Yes, the United States still has an embargo on Cuba, and in 2026 it is tighter than it has been in years. Trade with Cuba is broadly prohibited, tourist travel is illegal, American credit and debit cards do not work on the island, and most financial dealings with Cuban entities require a specific license from the Treasury Department. The Trump administration has reinstated Cuba’s designation as a State Sponsor of Terrorism, issued a new national security memorandum on Cuba, and imposed tariffs on countries that supply oil to the island.
Why the Embargo Cannot Simply Be Lifted
The embargo began in 1962 under President Kennedy and was expanded the following year to cover nearly all financial transactions with Cuba. Those early steps were executive actions that a later president could have reversed. That changed in 1996.
The Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity Act, known as the Helms-Burton Act, wrote the embargo into federal statute.1U.S. Department of State Archive. Public Law 104-114 – Cuban Liberty and Democratic Solidarity (LIBERTAD) Act of 1996 A president can only suspend the embargo after certifying to Congress that a transition government meeting specific democratic criteria is in power in Cuba, and Congress can still disapprove that suspension by joint resolution. Full termination requires a new act of Congress. Regardless of who holds the White House, the framework stays in place.
What Changed in 2025 and 2026
In January 2025, in his final days in office, President Biden certified the removal of Cuba from the State Sponsor of Terrorism list and revoked a prior Trump-era national security memorandum, tied to an agreement involving the release of political prisoners. Within days of taking office on January 20, 2025, President Trump rescinded both actions.
In June 2025, President Trump signed a new National Security Presidential Memorandum strengthening U.S. policy toward Cuba and put partial travel restrictions on Cuban nationals, citing the terrorism designation and Cuba’s refusal to accept deportees. In January 2026, he signed an executive order creating a tariff framework aimed at countries that supply oil to Cuba, pushing the embargo’s pressure beyond direct U.S.-Cuba transactions.2The White House. Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Addresses Threats to the United States by the Government of Cuba
The State Sponsor of Terrorism label is not symbolic. It triggers additional sanctions, restricts foreign aid, limits defense exports, and tightens controls on financial transactions. It puts Cuba in the same sanctions tier as North Korea, Iran, and Syria.
Who Enforces the Rules
Day-to-day enforcement runs through the Office of Foreign Assets Control at the Treasury Department.3U.S. Department of the Treasury. Office of Foreign Assets Control: Home OFAC administers the Cuban Assets Control Regulations at 31 CFR Part 515, which set out what is prohibited, what needs a specific license, and what falls under a general authorization. Every person and business under U.S. jurisdiction is bound, including U.S. citizens abroad and foreign subsidiaries of American companies.
Penalties are heavy. Civil fines can exceed $111,000 per violation under the latest inflation adjustment.4Federal Register. Inflation Adjustment of Civil Monetary Penalties Criminal violations of the Trading with the Enemy Act, which underpins the Cuba sanctions, carry penalties up to $1,000,000 for organizations and up to $250,000 and ten years in prison for individuals.5Justia Law. 50 USC App 16 – Offenses; Punishment; Forfeitures of Property OFAC can investigate years after a transaction, so timing does not shelter you.
Travel Rules for Americans
Tourist travel to Cuba is illegal for anyone under U.S. jurisdiction. The regulations say so directly: “Nothing in this section authorizes transactions in connection with tourist travel to Cuba.”6eCFR. 31 CFR 515.560 – Travel-Related Transactions to, From, and Within Cuba Sunbathing at a resort, a leisure cruise, or general sightseeing all violate federal law.
Travel is only permitted under one of 12 authorized categories:
- Family visits to close relatives who are Cuban nationals
- Official U.S. government or intergovernmental organization business
- Journalistic activity
- Professional research and professional meetings directly related to your field
- Educational activities through structured academic programs
- Religious activities
- Public performances, clinics, workshops, athletic events, and competitions
- Support for the Cuban People
- Humanitarian projects
- Activities of private foundations or research or educational institutes
- Exportation, importation, or transmission of information or informational materials
- Certain authorized export transactions
Most individual travelers rely on Support for the Cuban People, which remained available as of 2026.7U.S. Embassy in Cuba. Traveling to Cuba That category requires a full-time schedule of activities involving meaningful engagement with ordinary Cubans. Stay at privately owned casas particulares, eat at independent paladares, and spend your money with private businesses and civil society groups. Downtime that looks like a beach vacation does not qualify.
For professional meetings, the trip must directly relate to your profession or graduate-level field of study, and the schedule cannot include recreational time beyond what a normal conference agenda would allow. An entire tour group does not qualify just because some members individually meet the criteria.8eCFR. 31 CFR 515.564 – Professional Research and Professional Meetings in Cuba
Records You Have to Keep
Anyone traveling under a general license must keep detailed records of the itinerary and every financial transaction for five years after the trip.6eCFR. 31 CFR 515.560 – Travel-Related Transactions to, From, and Within Cuba Federal investigators can ask for those records at any point during that window. Most enforcement problems trace back to travelers who could not later prove their trip fit within an authorized category.
