Decision tool · 12 OFAC categories · CACR §515.560–.578

Can I Legally Travel to Cuba?

Three quick questions to find out whether your trip is authorised, which OFAC category covers it, and what records you need to keep.

Step 3 of 3 · Passport: U.S. citizen / green-card holder · Purpose: Support for the Cuban people (independent travel)

Yes — your trip is authorised under “support for the Cuban people.”

Authorising regulation: 31 CFR §515.574 — Support for the Cuban People

This is the only individual self-organised category that survived the 2019 Trump-era restrictions. It requires a full-time schedule of activities that meaningfully interact with Cubans — staying in casas particulares, eating at paladares, hiring independent guides, and supporting MIPYME businesses. Pure beach-and-resort itineraries do not qualify.

Compliance checklist for this trip

  1. Build and keep a written full-time daily schedule of qualifying activities (casa visits, paladar meals, MIPYME interactions, civil-society meetings).
  2. Stay only at independent casas particulares NOT on the CPAL — check every single property before booking.
  3. Avoid any CRL-listed counterparty (GAESA, Gaviota, Habaguanex, CIMEX, FINCIMEX) for hotels, tours, or payments.
  4. Retain ALL records — schedule, receipts, contact list — for 5 years per §515.601.
  5. Self-attest the §515.574 category at airline check-in (the airline records the OFAC category for the U.S.-version Tourist Card).

Cuban-side entry requirements (every traveller, every passport)

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Important: Educational decision aid, not legal advice. CACR (31 CFR Part 515) and the State Department’s Cuba Restricted & Prohibited Accommodations Lists change periodically — verify before booking, and keep full-time-schedule + transaction records for five years per §515.601.
When to retain counselHide
For any high-stakes trip — particularly journalism (§515.561), business travel, group people-to-people travel (§515.565), or anything involving transactions with Cuban government counterparties — retain qualified U.S. sanctions counsel before booking. The CRL changes intra-administration, the CPAL between our refreshes, and OFAC enforcement priorities can shift without notice.

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