Cuba All Inclusive Vacations. Long Stay Cuba, and Beach Vacations in Cuba

 CUBA:
Passport/Visa for Cuba
Cuba Travel Overview
Climate in Cuba
Map of Cuba
Money in Cuba
Things to Do & See in Cuba

Also Available
Havana + Varadero
Havana + Cayo Largo
Havana + Cayo Coco
 Havana + Santa Maria

• Cuba Car Rentals

• Flights to Cuba

• Domestic Flights

• Airport Transfers

• 3 - 4 Night Stays

• 10-11 Night Stays

• Tours

• Events

• Attractions

Canadian citizens must have a valid passport.
A visa/tourist card is also required (as below).

Please consult the Cuban Embassy for current regulations and details: http://embacu.cubaminrex.cu/Default.aspx?tabid=1183

Tourist Visa or Tourist Card: Required (now provided onboard/enroute to Cuba)
Business Visa: Required
Student Visa: Required

Cuban tourist cards can also be obtained from a Cuban government office in Canada in the case of privately organized flights. A tourist visa is required if you plan to stay at a private residence.

The airport tax, 25 convertible pesos, that travelers are required to pay before boarding their flights can only be paid in Cuban convertible pesos.

**Disclaimer**:
We make no express or implied guarantees with respect to documentation required for travel from your home country. We suggest you consult with the appropriate Embassy based on your Nationality for exact documentation required

FOREIGN Affairs and International Trade Canada have issued the following update on health insurance for Cuba:

The Government of Cuba has announced that travellers will have to present proof of health insurance in order to enter the country as of May 1, 2010. Upon arrival, travellers may be required to present an insurance policy, insurance certificate, or medical assistance card valid for the period of their stay in Cuba. Those who do not have proof of insurance coverage may be required to obtain health insurance from a Cuban insurance company when they arrive.

Temporary residents will also have to hold valid health insurance policies.

Although proof of Canadian provincial health insurance will be sufficient for visitors to enter Cuba, your provincial plan may cover only part of the costs and will not pay the bill up-front, as required. It is therefore recommended that travellers purchase supplemental health insurance. Note that some private insurers also require the traveller to pay costs up-front and be reimbursed later. For more information on travel health insurance, please see Section 11 (attached below) of this Travel Report. Travellers should note that Cuban authorities will not allow anyone with outstanding medical bills to leave the country.

All health insurance policies will be recognized except those issued by U.S. insurance companies, as they cannot provide coverage in Cuba.

For additional details on this requirement, please consult the Embassy of Cuba in Canada at http://embacu.cubaminrex.cu/Default.aspx?tabid=17941.

Section 11
Health and Travel Insurance: Do not rely on your provincial health plan to cover all expenses if you get sick or are injured while abroad. It may cover nothing or only a portion of the costs. Understand the terms of your supplementary insurance policy. Some credit cards offer their holders health and travel insurance. Do not assume the card alone provides adequate coverage. Carry details of your insurance with you. Also, tell your travel agent, a friend or relative, and/or travelling companion how to contact your insurer. Get a detailed invoice from the doctor or hospital before you return to Canada. Always submit original receipts for any medical services or prescriptions received abroad. Most insurance companies will not accept copies or faxes.

Sheila Aue
(need2know@travelinfo.ca)

CUBA - If you want to bring small gifts for Cuban workers:
I've been told that the following are excellent gifts
- bring things for their families - stuff for kids such as coloring books, crayons, erasers, stickers, used clothing and shoes; pretty hair clips or ponytails; soothers with clip, simple baby things is always appreciated
- Make up for the dancers; soap, fragranced body creams, baby powder,
                                                              
A valid Canadian passport is required for Canadians intending to visit Cuba.


Prior to Departure:
Remember the new security rules in place pertaining to the amounts and sizes of liquids/gels allowed in your carry-on baggage. New limitations are:
- container size 100ml or 3oz.
- all small bottles must be enclosed in clear ziplock bags.

Important Carry-on baggage packing tip!! (at many of these resorts, you end up waiting for your room once you arrive in the hot, hot sun): Pack your swimsuit or shorts and a t-shirt in your bag, so you can easily change into them, once you reach your destination. There's nothing worse than getting off a plane in the baking sun, and standing around for hours with long pants and a fleece on. A mistake I made ONLY once!

On arrival in Cuba: There has been a slight change regarding Cuban tourist visas. The tourist visa is now given out to each passenger on the plane. Be careful not to make any mistakes filling it in, and be sure to have it completed and ready to submit with your passport upon arrival at the Cuban airports!

Cuban Immigration is now quite efficient, and movement through this area takes less time than in previous years. Remember to go to the booth one person at a time even if you are traveling as a family group and check to make sure you have the departure/exit portion of your tourist visa in your passport before leaving the booth.

