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: Visit close family in Cuba

Yes — family visits to close relatives in Cuba are authorised.

Authorising regulation: 31 CFR §515.563 — Family visits to close relatives in Cuba

Cuban-American and U.S.-permanent-resident travellers may visit close relatives in Cuba (parents, grandparents, siblings, children, spouses, and certain in-laws). The Trump-era frequency caps were partially relaxed under the Biden administration in May 2022; current rules permit reasonable family-visit frequency.

Compliance checklist for this trip

  1. Confirm the relative meets the §515.339 “close relative” definition (parents, grandparents, siblings, children, spouses, including in-laws).
  2. Keep documentation of the family relationship and the visit purpose.
  3. Family visits CAN include lodging at family homes — but if you stay at a hotel or casa, it must not be on the CPAL.
  4. Remittances accompanying the trip are governed separately under §515.570 — review limits.
  5. Retain travel records for 5 years per §515.601.

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

↻ Start over
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.

Get the daily briefing in your inbox

Twice-daily Cuba business intelligence — sanctions, regulatory, sector analysis.

Subscribe free