In July of 1963 the U.S. Government issued the Trading With
the Enemy Act, which outlines any and all interactions permitted between the United
States and Cuba. Basically, the following people are eligible
for consideration to travel to Cuba
(taken from the U.S. Department of the Treasury and Office of Foreign Assets
Control):
Journalists
for a news reporting agency and their accompanying personnel
Official
government travelers
Members
of international organizations of which the United
States is also a member (traveling on
business)
Academic
related travelers
Cuban
Americans by birth or by marriage who are visiting relatives (this is only
applicable once every three years)
This list is not exhaustive but rather a general idea of the
kind of people that are even considered
for review to receive permission to travel to Cuba. By no means should you attempt to travel
without receiving consent simply because you find similarities between yourself
and the above list of people. If you are
caught visiting Cuba
without an approved license, you will face hefty problems.
What Happens If A Person Is Caught Traveling to Cuba Without the
Proper Permission?
Time and time again, people have fallen victim to Cuban
tours through foreign organizations.
These clients often claim to be unaware that there even is an embargo. The ramifications for misunderstanding or
misinterpreting the law are quite severe.
Foreigners are allowed to go to Cuba
and are not required to understand American law regarding the matter. As I am unaware of many foreign laws, I am
certain many foreigners are unaware of American laws; therefore it is our
responsibility to ensure that we are aware of our eligibility to travel before
signing on with foreign groups. If the
only offers you find are through other countries, than perhaps you should
question why they aren’t available in America.
Fines for visiting Cuba
without the proper license can be as high as $65,000 and there may even be talk
of jail time. However, the fines
generally seem to be closer to $7,500 and can be negotiated down. I have yet to hear of jail time being served
or even sentenced to someone traveling to Cuba. However, the consequences can be professionally
detrimental should you hope to work for the U.S. Government.