Once through Immigration, you will proceed to the security check where your carry on baggage will be x-rayed and inspected, after which you pick up your luggage.

CURRENCY EXCHANGE
HELPFUL TIP:  If 2 or more people are travelling together, split up - with one of you getting the baggage, and the other exchanging the currency (currency exchange counter located on the left side near the Customs exit.)
** Coins ARE NOT ACCEPTED in Cuba!

Once you have your suitcases, head to the closest exit (and avoid any porters offering to take your bags for you!! - (**UNLESS you have decided to take a taxi into Varadero instead of going on the Tour Suppliers bus.)

The vacation reps (Sunquest, Nolitours, Signature, Transat Holidays etc.) will be waiting and holding up their signs outside outside the exit to tell you which bus number to get on for transfer to your resort.

Happy Travels in Cuba!

If you would like more helpful tips for places to go and which excursions might be right for you, give us a call at 1-866-994-9898. We're happy to help you with booking your Cuba trip and activities!

Canadian tourists who were born in Canada may stay in Cuba for up to 6 months, and will have to check-in with immigration authorities prior to the 90th day of their stay to apply for an extension. Canadian tourists who were born outside of Canada can be treated differently by Cuban officials and may be informed that they can only stay for 30 days, even though they are travelling on a Canadian passport.

Dual citizens (of Canada and some other country) may have difficulty entering Canada with their non-Canadian passport and proof of Canadian citizenship if a visa is required for their non-Canadian passport. Canadian citizens will not be given a visa for their non-Canadian passport. The citizenship card is not a travel document and has few security features to prevent tampering. A valid Canadian passport is preferred to returned to Canada.

Cuba insists that Cuban-Canadians who left Cuba after 1971 must re-enter Cuba on their Cuban passport. They must show a valid Canadian passport in order to return to Canada. Cuba does not recognize dual citizenship, and under its laws anyone born in Cuba is considered to be a Cuban citizen while in Cuba. Cuba will not accept passports that do not indicate the place of birth. Under Cuban law, the Government of Canada can be prohibited from providing full consular services to Canadian nationals or to landed immigrants with Cuban citizenship. Further information may be obtained from the nearest Cuban government office in Canada.

People residing in the United States, including Canadian citizens, are subject to U.S. laws regarding travel to Cuba.
According to U.S. law, residents are prohibited from spending money (in any currency) relating to Cuban travel unless they are licensed by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). Furthermore, they can be fined if they travel to Cuba and get caught without a licence from the OFAC. For more information about the Cuban sanctions program, contact the OFAC, U.S. Department of the Treasury, at (202) 622-2520 (Washington, D.C.) or (305) 810-5140 (Miami). The OFAC also operates a free automated fax-on-demand service that can be accessed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, at (202) 622-0077.

The U.S. government has announced that it will closely monitor boat traffic in the Straits of Florida and that officials will seize any vessel without an OFAC licence if they believe it is headed for Cuba. Canadians who dock their Canadian-registered boats in Florida are subject to these measures, whereas those Canadian boats simply en route to Cuba via the U.S. will be exempt. Expect to be thoroughly searched and questioned if you are in the latter category.

Visitors are prohibited from undertaking business activities when travelling on a tourist visa. Anyone planning to do business must have the appropriate Cuban business visa. Business visa applicants can request that the visa be stamped (1) in their passport; or (2) on a separate business visa card.

Art objects (including artifacts and paintings) purchased in Cuba must be accompanied by an export permit.
State-owned galleries will usually provide customers with the document. Otherwise, the item must be registered with the Registro Nacional de Bienes Culturales (National Registry of Cultural Goods, country and area codes: 53-7/tel.: 3-9658).

You may export up to 23 cigars without producing any receipts. If you exceed that amount, you will have to show the official receipt upon leaving. The cigars must still be in their original boxes with all official seals, including the new holographic seal.

Due to a continuing spate of thefts from luggage, including locked suitcases, valuables should be removed prior to check-in at all airports. To reduce tampering with your luggage, use airport shrink-wrap facilities, which are available at a nominal charge. PLEASE BE AWARE: YOUR TOUR SUPPLIER WILL NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR LOST ITEMS FROM LUGGAGE

For further information, contact the Embassy of the Republic of Cuba,
388 Main Street,
Ottawa, ON,
K1S 1E3

Tel.: 613-563-0141
Fax: 613-563-0068
E-mail: cuba@embacubacanada.net
Web site: http://embacu.cubaminrex.cu/Default.aspx?tabid=73 (sometimes the Cuban Embassy webpage is not accessible)

Call the Cuban Consulate in Montreal (514-843-8897/843-8941) or Toronto (416-234-8181/234-8884).