Cuba – You CAN Get There from Here
In a quest to visit Cuba, my colleagues and I found that just getting approval to travel there is a battle. While the U.S. is expected to lift restrictions which will enable U.S. citizens to travel to Cuba for tourism purposes, right now travel is only allowed so long as the visit falls under one of the following 12 approved categories:
- Family visits
- Official business of the U.S. government, foreign governments and certain intergovernmental organizations
- Journalistic activity
- Professional research and professional meetings
- Educational activities
- Religious activities
- Public performances, clinics, workshops, athletic and other competitions, and exhibitions
- Support for the Cuban people
- Humanitarian projects
- Activities of private foundations or research or educational institutes
- Exportation, importation, or transmission of information or information materials
- Certain export transactions that may be considered for authorization under existing regulations and guidelines
Our travel purposes fell under professional meetings and research. Prior to even applying to the Cuban Interest Section (Cuba’s outpost in the U.S. since neither state had an embassy in each other’s country at the time we were planning our trip), the meetings needed to be networked and arranged. Our HLB affiliate in Havana, HLB InterAudit, was of superb assistance in both agreeing to host us for a day as well as helping us navigate the process of setting up meetings with banks, economists and real estate developers who ensured our visit met the criteria necessary to provoke the interest section to issue the visas required to confirm our travel plans, purchase our airline tickets and travel on to Havana.
Richard Ingunza (Staff, NYC office) worked tirelessly, phoning and e-mailing all necessary parties. Perhaps the hardest part was waiting. . . Our visas were issued less than four days prior to our departure, but less than two months after initially planning the trip. The earlier in advance you plan and apply, the better, but be prepared to wait until the very last moments to have your visa approved and your tickets to Havana confirmed.
We departed early on a Sunday morning from Newark to Miami. After a long layover in Miami, we were finally on a short charter (American Airlines) flight from Miami to Cuba. American Airlines fly with a U.S. marshal and mechanics on board. U.S. airplanes are not allowed to stay overnight in Havana, so if repairs are required, the mechanic must be readily available. The flight was only about 40 minutes long and upon arrival, the passport control and customs process (while quite “low tech”) was simple – unless you happen to be a carrying a massive amount of paper (presentation handouts for our meetings with HLB InterAudit and others). Despite letters confirming meetings and having the presentations in Spanish, multiple levels of c 
ustoms officials required consultation prior to allowing the materials to enter the island nation.
Upon exiting the airport, we met our guide and driver who would accompany us nearly everywhere for the next two and one-half days. But first, we did the obvious gawking at the 1950s-era automobiles, which are certainly unique to Cuba (and are a very common sight in Havana).
By Kimberlee Phelan, CPA, MBA, Practice Leader, WS+B’s International Services Group | 609.520.1188 | [email protected]
