How do the visas work?

I heard I have to fill out some paperwork onboard the ship. Will I be given a card or a sticker to put in my passport (I don't like bringing my passport ashore)?

If you are on RC, you will be given the actual Visa at check in, and the $75.00 fee shows up on your cabin statement.

You can fill it out in your cabin.

Bring it with you the first time you get off the ship, along with your passport.

The Cuban customs agent will keep the Visa, take your photo, and stamp your passport.

Unlike other places, you will need to go through this customs line every time you get on or off the ship, You will only need your passport each time, obviously, since they have taken the Visa..

They look at your passport, look at you, and nod.

Not a lot of chit chat, tho I made sure to say good morning, good evening, just to be polite.

I heard I have to fill out some paperwork onboard the ship. Will I be given a card or a sticker to put in my passport (I don't like bringing my passport ashore)?

You are given an affidavit which you turn in when you board. At that time you will be given a Visa. On Carnival the cost is $75.

When you go ashore you are required to bring the visa and your passport as they will review it before allowing you to enter their country.

You will have to surrender the visa at the last port. If you only go to Havana then they'll take it there. But we went to 3 ports and they took it at our last one (Santiago de Cuba).

I rarely take my actual passport off the ship, but you have to in Cuba. I keep mine in a money belt (along with most of my money). In other countries, if I don't take my passport, I take a copy of it.

You will have to surrender the visa at the last port. If you only go to Havana then they'll take it there. But we went to 3 ports and they took it at our last one (Santiago de Cuba).

 

I rarely take my actual passport off the ship, but you have to in Cuba. I keep mine in a money belt (along with most of my money). In other countries, if I don't take my passport, I take a copy of it.

That was our experience as well, except we were going in the opposite direction and Havana was our last/third port. They took the visa the first (of 3) times that we went ashore in Havana.

They did not stamp our passports in the first four of our 5 total trips ashore and only did so on the final one because I asked them to,

They did not stamp our passports in the first four of our 5 total trips ashore and only did so on the final one because I asked them to,

Interesting.

They stamped my passport just once, but it was on my first time off the ship at our first port (Havana).

Interesting.

 

They stamped my passport just once, but it was on my first time off the ship at our first port (Havana).

It might be a vestige of the days when Americans weren't supposed to travel to Cuba. They purposely avoided stamping them then.

Is it possible the days of visas will end soon since the Castro regime is now dead. Cuba will become more of a democracy. Want our $$$ and behave like the other islands

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Unlikely. Requiring a visa is not a Castro thing or a communist thing. Last time I checked you needed a visa to go to Brazil. The initial expectation of the new regime is that it will be business as usual, with changes, if any, coming gradually. There is no evidence that "Cuba will become more of a democracy" any time soon.