Visit Cuba Legally on a General Research License
			Experience island culture and get to know its kind innovative people. Go there now if you can. It's extremely unlikely President Obama will let his people travel freely during his tenure. Don't miss out. Read what legal visitors say about life-altering Cuban encounters.
			This website is current and accurate at . Information below is provided as a courtesy and does not constitute legal advice or a legal opinion. However we can assure readers that among the thousands of Americans who have followed this legal travel option, not one has had problems upon return. We're here to assist our tour participants. Contact us.
			YES, YOU CAN visit the island with Cuba Education Tours if you're professionally engaged and promise to disseminate your trip findings to family, friends, colleagues and community upon your return. It's legal, easy, fast and free. No prior submission, request or approval from Washington is necessary. You write your own license! It takes less than an hour to prepare. We are glad to assist our tour participants at each stage. There is no fee for the license or our consultations. Contact us. Please note: We're only able to assist our tour participants. Independent travelers are welcome to utilize this resource on their own. 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 Americans visiting their Cuban relatives 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.* This includes, but is not limited to, lawyers, health care specialists, educators, scientists, artists, agronomists and social workers. These and many more categories of professionals (and active volunteers and engaged retirees) can travel to Cuba legally on an OFAC General Research License. (Bonus: Travel and accommodation costs related to professional development and research are often tax deductible.) * The term "full time professional" refers to source of funds from which a person's major source of income is derived. However there are exceptions and exemptions for artists, musicians and cultural workers, as well as retirees who dedicate, volunteer or labor diligently in their art, craft, academic or scholarly pursuits, but who are not necessarily remunerated for these activities. How a General Research License works It's easy, quick and free. No application needs to be filed in advance of travel nor is prior permission from OFAC required when you travel on a General Research License. You prepare and write the license yourself. You take it with you to Cuba, and 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 (please see exceptions and exemptions above) 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 must 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. Target audiences include family, friends, colleagues and community organizations. 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. Relevant information is highlighted in yellow. The document is thirteen (13) pages. Print it and take it 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 a day-by-day research 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 its tour participants fulfill 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 or New Jersey. 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 U.S. airport congestion, delays and rigorous, often dehumanizing, circumspection. We help with connections from friendly Canada and Mexico, and we also provide information on Miami flight options. You must 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. Visit this webisite to learn more about travel for Americans that don't qualify for licensed Cuba travel. Listen to Jackson Browne's new song: I'm going down toCuba. Ask Barack Obama to end the cruel U.S. blockade against Cuba and let all Americans visit. Go to his site to log your ideas. HAITI Learn about Cuba's role in saving the lives of countless earthquake victims. See videos, and donation options.
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