Visit Cuba Legally on a General Research License
			Experience island culture and get to know its kind effusive people. It is the only destination in the Americas that remains healthy, safe and pristine!
			This website is current and accurate at . Information herein is provided as a courtesy and does not constitute legal advice or a legal opinion. However we can assure readers that among the hundreds of Americans travelers who have followed this legal travel license option, not one has ever encountered problems.
			YES, YOU CAN visit the island with Cuba Education Tours without complications if you're a full time professional. It's legal, licensed and easy. No prior submission or request from Washington is necessary. We are glad to assist with legal travel. There is no fee for the license or our consultation. The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the US Treasury Department administers Cuba travel restrictions that apply to every US resident. But there are exceptions for some lucky Americans to travel to Cuba legally. They are: Official government travelers Journalists Persons visiting close relatives once in three years Full time professionals conducting research Full time professionals attending certain international conferences Persons who have received a specific license This page addresses the category of Full time professionals conducting research*. They include, but are not limited to, lawyers, health care specialists, educators, scientists, artists, agronomists and social workers. These and many more categories of full time professionals can travel to Cuba legally on an OFAC General Research License. (Travel and accommodation costs related to professional development and research are often tax deductible.) * The term "full time professional" means employment from which a person's major source of income is derived. As well, artists, musicians and cultural workers who work full time in their art, but who do not derive most of their income from their art may qualify. How a General Research License works It's quick and easy. No application needs to be filed nor is prior permission from OFAC required when you travel on a General Research License as a full time professional. You prepare and write the license yourself. You take it with you to Cuba only to present it to US immigrations officials, if asked to do so, upon your return to the States. General Research License qualifications and obligations A The licensee is a full time professional traveling on a Cuba itinerary related to her/his area of expertise, such as a doctor or nurse on a health care tour, teacher on an educators tour, or lawyer on a legal tour. The research is of a noncommerical academic nature. B While in Cuba, licensee activities comprise a full work schedule of research. For example, over the course of a week, twenty or more hours of research via prearranged meetings and site visits with the balance of research hours conducted individually. If the licensee stays in Cuba more than a week more research hours are added to the itinerary. C The licensee's research has a substantial likelihood of public dissemination. This could include, for instance, a paper circulated amongst professional colleagues, an article contributed to a peer journal or newspaper, a blog entry, a webpage, a public address, slide show, or PowerPoint presentation. Steps to obtaining a General Research License 1 First read our detailed explanation and instructions. Click here to download MS Word file. 2 Then read the actual US Treasury Department regulations pertaining to a General Research License to ensure that you know what is and is not permitted. Click here to view and download PDF file. Relevent information is highlighted in yellow. Take this document with you to Cuba in case US immigration officers have any questions as to the legality of your trip on return. 3 If you feel confident you qualify then fill out a travel affidavit. Download affidavit with simple decorative border (64 kb pdf file), or affidavit with ornate decorative border (724 kb pdf file). 4 Write a short letter describing your research project. Download sample letter (MS Word file). 5 Obtain a letter from your employer or other documentation that clearly shows you are full time employed in a profession related to your General Research License topic pursuit. 6 Register for a Cuba Education Tour. Our staff will provide you with an itinerary, which will serve as a necessary component of your General Research License. 7 Parts 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 together comprise your General Research License. Done. Start packing! Cuba Education Tours helps you fulfill your General Research License obligations Our programs are designed in collaboration with Cuban institutions, island experts, educators and assistants who aid tour participants in accomplishing their research objectives. They provide information, direction, feedback, sources and locations for reference and source materials, along with relevant contacts on the island. Our Cuba itineraries help research professional by including background briefings on both the history of Cuba in general and its unique contributions to the participant's research topic. Site visits, workshops and specific day tours combined with meetings and discussions with Cuban experts ensure you obtain unique research opportunities that can only take place on the island. All of our programs unfold in an efficient and organized fashion in respect for your research objectives and limited time. We offer custom research tours for small groups Cuba Education Tours organizes custom research programs for groups of six or more. If you'd like to discuss a proposal pick up the phone and call us toll free, drop us an email or fill out a handy custom group request form that helps you plan a research tour to Cuba. Our staff in Canada together with our Cuban colleagues are happy to help our friends from the United States study on the island. We know you'll like what you see and learn. Flying to Cuba for General Research License holders As a licensed traveler you can fly to Cuba directly via air charter services from Miami. You must prepare your General Research License documentation before making reservations, as air charter companies must approve it prior to issuing a ticket. Even with a license in hand, many Americans prefer to travel to Cuba via Canada or Mexico to avoid extra paper work and Miami airport congestion. We help with connections from cities in both of these friendly countries, and we also provide information on Miami flight options. You can weigh the pros and cons (including costs) before deciding air arrangements. Freedom of movement is the very essence of our free society… Once the right to travel is curtailed, all other rights suffer… The right to know, to converse with others, to consult with them, to observe social, physical, political, and other phenomena abroad as well as at home gives meaning and substance to freedom of expression and freedom of the press. William O. Douglas, United States Supreme Court Justice, 1964 In the end, the reason why the administration doesn't want any travel to Cuba is simple. It doesn't want the American people to understand, in the ten minutes after their arrival, that they have been fooled by their government about Cuban reality. Philip Peters, former member of the State Department under Reagan and Bush (the elder), current vice president of the Lexington Institute Click here for Cuba Education Tours that qualify for General Research Licenses.		Inspirational 94-year-old US Doctor Charles Grossman went to Cuba without permission in May 2009 and returned without problems. Listen to Jackson Browne's new song: I'm going down toCuba.
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