Legal Travel to Cuba for Americans: Current OFAC Rules (Reviewed September 2026)

Updated for the OFAC rule effective September 30, 2026.

Americans can still travel to Cuba when the travel-related transactions are authorized under the Cuban Assets Control Regulations. Ordinary tourist travel remains prohibited. A traveler does not apply to OFAC for a separate document when relying on a general license; instead, the traveler must qualify for the applicable authorization and comply with its conditions.

Support for the Cuban People: the framework for our scheduled cultural tours

Havana Music Tours designs its new scheduled music and cultural programs around Support for the Cuban People, 31 CFR § 515.574. This category requires more than simply staying in a private home or eating in private restaurants. Each traveler must participate in a full-time schedule of qualifying activities that promotes independent activity intended to strengthen Cuban civil society, enhances contact with the Cuban people or otherwise supports the purposes stated in the regulation, and results in meaningful interaction with individuals in Cuba.

Our tours therefore emphasize direct engagement with independent Cuban musicians, artists, cultural professionals, guides, entrepreneurs, farms and other privately operated projects, while directing trip spending toward privately owned casas particulares, paladares and independent transportation providers whenever practicable.

What changed on September 30, 2026?

New Group People-to-People travel is no longer generally authorized. OFAC removed the former § 515.565(b) general license for new Group People-to-People educational travel. A transition provision protects certain particular trips for which a qualifying travel-related transaction occurred before the rule’s effective date, but new bookings should not rely on the former authorization.

The professional-meetings general license was also removed. Professional research remains generally authorized under § 515.564(a)(1) when it directly relates to the traveler’s profession, professional background, or area of expertise and the required full-time research schedule is maintained. Attending or organizing a professional meeting in Cuba is no longer, by itself, a generally licensed basis for new travel.

Restricted-list screening is more important. The September 30 rule extends § 515.209 to certain direct and indirect financial transactions involving entities or subentities specifically named on the Cuba Restricted List. OFAC also states that an entity is not automatically restricted solely because it is owned or controlled by a listed entity unless that entity is itself specified by name on the list.

Why private-sector travel matters

OFAC’s Support for the Cuban People regulation specifically gives examples involving private Cuban residences, privately owned restaurants and businesses operated by self-employed Cubans. Havana Music Tours builds on that model by using private accommodations, privately operated transportation, private restaurants, private guides and independent cultural professionals throughout our scheduled programs.

Those purchases are not merely logistical choices. They direct travel spending toward Cuban households and entrepreneurs and form part of the qualifying activity. However, OFAC expressly requires additional qualifying engagement sufficient to create a full-time schedule, so our programs also include substantive exchanges with independent musicians, artists, entrepreneurs and community participants.

Can a tour include a music school or a public cultural institution?

A Support for the Cuban People itinerary does not require travelers to avoid every government institution or public cultural space. The overall itinerary still has to satisfy § 515.574, and every financial transaction must independently comply with applicable sanctions restrictions.

For example, a scheduled music-school visit can be included as a cultural or community component while the broader qualifying schedule remains centered on independent Cuban activity. When appropriate, travelers may bring requested musical or educational supplies intended to support student musicians and music education, subject to applicable U.S. sanctions and export rules. We do not treat the school visit or donation alone as the legal basis for the trip.

What about Jazz Plaza and other concerts?

Festival attendance can be included as an evening cultural component of a broader compliant itinerary. Havana Music Tours does not treat attending a concert or festival as the activity that, by itself, qualifies a traveler under Support for the Cuban People. Our daytime program is designed to satisfy the full-time § 515.574 schedule independently, while festival performances are additional cultural experiences.

Before payments are made, relevant ticket sellers, venues, intermediaries and other counterparties are screened against applicable restricted-party rules. Because restricted lists can change, screening is repeated as appropriate before payment and travel.

Accommodations and the Cuba Prohibited Accommodations List

Our scheduled tours prioritize privately owned casas particulares. Regardless of ownership description, lodging must also be checked against the Cuba Prohibited Accommodations List. We do not knowingly book prohibited accommodations for U.S. travelers.

Records

Travelers should keep records showing how their trip met the applicable authorization, including the final itinerary and relevant transaction documentation. Havana Music Tours also maintains the certifications and records required of travel-service providers. Current OFAC recordkeeping rules generally require applicable records to be retained for at least 10 years.

For official information, review the current OFAC Cuba sanctions page and 31 CFR Part 515.

This page provides general compliance information and is not legal advice. The authorization used must match each traveler’s actual activities and circumstances.