Every visitor should have a valid passport issued in his name and a visa or tourist card, except those who come from countries with which Cuba has visa-exemption agreements. Tourist cards both individual and groups, can be asked for in the Cuban consular representations, travel agencies and airlines offices.

The tourists are benefitted by the application from the Agreement on Customs Facilities for the Tourism from June from 1954, making it easier to enjoy visits to Cuba.

• You may bring still temporarily video cameras, laptop, scuba-diving equipment, golf equipment and others items into the country, plus the personal effects that a traveler can reasonably need to use during the course of his trip.
• You may bring up to 250 pesos worth of articles with you. The first 50 pesos worth will be duty-free, but 100-percent duty (in convertible Cuban pesos) will be charged for the remaining amount.
• You may bring in as much hard currency (in cash) as you wish. If you wish to make more than 5000.00 US or its equivalent with you when you leave Cuba, you should declare that amount when you arrive and keep the document attesting to this which Customs issues to you at that time, so you can present it on your departure.
• If you want to bring a GPS, remote control, radio beacon, Walkie-talkie and/or other telemetric equipment into the country with you, you must present written authorization for doing so.
• If you want to make more than 50 Habano cigars with you when you leave Cuba, on your departure you will have to present the bill of sale from the store where you purchased them. The cigars should be in their original packages that bear the new holographic seal. If this prerequisite is not met, the product will be seized by customs.

• Drugs and narcotics, except for those of personal use accompanied by corresponding facultative prescription.
• Explosives
• Blood derivatives
• Pornographic or obscene books, magazines, articles and obscene objects.

• Cultural goods if they do not own export permission.
• Hand-written, incunabula books (published between 1440 and 1500).
• Books, pamphlets and foreign books, serials published in the 16th through 18th centuries.
• Cuban Edition books ¨R¨
• Species of flora and fauna that are protected by the provisions of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

There are other special regulations and requirements for the import and export of biological firearms, products, effects electric home appliances and medicines. For details, consult the site of the Customs: (www.aduana.islagrande.cu), in the offices of customs of all the country or through telephone (53-7) 881-9732.

Exports of flora and fauna are governed by the provisions of the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). It prohibits taking live or dried protected species and/or articles made with parts of them out of country. You may take clothing made from flora and fauna with you when you leave Cuba if you obtain a certificate from the administrative authority of CITES in Cuba authorizing you to do so.

Health restrictions are applicable for travelers coming from countries only exist where the yellow fever and the rage exist endemic or you have been declared zones of infection by the WHO, in which case is demanded to present/display the Certificate the International of Vaccination. This restricted the origin product entrance animal or vegetable.

The majority of the hotels have a doctor on call 24 hours a day to provide primary health care. There are more than 440 polyclinics and 280 hospitals in Cuba, some of them with special ward for tourist. In addition, there are international clinics in Pinar del Rio and Havana, at Varadero Beach, in Cienfuegos and Trinidad, on Cayo Coco, at Santa Lucia and Guardalavaca Beaches and in Santiago de Cuba. The main tourist resorts also have international drugstores.

There are 17 airports in Cuba, 11 of which can handle international flights. The road network extends by about 50 thousand km of them about 20 thousands are in freeways and asphalt roads and ties all the population establishments and tourist enclaves. Taxis, rental cars and other transportation options are available at all hotels and villas. There are also tourist buses for trips to many resorts, and other bus companies provide bus transportation to other places in Cuba. Some trains have special compartments for tourist, and several airlines provide charter flights inside Cuba.

The official currency is the Cuban Peso. In Cuba, all the purchases and the services are realized in convertible Cuban Pesos (CUCs). It can change to convertible Cuban Pesos in hotels, airports, banks and CADECA money-exchange offices. Financial operations may be carried out in Canadian dollars, Euros, dollars, British pounds sterling and Swiss francs. A 10-percent surcharge will be levied on all transactions in which US dollars are exchanged (in cash) for convertible Cuban Pesos. The rates of exchange for all currencies and convertible Cuban pesos are set by the National Bank of Cuba. We accept traveler’s checks and Cabal, Transcard, Visa, MasterCard and Amigo TRAVEL credit card, if they were not issued by a US bank or one of its subsidiaries. In addition, you can pay directly with Euros at Varadero Beach, in Matanzas Province; on Cayo Largo; on Cayo Coco and Cayo Guillermo, in the Jardines del Rey Archipelago; at Santa Lucia Beach, in Camaguey Province; at Covarrubias Beach, in Las Tunas Province; and at Guardalavaca, Don Lino, Esmeralda and Pesquero Beaches, in Holguin Province. For more information see the tourism bureau in your hotel or a Tourist Information Center. www.cubatravel.cu / www.infotur.cu

We recommend cottons and similar fabrics. Also sport and resistant footwear in case one is going away to practice eco-tourism. Warm clothing, of light wools or gabardines, may be needed for a few days in the winter, in mountain microclimates and in air conditioned places. A lightweight raincoat may prove useful in the rainy season (from May through October). We recommend more formal wear for going to the theater, concert halls, cabarets, fancy restaurants and the like.

In airports, villas, hotels and cities there are shops where you can buy souvenirs, habano cigars, Cuban rum and coffee, drinks, juice, water, conserves and other foods, crafts, toilet articles, books, magazines, discs, audio-cassettes, videos, postcards, maps, posters, t-shirts and other products. There are several networks of specialized stores, boutiques, jewelry shops, perfume shops and shops selling internationally-known brands of merchandise. Several marinas have specialty shops. Every hotel has a tourism bureau that can give you the information you want.

It is possible freely to be taken photos and films, except in restricted areas and signalized like those of military character. Museums and some other institution have their own regulations. The taking of photos for journalistic or promotional purposes is subject to other regulations. Colors films can be found in the national network of shops, whose establishments are located essentially in the province capitals, tourist destinies and hotels. Here also the services of developing and impression are offered. It can be a problem to obtain slides outside the specialized centers. The films in black and white are very little used, reason why it is recommended to bring them with himself if they are desired to use. For photos in colors, the best schedules of light are of 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and after the 4:00 p.m.

Cuba owns a telephone rear area net that guarantees the direct communication with any part of the world and within its own territory. In the streets of the main cities are cabins where the calls in national card currency can be pleased as much as acquired with convertible Cuban pesos, they come in value of 10 or 20 convertible Cuban pesos and are available in hotels, Conference centers, commercial offices of ETECSA and in the own telephone cabins. You can also make international calls from the hotel.

First dial the prefix for leaving the country where you are and then the number for Cuba (53), followed by the area code for the province and then the telephone number you want.

Area Codes:span>

Internet is used extensively by the companies in the Cuban tourist sector. Some companies offer on-line reservation services.

110 volts, 60 Hertz. Use plugs with flat prongs. Some hotels and other installations also have 220 volt outlets.