Treasury's OFAC Releases Long-Awaited Cuba Travel Regulations

This afternoon the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Foreign Assets Controls? released their updated Comprehensive Guidelines for License Applications to Engage in Travel-Related Transactions Involving Cuba to reflect changes made to U.S. policy through amendments to the Cuban Assets Control Regulations, 31 CFR Part 515. 

These changes were initially announced by the Obama Administration on January 14, 2011: "The President has directed that changes be made to regulations and policies governing: (1) purposeful travel; (2) non-family remittances; and (3) U.S. airports supporting licensed charter flights to and from Cuba. These measures will increase people-to-people contact; support civil society in Cuba; enhance the free flow of information to, from, and among the Cuban people; and help promote their independence from Cuban authorities," said the White House statement earlier this year.

The new guidelines are intended to assist persons who wish to engage in travel-related transactions involving Cuba in making their own determinations as to whether their activities are authorized by a general license (in which case no specific license from OFAC is needed), or their activities could be authorized by a specific license from OFAC (in which case an application is required).

Read the new Travel Comprehensive Guidelines here.