I have a cousin studying in Cuba and my father and I would really like to go visit him...?

Question

My father in from Argentina and has an Argentinian passport so for him there would probably be no problem. For me...being an American citizen it is not so easy to travel to Cuba. I hear that we would need to fly to Mexico then fly from Mexico to Cuba? Is this what we have to do in order for me to be able to get into Cuba? Also...if they do not stamp your passport once you get into Cuba how would the immigration officers ever know or suspect/question you about visiting Cuba? It is a beautiful country and I have always wanted to go and really want to go see my cousin. We are two good honest people...could we get into big trouble just from going to see our relative?

Please let me know your experiences traveling to Cuba if you are a U.S. citizen or your knowledge on the topic. Thanks so much!

Answer 1

Yes, your father would have no problem going as an Argentinian. But actually a U.S. citizen can go to Cuba legally, especially if you are going to visit family. Of course, like many others, one can go to Cuba via indirect routes. You won't have to worry about getting your passport stampled as Cuba doesn't stamp anyone's passport. So it wouldn't matter upon entry into Mexico. Then when coming into the States from Mexico, all they know is that you weren't anywhere else.

But back to travelling legally to Cuba as a U.S citizen...you can get U.S. permission (license) to travel to Cuba to visit family. The only concern there may be is that it's your cousin and not an immediate family member. Although, a cousin may still qualify (as would a grandparent/child, etc).

So it would be good to read the links below about how to go about this. There are many U.S. citizens that travel to Cuba all the time to see their relatives.

Cuba really is a beautiful country and the people are who make it even more beautiful.

So I hope you get to go soon and all your travel plans run smoothly.

Buen viaje.

PS: but if you have another non-US passport, you can use that to get into Cuba. There have been many who have a US passport as well as another passport of a different country and used that as their gateway into Cuba.

Answer 2

Well I haven't been there but I heard that when you go through Mexico your supposed to "loose" your passport on the way back... but nowthat you've posted this online, big brother is going to be watching you, lol.

Answer 3

Tropicales did a good job answering your question, but if you're interested in reading about traveling to Cuba from the U.S., here's a page that highlights my two trips:  http://geocities.com/commiett/cubas.html

Have a good time in Cuba!

Answer 4

Unfortunately, the family visits do not stretch as far as cousins. You would have to travel against US law.

One route is via Cancun.

An immigration official might notice that you entered Mexico, then left it the same day, and a while later did the same again - where were you in the middle ?  Some people used to bribe the Mexican immigration not to stamp their passports.

Can you travel to Mexico on a driving licence, or have they stopped that now ? Some people used to leave the US on the driving licence, use their passport to visit Cuba, then Fedex their passport from Mexico, and return on their driving licence.

Don't bring back Cuban souvenirs !!