Back in 1962, when President John F. Kennedy enforced a trade embargo between the US and Cuba, travel between the countries became illegal.
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It was a travel ban that would remain in place for almost half a century until, in 2014, President Barack Obama eased restrictions on visiting Cuba. By 2016, ‘educational’ trips were allowed, signaling that traditional forms of tourism would be welcome in short order.
Some US airlines, like United and American, began offering direct service between Cuba and the US, while hotel brands like Marriott International rolled out new openings through subsidiaries.
Unfortunately for Americans dreaming of a Cuban getaway, the White House recently reinforced travel bans. As of June 5, 2025, traveling to Cuba for tourist activities is prohibited.
According to the US Embassy, there are only 12 categories of authorized travel, from family visits to research trips to authorized export transactions, for example.
That being said, I made it into the country back in 2015—when casual tourist travel was still in a gray area. And I was hardly the only American to visit Cuba during the 2010s. Let’s dig into the latest travel ban on Cuba, including whether you actually need to worry about it.
The Cuba travel ban
The original travel ban (born from JFK’s embargo policy) was largely born from Cold War activities. At the time, security was a much larger concern for the average tourist, as political and wartime maneuverings between the US and Cuba were more common and dangerous.
So, what’s behind the more recent travel ban? After all, the Cold War has been over for decades, right?
According to the White House, renewed restrictions on Cuba are based on national security concerns, including a lack of cooperation between the US and Cuban governments related to international matters. The US also wants to pressure the Cuban government into specific actions related to human rights, democracy, and economic activities.
In short, the US views Cuba as a regime and wants to limit any activities that might benefit its government—including funds from American tourism. Additionally, the US has also tightened restrictions aimed at American companies that want to do business with Cuba’s GAESA hotel conglomerate.
Should Americans actually avoid Cuba?
Here’s the part where I admit that I have a Cuban stamp on my American passport. (It’s a really cute pink shell.) I traveled to Cuba while it was still off-limits for American tourists, meaning I had to fly to Mexico, then head east to the island. I wasn’t the only American there—and nobody seemed surprised to see one.
Here’s a tiny crash course on what you need to know:
- Cuba has two currencies: one for locals and one for visitors
- You can stay in either hotels or home-stays, called casa particulares
- Americans can’t take out cash or use credit cards—you need to come with cash that you can exchange for the tourist currency
- Under the new White House ban, you (likely) won’t find direct flights to Havana, but it’s easy to fly in from Mexico or another neighboring country
- You don’t have to have your passport stamped—but the chip will register your visit
- You need to fill out an e-visa 72 hours before visiting Cuba, which is easy to complete and non-prohibitive to Americans
If you have a trip planned to Havana or have been dreaming of planning one, you might face legal consequences in the United States.
That being said, one of the 12 legal reasons listed by the White House for Americans visiting Cuba is ‘to support the Cuban people’. And yes, visiting the country as a tourist does count as supporting the Cuban people.
So, the legalities of visiting Cuba are like a gray area layered on top of a gray area. And while the US government has the authority to punish any violations of the embargo and, by extension, the travel ban, there are no cases of punitive measures for American tourists in Cuba.
