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Traveling from Cancun to Cuba is super easy although it can be a tad confusing for the first time visitor.  So we put together this little article to let you know everything you need to get from Cancun to Cuba hassle free!  (And while you are in Cancun maybe consider a trip to Tulum too!)

Cancun to Cuba – Everything You Need to Know

There are daily flights from Cancun airport to Havana run by Interjet, our new favorite airline. Interjet is a Mexican low cost airline that runs several flights a day to Havana and if you are lucky these flights are going to be around $90 one way. Once your flight is booked, all you have to do is get yourself to the airport.

Get the Tourist Visa

The first thing to do when you arrive at the airport in Cancun is to get a tourist visa for Cuba. Everyone needs to purchase one and the simplest way to do that is in line for check in. Interjet makes it super easy by having someone right there in line and you don’t have to go hunt them down. Make sure you have cash for the visa. The visa cost us $350 pesos or around $16 for the visa. In comparison, we ran into people who flew direct from New York, San Francisco and LAX and their visas were upwards of $75-$100 as the visa cost is determined by the airline. The same goes for flying out of Canada as well.

Once you have purchased your tourist card, check into your flight. You will need to show evidence of a return flight. After that you will be all checked in and ready to fly to Havana except for one last thing. You will need to fill out a currency declaration form for Mexico at your gate. As long as you have under $10,000 you will not need to declare anything but make sure you fill the form out before trying to hop on your plane.

The flight to Havana from Cancun is short, around 58 minutes. If you are on Interjet, they will have drink service and we know you guys can all drink at least one free beer during that flight! One thing to note, on the flight they will come by and spray some sort of disinfectant spray into the air ducts right before landing. Apparently this is mandated by the Cuban government. It’s not harmful (hopefully), just odd.

You Have Arrived in Cuba! Now What?

The first thing to do when you arrive in Havana is to go through passport control. They may ask you questions, they may not. We were not asked anything except to move for the camera. Some people were asked for a copy of their health insurance (we recommend World Nomads which we have used for all of our travels the past four years) and also an itinerary. Even if your itinerary changes, you should at least have a copy of it to share with them along with your health insurance. You also may be asked for the purpose of your journey. After that your passport and tourist card will be stamped and you just have to go through customs before officially arriving in Cuba!

After passport control you will be handed a customs form and unless you can get a table, wait to fill it out at baggage claim. Most likely you won’t have anything to declare so you can bypass the HUGE line for those who do. Hand the form over.  Go through the doors and you have made it to Cuba!

Hola Cuba!

While it may seem confusing on how exactly Americans can get to Cuba, mainly thanks to a lack of cohesive information, it is actually fairly straightforward. Although do note, that technically Americans can’t come to Cuba just for tourism. Instead you must determine if your travels fall into one of the twelve categories approved by the US Treasury Department. These are self-regulated categories so you must decide if you fit into these categories.

Hopefully with the borders opening up it will become easier day by day for us to visit this absolutely amazing country and it will be even easier to get from Cancun to Cuba!

Heading to Cuba soon?  Don’t forget to buy travel insurance!  Sure you may not use it but its always good to have.  We recommend World Nomads which we have been using for years and have always made us feel secure as we travel around the world!

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Ashley

Ashley is a passionate traveler and all around geek who loves to nerd out over ancient ruins. Her passion for history and art drives her to explore the hidden depths of a culture and share them through her photography and writing.