What You Cannot Bring Home
Since September 2020, authorized travelers cannot bring Cuban alcohol or tobacco back to the United States in personal baggage. You can consume Cuban cigars and rum in Cuba, and you can buy them in a third country for use abroad, but bringing them into the U.S. is prohibited.9U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Bringing in Cuban Goods and/or Cigars Into the United States The broader trade ban means Cuban-origin products generally cannot be imported no matter where you bought them.
Money on the Ground
U.S. credit and debit cards do not work in Cuba. The embargo blocks American financial institutions from processing transactions with Cuban banks. Travelers need to carry cash, either U.S. dollars or euros, and exchange it at authorized banks, cadecas, airports, or hotels.10U.S. Department of State. Cuba International Travel Information Cuba’s central bank has at times restricted direct conversion of U.S. dollars to pesos, so euros can reduce friction.
In May 2024, Treasury authorized so-called U-turn transfers, letting U.S. banks process payments passing through the American system when both sender and receiver are outside U.S. jurisdiction.11Federal Register. Cuban Assets Control Regulations The same package authorized independent Cuban private-sector entrepreneurs to open U.S. bank accounts for authorized transactions.12U.S. Department of the Treasury. Treasury Amends Regulations to Increase Support for the Cuban People and Independent Private Sector Entrepreneurs Given the current administration’s tightening posture, verify these authorizations are still in effect before relying on them.
Sending Money to People in Cuba
Americans 18 and older can send remittances to close relatives in Cuba and donative remittances to other Cuban nationals who are not prohibited government officials or Communist Party members.13eCFR. 31 CFR 515.570 – Remittances The old $1,000 quarterly cap on family remittances was removed in 2022, and no specific dollar cap has been reimposed.14Federal Register. Cuban Assets Control Regulations
Recipient restrictions are strict. You cannot send funds to prohibited officials of the Cuban government, prohibited members of the Communist Party, or close relatives of either. Separate authorizations exist for remittances to religious organizations, independent NGOs including pro-democracy groups, and private businesses with up to 100 employees.15eCFR. 31 CFR 515.570 – Remittances Banks and remittance services screen recipients and will ask compliance questions.
What Trade Is Actually Allowed
The default rule is that essentially every commercial or financial transaction involving Cuba or a Cuban national is prohibited unless OFAC has specifically authorized it. The regulations bar transfers of credit, foreign exchange transactions, and all dealings in Cuban property by anyone under U.S. jurisdiction, and have done so since July 8, 1963.16eCFR. 31 CFR 515.201 – Transactions Involving Designated Foreign Countries or Their Nationals Indirect dealings count too: you cannot import Cuban-origin goods bought in Canada or Europe, and businesses have to screen international transactions for Cuban connections.
A narrow channel exists for agricultural products and medical supplies under the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act of 2000.17Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 22 USC Ch. 79: Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Because Cuba is a State Sponsor of Terrorism, these exports require one-year U.S. licenses, contracts must be signed within the license period, shipments must go out within 12 months of the contract, and Cuban buyers must pay cash in advance.
A separate license exception, Support for the Cuban People (SCP), permits exports of certain goods to Cuba’s private sector. Eligible items must be classified EAR99 or controlled only for anti-terrorism reasons, and must go to private businesses, cooperatives, or self-employed individuals rather than state-owned enterprises or anything that primarily generates revenue for the government.18eCFR. 15 CFR 740.21 – Support for the Cuban People (SCP) The list of ineligible end-users, from government officials to state media to Communist Party leadership, is long, and verifying that a partner qualifies is your responsibility.
Two Lists to Check Before You Spend a Dollar in Cuba
The State Department publishes the Cuba Restricted List, which identifies entities under the control of or acting for Cuba’s military, intelligence, or security services. Direct financial transactions with those entities are prohibited.19Federal Register. Publishing the State Department’s List of Entities and Subentities Associated With Cuba (Cuba Restricted List) It covers holding companies like GAESA and the Gaviota tourism group along with dozens of subsidiaries.
The Cuba Prohibited Accommodations List names specific hotels and lodging properties where Americans cannot stay, pay for rooms, or book on behalf of others.20United States Department of State. Cuba Prohibited Accommodations List It reaches properties across Havana, Varadero, Santiago de Cuba, and resort areas throughout the island. Check both lists before booking. Ignorance of a listing is not a defense.
If You Own a Boat
Private vessels face a separate regime. Any U.S. vessel under 100 meters that departs U.S. waters and enters Cuban territorial waters must first get a written permit from the Coast Guard’s Southeast District Commander.21eCFR. 33 CFR Part 107 – National Vessel and Facility Control Measures and Limited Access Areas The application needs the vessel registration, a valid Bureau of Industry and Security export license for taking the vessel to Cuba, and either a specific OFAC license or a written certification identifying which general license applies. The Coast Guard has ten calendar days to decide.
Entering Cuban waters without a permit carries civil penalties up to $25,000 per day. Knowing violations or obstruction can bring up to ten years in prison, a $10,000 criminal fine, and seizure of the vessel, on top of the daily civil penalty.22eCFR. 33 CFR Part 107 Subpart B – Unauthorized Entry Into Cuban Territorial Waters These maritime penalties stack on top of anything OFAC pursues for sanctions violations.