Your Cuba travel checklist

Your passport must be valid for at least six months beyond the start of your trip. Check the expiry date now, not at the airport.

You need a Cuban visa to enter (Chinese citizens are exempt). You can get the eVisa through your airline, a third-party service, or online at cubavisaservices.com once your flights are booked and your dates are close.

We will help you with the visa. The two tasks you must actively complete yourself are the Cuban visa and the D’Viajeros form. Both can be done on the day of your flight in less than ten minutes combined—if you can, finish D’Viajeros a day early so we can help with any questions.

Cuba requires medical insurance to enter. If you fly from the United States, basic coverage is usually included in your airline ticket, so you do not need a separate policy just to get in.

Optional trip-cancellation or broader travel insurance is a personal choice. It is not required for our tours. Ask us if you want help reading what your ticket already includes.

Complete the D’Viajeros form within 72 hours of your flight at dviajeros.mitrans.gob.cu/inicio. It asks for basic details. Many questions overlap with the visa, but you still have to file it.

Use the address of your first casa or hotel. We send you that address as the dates get closer. Skip sections you can skip, including customs declarations: you only need to declare items above the free allowance, not personal items like your phone or clothes.

If you are a US citizen or resident, our itineraries are designed under the Support for the Cuban People general license: a full-time schedule with private casas, paladares, guides, and other independent Cubans—not state tourism packages.

We provide the documentation you need for the trip. Read the US Compliance page on this site for the longer explanation. Keep your itinerary accessible while you travel.

US-issued credit and debit cards generally do not work in Cuba. Plan to bring cash. US dollars are widely used in the private casas, paladares, and services we visit. Euros are also easy to spend. Do not count on ATMs for a US card.

We will help you budget for meals that are not included, optional tips, and small purchases. Tipping is customary but optional.

Flights are not included. You book your own tickets to Cuba—usually into Havana—so you can choose the routing that works from home.

Airport transfers are included when they are part of your quote: we meet you on arrival and take you back for departure.

Closer to departure we send the address of your first stay (for D’Viajeros), a reminder on the visa, and a current way to order a Cuban SIM card for data if you want one. Most casas have some Wi-Fi; it is often slower than at home.

Every casa we use has 110V power and US-style plugs, so chargers from the United States work as they are.