Traveling to Cuba as an LPR but not an USC

[.yana 597]

(apologies in advance is this topic belongs in a different thread)

 

Hi, 

 

I am an LPR and a Russian national. My friends (who live in Russia) and I are planning a possible trip to Cuba this summer. Russian nationals do not require a visa to travel to Cuba.

 

Has anyone traveled to Cuba recently with a foreign passport? I see that major US airlines require the traveler to select one of the categories for visiting Cuba, regardless of their nationality, and none of them apply to me (since I'm traveling for tourism which is banned for US nationals). Wondering what I am able to say in that instance.... Should I be able to simply present my Russian passport upon check-in then return to the US using my green card extension letter? Are there any issues that I should be aware of (I know that US nationals are not allowed to spend money in Cuba without a proper permit - will that apply to me as well since I'm an LPR?). 

 

And will visit to Cuba become an issue when applying for my naturalization? 

 

Any general advice regarding travel to Cuba is greatly appreciated. I have several USC friends who visit Cuba frequently but I am not sure what permits they are using and what their main purpose of travel is...

 

Thank you!

[DiamondEyes490 126]

45 minutes ago, .yana said:

(apologies in advance is this topic belongs in a different thread)

 

Hi, 

 

I am an LPR and a Russian national. My friends (who live in Russia) and I are planning a possible trip to Cuba this summer. Russian nationals do not require a visa to travel to Cuba.

 

Has anyone traveled to Cuba recently with a foreign passport? I see that major US airlines require the traveler to select one of the categories for visiting Cuba, regardless of their nationality, and none of them apply to me (since I'm traveling for tourism which is banned for US nationals). Wondering what I am able to say in that instance.... Should I be able to simply present my Russian passport upon check-in then return to the US using my green card extension letter? Are there any issues that I should be aware of (I know that US nationals are not allowed to spend money in Cuba without a proper permit - will that apply to me as well since I'm an LPR?). 

 

And will visit to Cuba become an issue when applying for my naturalization? 

 

Any general advice regarding travel to Cuba is greatly appreciated. I have several USC friends who visit Cuba frequently but I am not sure what permits they are using and what their main purpose of travel is...

 

Thank you!

Before I married my husband, I would always put "Support for the Cuban people" on the affidavit the airline had me sign. So many things fall under that (staying in a casa particular, eating at a privately-owned restaurant, etc.) that almost anything you would do would fall under that. You do not need any sort of special permit, etc. Just keep a record of your itinerary in case you are asked about your trip in the future. 

Every airline either sells a tourist card (visa) at the gate or online before your trip for $75-125. If you travel via a third country (I can attest that from the west coast, going via Panama or Mexico will usually be a lot cheaper), the visa is $20-25 in cash only.

I can't speak to questions during citizenship, but I personally thought that my 25+ trips to Cuba would raise a red flag when I applied for Global Entry 6 months ago, and they didn't even ask me about it!

[.yana 597]

1 hour ago, DiamondEyes490 said:

Before I married my husband, I would always put "Support for the Cuban people" on the affidavit the airline had me sign. So many things fall under that (staying in a casa particular, eating at a privately-owned restaurant, etc.) that almost anything you would do would fall under that. You do not need any sort of special permit, etc. Just keep a record of your itinerary in case you are asked about your trip in the future. 

Every airline either sells a tourist card (visa) at the gate or online before your trip for $75-125. If you travel via a third country (I can attest that from the west coast, going via Panama or Mexico will usually be a lot cheaper), the visa is $20-25 in cash only.

I can't speak to questions during citizenship, but I personally thought that my 25+ trips to Cuba would raise a red flag when I applied for Global Entry 6 months ago, and they didn't even ask me about it!

Thank you for your response! 

 

For the "Support for the Cuban people" category - I saw that it is required to "engage in such activity" for minimum of 6 hours per weekday, and that the traveler will need to present a descriptive itinerary to the US official upon their return to the US. 

Meaning that simply staying in casa particular and visiting a privately-owned restaurant once is not enough. Do you know if that's true?

 

Also I don't believe I need a tourist card as a Russian national; however that is the least of my concerns... 

Seems like a risky trip to take before naturalization altogether so we may have to pick a different destination just to be safe 😕

[DiamondEyes490 126]

19 minutes ago, .yana said:

Thank you for your response! 

 

For the "Support for the Cuban people" category - I saw that it is required to "engage in such activity" for minimum of 6 hours per weekday, and that the traveler will need to present a descriptive itinerary to the US official upon their return to the US. 

Meaning that simply staying in casa particular and visiting a privately-owned restaurant once is not enough. Do you know if that's true?

 

Also I don't believe I need a tourist card as a Russian national; however that is the least of my concerns... 

Seems like a risky trip to take before naturalization altogether so we may have to pick a different destination just to be safe 😕

I honestly have never known anyone who was actually audited and asked to produce evidence of that. If that is a requirement, I haven't seen it enforced.

A good friend of mine that attended our wedding had to produce evidence that his trip fell under that category as part of his background check for an internship in the federal court system, and he definitely didn't provide that level of detail and they accepted it.

 

I can completely understand not wanting to take any chances with naturalization pending.

[xyz12345 260]

2 hours ago, .yana said:

Thank you for your response! 

 

For the "Support for the Cuban people" category - I saw that it is required to "engage in such activity" for minimum of 6 hours per weekday, and that the traveler will need to present a descriptive itinerary to the US official upon their return to the US. 

Meaning that simply staying in casa particular and visiting a privately-owned restaurant once is not enough. Do you know if that's true?

 

Also I don't believe I need a tourist card as a Russian national; however that is the least of my concerns... 

Seems like a risky trip to take before naturalization altogether so we may have to pick a different destination just to be safe 😕

Acc to:

https://www.treasury.gov/resource-center/faqs/Sanctions/Pages/faq_other.aspx#cuba

 

Travel

---

695. What are the travel authorizations in the Cuba program?

Travel-related transactions are permitted by general license for certain travel related to the following 12 categories of activities, subject to the criteria and conditions in each general license: family visits; official business of the U.S. government, foreign governments, and certain intergovernmental organizations; journalistic activity; professional research and professional meetings; educational activities; religious activities; public performances, clinics, workshops, athletic and other competitions, and exhibitions; support for the Cuban people; humanitarian projects; activities of private foundations or research or educational institutes; exportation, importation, or transmission of information or information materials; and certain authorized export transactions. Each person relying on a certain general authorization must retain specific records related to the authorized travel transactions. See §§501.601 and 501.602 of Reporting, Procedures and Penalties Regulations for applicable recordkeeping and reporting requirements.

 

 

698. Is travel to Cuba for tourist activities permitted?

No. Consistent with the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000 (TSRA), travel-related transactions involving Cuba are only permitted for the 12 categories of activities identified in the CACR. Travel-related transactions for other purposes remain prohibited. [11-08-2017]

 

 

Unless your travel fall under the above categories, I would not risk it before naturalization. You can ask a travel agent if there are tour groups that go there -- that might be the safest way.

 

 

 

[.yana 597]

20 hours ago, xyz12345 said:

Unless your travel fall under the above categories, I would not risk it before naturalization. You can ask a travel agent if there are tour groups that go there -- that might be the safest way.

It seems that the majority if US visitors are using 'Support for Cuban people" category but you're right, I don't think the risk is worth it before naturalization.