Cuban Customs Regulations

Articles regulated by Cuban Customs:

  • Vehicles.
  • Weapons and explosives.
  • Medicines, biological products and the like.
  • Goods pertaining to the Patrimony of the Nation.
  • Protected plants and animals.
  • Electric appliances.
  • Currency and Values.
  • Communication Equipments.
  • Domestic animals and pets.
  • Rolled Cigars.
  • Vegetal and animal produce.

Prohibited Imports and Exports:

  • Drugs and Narcotics.
  • Explosives.
  • Pornographic material or material contrary to the good manners.
  • Any articles, including literature that attempts against the security and the internal order of the country.
  • Animals, plants and parts related in: Agreement Cities, of protected and endangered species.

Travelers cannot import:

  • Power plants.
  • Wireless phones.
  • Wireless microphones.
  • Video Equipment, video cassettes and DVDs.
  • Coolers and freezers bigger than 7 cubic feet.
  • Air-conditioning equipment.
  • Coolers and Electric cookers.
  • Electric stoves, including microwaves.
  • Electric showers.
  • Electric fryers.
  • Electric water heaters.<
  • Electric irons (consumption over 290 watts an hour, without spraying; or consumption of 703 watts an hour with spraying and steaming).
  • Electric toasters.
  • Electric resistances for irons, heaters or water heaters.

Important

Regulated items should be declared in Customs. Whereas, prohibited items are not allowed in the country.

Travelers can bring along:

  • Their personal effects as checked-in luggage.
  • Adults can only bring in, once a year, those articles which do not constitute personal effects and exceed a total maximum value of USD 250.00. Minors do not count. This is not accumulative.

    • Beside the prohibited and the regulated articles the following articles must be declared:

  • Coins and other values which exceed the 5000 USD.
  • Works of art or objects of value for museums.
  • Other articles new or used which are not part of their personal effects.
  • Those articles intended for a third party.

Important

Articles which do not constitute personal effects and exceed a value of 250.00 USD are subject to be confiscated.

Customs tax applied to imported articles:

The non commercial customs duty applicable to articles imported by travelers accounts for the 100% of their value. Of the 250.00 CUC worth of goods authorized to be imported; only the first 50.00 CUC are exempt of payment. Therefore, the maximum tax applicable would be of 200.00 CUC.

There is no limit in the weight of luggage that can be imported. The limit is determined by the total value of the articles imported which are not considered within the personal effects. Therefore, the limit is established by the 250.00 CUC worth of goods authorized to be imported.

10 kilograms of medicines can be imported. Although, they should all come in the original flacons and cases and should not be listed among the prohibited or the regulated items. They are exempt of taxes.

The importation of computers is neither prohibited not regulated, although its value exceeds, in all cases, the regulated amount of 250.00 CUC worth of goods permissible. Therefore, they could be confiscated.

Travelers can import any amount of hard currency in cash, money drafts, bank transfers, checks or any other means of payment. Nevertheless, when the importation exceeds the 5000.00 USD and an amount bigger than this is intended to be withdrawn; a declaration of values must be issued to Entrance Customs to justify its importation upon departure time.

For the travelers who do not reside in Cuba when the value of the jewels and of other objects made up of metal and precious stones that they are importing exceed the 5000.00 USD and upon departure they intend to take away with them a sum of money bigger than that; a Declaration of Values must be issued to Entrance Customs at departure time in order to justify its importation.

The tourists who come to Cuba have the right to import as personal effects the articles which are related, as such, in the text of the Convention about Customs Compliances for Tourism. Such articles can be imported temporally into Cuba; free of Customs charges. Nevertheless, they should be re-exported upon departure.

Among them we can mention:

  • Video cameras and photographic cameras.
  • Hair dryers and electric shaving machines.
  • Radios and portable recorders.
  • Other similar articles for personal use.
  • Temporally import a personal computer (laptop).
  • Your cellular phone.