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Attacks on Our Rights

Travel Restrictions

Legal Sanctions

"Why should everybody else be able to go to Cuba and not Americans? Why can we go to China and Vietnam, but not Cuba? The whole thing's a joke. "It's ridiculous, for a free country to control the right of Americans to travel. All I say is, give us our freedom to travel or quit saying this is the most free country in the world," - Dan Snow, Texan convicted for leading fishing trips to Cuba.

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Right to Travel to Cuba > Attacks on Our Rights > Restrictions on Cuba Travel

Restrictions on Cuba Travel

Update on Cuba Travel Restrictions - Latin American Working Group
This list is not exhaustive. If you know of other recent examples of license denials, please let us know: lawg@lawg.org


  • It's Just the Kids (IJTK) was stopped from taking volunteers and materials to Cuba in June 2006 to build three playgrounds which had been approved by both the U.S. and Cuban governments. IJTK's two-year travel license expired on April 30, 2006, preventing the June project from proceeding as planned. IJTK is trying to have their license renewed to continue providing this humanitarian aid to Cuban children. www.itsjustthekids.org/cubasite.htm
  • The Department of Treasury has denied travel licenses for U.S. music groups to present public concerts in Cuba, saying that they would no longer approve public performances as a matter of policy and that they will be eliminating "public performance" as an authorized category for travel to Cuba.
  • Six religious travel licenses were suspended in an apparent "crackdown" on travel by Cuban Americans visiting relatives under these religious licenses. OFAC won't provide the names of the religious organizations. (El Nuevo Herald reports that some 100,000 people have traveled to Cuba for "religious motives" in the last two years since the new restrictions on Cuban-American family travel.)
  • Approximately 16 travel agencies in the Miami area which had been licensed to arrange travel to Cuba lost their authorization.
  • El Nuevo Herald reports that federal authorities plan to audit in the next years all of the approximately 250 agencies with authorization to operate travel services to Cuba from the United States.
  • Marazul Charters estimates (unofficial) that travel under the academic specific license is down 90 percent.
  • A 50-page "Circular 2006" was issued to all travel service providers (TSPs) outlining additional reporting and screening procedures which must be implemented immediately, particularly regarding Cuban-American travel and travel under the General License for research. The General License for research is still allowable, but researchers must now supply their resume in advance.
  • In 2005, OFAC collected-by their own account-$1.5 million in fines for allegedly traveling without a license and issued a big increase in the number of "requirements to furnish information" (RFIs) sent out. The RFIs include 200 letters sent to Pastors and Peace and the Venceremos Brigade within a two-month period of time in response to their trips last summer.
  • Cuban scholars are refused visas to attend conferences. Seven Cubans were denied visas by the U.S. Department of State to attend the annual Society of American Archaeology's conference in Puerto Rico.