[Travel] Have you been to Cuba in the past 11 years? Travelling to the US may be an issue

[Salty_Seagull]

Just a warning for you all and a request for any more information that people ITK may have

I travel a lot for work, with the US being a heavily visited destination, and we have been alerted to the following travel warning:

https://travelweekly.co.uk/news/air/visas-required-for-uk-travellers-to-us-who-have-visited-cuba

In short, Trump stuck Cuba on the “state sponsors of terrorism” (SST) list in January 2021. This means travellers who have visited Cuba in the past 11 years can no longer apply for the ~£20 ESTA to enter. Instead, they must apply for a Tourist visa (B2 I think) which costs £137 and requires a visit/interview to the embassy...wait time currently estimated at 5 months.

There isn't much information online about this and I can't see when this rule came into effect. The US ESTA website does state:

How does Cuba’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism impact my travel to the United States using my approved ESTA?
If a traveler is found to have visited a country designated as State Sponsor of Terrorism, the traveler is no longer eligible to participate in the Visa Wavier Program and must apply for a visa to enter the United States.

So it seems it is pretty official, however, a colleague of mine entered the US in March of this year after being in Cuba 6 years ago, so I'm not sure how heavily enforced it is. Could it be only something flagged at immigration if they spot a Cuban stamp in your passport?

Has anyone else heard of this or been to the US after visiting Cuba recently?

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

I probably don't count:

I was in Cuba in Spring 2010 - fascinating culture, loved the people and the place.

Went to the USA in 2003 - one and only time, no rush to return.

Last time in an aeroplane [and outside of the UK] was 2013 - charity work in Africa.

Passport expired in 2019 - not renewed [yet]

 

[Official Old Man]

Not recently but Feb 2020 (literally weeks before lock down) I went to New York. My passport shows three visits to Cuba in the last 10 years but imigration were more concerned had I been to China (no). We knew nothing about covid but by the time we left we knew a lot. We were moved to one side at imigration along with a few other couples and questioned but thought it was just the usual US customs thing.

 

[S.T.U cgull]

Just a warning for you all and a request for any more information that people ITK may have

I travel a lot for work, with the US being a heavily visited destination, and we have been alerted to the following travel warning:

https://travelweekly.co.uk/news/air/visas-required-for-uk-travellers-to-us-who-have-visited-cuba

In short, Trump stuck Cuba on the “state sponsors of terrorism” (SST) list in January 2021. This means travellers who have visited Cuba in the past 11 years can no longer apply for the ~£20 ESTA to enter. Instead, they must apply for a Tourist visa (B2 I think) which costs £137 and requires a visit/interview to the embassy...wait time currently estimated at 5 months.

There isn't much information online about this and I can't see when this rule came into effect. The US ESTA website does state:

How does Cuba’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism impact my travel to the United States using my approved ESTA?
If a traveler is found to have visited a country designated as State Sponsor of Terrorism, the traveler is no longer eligible to participate in the Visa Wavier Program and must apply for a visa to enter the United States.

So it seems it is pretty official, however, a colleague of mine entered the US in March of this year after being in Cuba 6 years ago, so I'm not sure how heavily enforced it is. Could it be only something flagged at immigration if they spot a Cuban stamp in your passport?

Has anyone else heard of this or been to the US after visiting Cuba recently?

Yes, had been looking to go to the States next month when I fortunately happened upon a tweet by Simon Calder saying about this change.. full article here..

https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/cuba-tourism-visa-us-trump-b2173792.html

Between that change and the strong Dollar I think i'll pass for a while!

 

[helipilot]

I lived in China for the whole of last year and travelled to Cuba in Feb this year (from Florida!) for a diving trip. US citizens can travel there for certain reasons and I travelled on one of those (humanitarian!). I have an ESTA in place from before (Nov 21) that and, living in Canada now, travel to the US a lot with no issues. I guess we shall see when I go to renew the ESTA, but it is good until late 2023.

 

[johnjim]

Hi,
have you considered renewing your UK passport, and thus removing the Cuba stamp from your passport. Might well work as I expect USA don’t have access to Cuba border control info. I went to Cuba 8 years ago so very interested in your post as I use USA as a place to catch onward flights to Caribbean, haven’t done this since Trump though.
Best of luck

 

[Springal]

Hi,
have you considered renewing your UK passport, and thus removing the Cuba stamp from your passport. Might well work as I expect USA don’t have access to Cuba border control info. I went to Cuba 8 years ago so very interested in your post as I use USA as a place to catch onward flights to Caribbean, haven’t done this since Trump though.
Best of luck

They will know as it’s linked. I once got asked why I didn’t mention going to Qatar at the US border once, I didn’t because I only transited so technically never entered the country but it was on an old passport and they must have seen the flight data

 

[helipilot]

Hi,
have you considered renewing your UK passport, and thus removing the Cuba stamp from your passport. Might well work as I expect USA don’t have access to Cuba border control info. I went to Cuba 8 years ago so very interested in your post as I use USA as a place to catch onward flights to Caribbean, haven’t done this since Trump though.
Best of luck

You would probably have to lie on the application saying you haven't been too, if found out that could bar you from ever entering USA again. Not a good idea.

