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: Foreign national resident in the U.S. · Purpose: Support an authorised export (TSRA ag, medical, MIPYME goods)

Yes — travel to support an authorised export is authorised.

Authorising regulation: 31 CFR §515.572 (TSRA / MIPYME exports) — Travel-related transactions necessary to support authorised exports

Authorises travel-related transactions for U.S. agricultural exporters (TSRA, §515.533), medical exporters (§515.533), telecom and internet-services providers (§515.578), and exporters supplying independent Cuban entrepreneurs (§515.582). The travel must be tied to the underlying export activity (negotiating, contracting, servicing).

Compliance checklist for this trip

  1. Carry export documentation tying the trip to a specific authorised transaction.
  2. TSRA exporters — confirm cash-in-advance or third-country financing terms; ALIMPORT is the standard counterparty.
  3. MIPYME exporters under §515.582 — verify the buyer is a private cuentapropista, NOT a state-sector entity.
  4. Lodging — verify no CPAL listing.
  5. Retain export documentation and trip records for 5 years (§515.601).

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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