stamped upon arrival and is removable from your passport. |
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Service Charge/Tipping
Tipping used to be discouraged but it is gradually becoming more common in Cuba. There is no tradition of adding a percentage, so rounding up the bill will usually suffice. Small amounts are appreciated by service staff and taxi drivers. |
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Telephone
The IDD telephone code for Cuba is +53. The outgoing code is 119 followed by the relevant country code (eg 11944 for the United Kingdom).
Public telephones are widely available for domestic as well as international calls, but they are often out of order and international calls are expensive. Pre-paid phone cards are available. Internet cafes are located in the main towns and cities.
Roaming agreements exist with most international mobile phone companies, but not with those from the United States. Cell phones are available for rent and the mobile network is often more reliable than landlines, though coverage is far from perfect. |
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Time Zone
Cuba is in the Eastern Standard Time Zone (ie the same as the eastern seaboard of the USA), which is five hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT-5), ie Britain in winter, and six hours behind mainland Europe.
After several years of not implementing Daylight Saving Time, Cuba now operates summer time in line with other North American countries. During DST Cuba is 4 hours behind Greenwich Mean Time (GMT -4), but still five hours behind British Summer Time and six behind European time. |
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