 

[Insel affe]

Thanks, I need to apply for a new Esta today actually !!
I actually logged on this morning, but I forgot my passport, so I was going to do it tonight, as we are off too Arizona in two weeks.
I guess I will have to read up on this then, I went to Cuba five years ago.

The wife should be ok, and daughter as she has dual citizenship, and both have two passports one Yankee and one British, they hand over the yankee one on landing and British on the way back.

damn, extra hundred and odd quid.

 

[dazzer6666]

Thanks for posting - wasn't aware of this. Went to Cuba about 4 years ago and have some travel booked for next year that includes some time on US soil (part of a cruise) so will need to look into this. Luckily I'm not doing the 3-4 times a year or more work trips I used to have to do

 

[nordicgod]

I went to vegas last December 2021 when it reopened to people after covid and had been to Cuba 3 years on the trot in 2016,17,18 , didn’t have a problem and going again to vegas this November

 

[zeemeeuw]

Went to Cuba Aug 2017 and Florida Apr 2022, blissfully unaware of this, didn't prove to be an issue (think the border guards were pre occupied with all the covid checks at the time).

 

[Salty_Seagull]

Thanks for everyone's replies so far.

Like I mentioned, a colleague of mine managed to do it in March of this year (also blissfully unaware of this rule being in place) and it seems this holds true for a lot of other travellers too.

I guess the issue is that it is only making the news now, even though this was efectively in place in January 2021. This could bring it to the minds of the immigration officials and they start looking a bit closer. With this being for work it's not the best idea to try and risk it for us (I am actually fine, it is someone woeking with me that is effected) as a permanent/long-term ban from entering the country would be a whole other issue going forward.

The money is an issue for people travelling leisurely. The estimated 5 month wait for an interview is the biggest kick in the nuts as it has effectively ruled my colleague out from being able to travel with us for work.

 

[Peacehaven Wild Kids]

It’s been nearly 30 years since I was in Cuba. No All Inclusives, no water sports or noisy bars on Varadaro Beach, no shopping malls, no nuffink. Sod all to eat except for lobster. The Hotel Plaza in Havana looked like it hadn’t been touched since 1959. It was bloody paradise! I’ve chosen never to go back as I have a vision in my mind I don’t want to lose.

 

[Lyndhurst 14]

When I visited Cuba via the Bahamas the Cuban Immigration people simply put a stamp on a separate piece of paper which you kept in your passport and disposed of as soon as you left so there was no record of you ever having entered Cuba. Admittedly this was about 20 years ago but the Cuban authorities knew there could be a problem for visitors wishing to visit the USA with a Cuban stamp in their passport and found a way around it. I suppose in a digital age they can no longer do that but it certainly solved a problem.

 

[cloud]

They will know as it’s linked. I once got asked why I didn’t mention going to Qatar at the US border once, I didn’t because I only transited so technically never entered the country but it was on an old passport and they must have seen the flight data

So why is it that they always recommend you have two passports, one with stamps for Cuba and Israel and one for all other travel? Or maybe having everything digital means this approach no longer works.

 

[SuperBrighton]

From what I can gather this only applies if you have been to Cuba since 12th January 2021.

This is based off information here: https://fr.usembassy.gov/visas/nonimmigrant-visas/restrictions-use-esta-affecting-french-nationals/

There is also a relevant thread here: https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g147270-i91-k13891453-Anyone_renewed_an_ESTA_for_US_recently-Cuba.html

I really hope this is the case as I am due to go to the US in December using an ESTA. I went to Cuba in 2012 but my ESTA was approved about a month ago and no questions were asked about Cuba.

 

[essbee1]

Don't go, They supported Russia in the latest UN vote. Wa*kers.

 

[dazzer6666]

From what I can gather this only applies if you have been to Cuba since 12th January 2021.

This is based off information here: https://fr.usembassy.gov/visas/nonimmigrant-visas/restrictions-use-esta-affecting-french-nationals/

There is also a relevant thread here: https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowTopic-g147270-i91-k13891453-Anyone_renewed_an_ESTA_for_US_recently-Cuba.html

I really hope this is the case as I am due to go to the US in December using an ESTA. I went to Cuba in 2012 but my ESTA was approved about a month ago and no questions were asked about Cuba.

Think this might be the case as that's the date Cuba was given SST status by Trump, but it's not 100% clear on the DHS website whether that date applies. I've gone back to the agents organising our trip and asked them to confirm

https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/faq?lang=e...to the United States using my approved ESTA?

 

[Peacehaven Wild Kids]

Don't go, They supported Russia in the latest UN vote. Wa*kers.

So what’s new?