How do I Travel to Cuba legally with Paul Bardwil
Many people are excited about the possibility of traveling to Cuba. The announcement made by Obama in December and then January has many people excited, some people confused and others misdirected.
The real question is can I travel to Cuba legally and if so how can I? The answer is yes you can go to Cuba legally but there are only certain categories of travel that are permitted. To keep matters simple the three most common ways to go to Cuba are general licenses for people to people activities, universities and colleges and religious purposes. If you are a university or college student or sign up for an educational program you can go for school credit. If you are traveling for religious purposes which is similar by the government’s definition of mission work you can go on a religious purpose trip. If you are traveling on a people to people trip you can also go but the definition of people to people is unique in the case of OFAC (The office of foreign assets) which regulates travel to Cuba through the treasury department.
Anyone can travel on a people to people tour. You must participate in the itinerary that is created by the organization that creates the particular licensed trip. This is not considered general tourism; the people to people program is a licensed educational tour. This is considered a general license to legally travel to Cuba.
The general license authorizes, subject to appropriate conditions, persons under the auspices of an organization that is subject to U.S. jurisdiction to engage in certain educational exchanges in Cuba. Among other things this general license authorizes, subject to appropriate conditions, persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction to engage in certain educational exchanges in Cuba under the auspices of an organization that is a person subject to U.S. jurisdiction and sponsors such exchanges to promote people to people exchanges. The organization must staff and maintain the integrity of the tour that is proposed as a people to people activity, which interacts with the Cuban people and is not acting on behalf of the Cuban government.
If you have an organization that has done a people to people tour or has an idea for people to people our staff can work with you to make this a reality in Cuba.
Some examples of people to people tours are educational tours for educators, cultural tours, medical tours, photographic tours, there are many different tours depending on the organizations are of interest.