Caribbean Discussion Forum

Discussions regarding holidays in the Caribbean
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Alex

Stop worrying about Cuba/US passport problems. I visited Cuba last year and the USA this spring. The US immigration didn't look through my passport only at the page that held my picture. They are only really interested in US citizens that may have been to Cuba illegally.
You might want to look on the Cuba forum on http://www.Tripadvisor.com for more info re. Cuba.
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Apparently it can be a hassle the other way round, if you are a frequent visitor to the US you are more likely to be questioned longer on arrival in Cuba.
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I've been to the US loads of times and it wasn't a problem when I entered Cuba. Though from what other frequent visitors to Cuba have told me every time you go there it's different and things that you are allowed to take into the country one time they won't allow the next time.
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The US authorities will enver know if you've visited Cuba unless you either tell them or you are likely to be having travel arrangements monitored by them for other reasons! Your passport won't be stmped by the Cubans on either entering or leaving - I'd love one but it's never happened. On entry, they stamp the 'return' half of your visa and this has to be surrendered on leaving. You will have no offical record of ever having entered Cuba - only wonderful memories!

Nor have I ever heard of any non-US national, even if a frequent visitor to the US, having problems. Cuban friends have said that the Cuban authorities apparently do take a particular interest in Cuban ex-pats who try and re-enter on anything other than an infrequents basis but given the attitude of most of the virulantly anti-Castro Cuban ex-pat community, especially in Florida, and the way they have tried to fund subversive elements, this is only to be expected. The UK has always kept a special watch, as does the US, on anybody they think might be implicated in terrorist activity.

Ordinary tourist visitors generally will only be asked for details of their return flight home and to declare on their entry visa where they will be staying. They don't make a note of your ticket details - simply check that you have one - and I've never actually stayed at the hotel I name on my visa! I always stay with a local family in casa particulare but invariably put the Casa Grande hotel on the visa because I don't know which family I'll be staying with until I get there. It's never been questioned despite the fact that the family has to keep an official record of the visitors who stay with them, including details of your passport no etc - these records are never cross-checked, or if they are I've never been stopped by immigration officials telling me I lied on my visa on previous visits.

SM
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SMa
Got a Cuban stamp in my passport last year, stamped when I left Havana. Nice pink one, and as I stated earlier no problems when entering the US.
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Just in case my memory was playing tricks, I dug my passport out to check - despite being 3 years old and hence covering 3 trips to Cuba - it's still pristine! Not a single stamp in it from anywhere - which probably also means that it must be more than 3 years since I've travelled outside of the EU! It doesn't feel that long since my last trip to Tunisia where the passport was always stamped on both the way in and the way out. I've always arrived in Cuba at Holguin but left from both Havana and Holguin but got a stamp at neither - I'll definitely ask for one next March/April!

Seems such a long way away but decided after last year that that was my last trip during July/August - the humidity was too much - and couldn't arrange the time off work for a trip this spring and getting more than a week in the Autumn is difficult too. So March/April it is and counting!

SM
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