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Travel Information and Guidelines |
General Information for Oakhurst Members who are Prospective Cuba Travelers Here’s some general information for anyone interested in being part of the Cuba Partnership Mission Group and/or in traveling to Cuba on one of our trips to visit our sister churches. We will update this information as travelers to Cuba submit additional content. Cuba Partnership Mission Group (CPMG) Membership The CPMG at Oakhurst is open to those interested in knowing our brothers and sisters in our partnership churches—and in being known by them. Our goal is to nurture relationships that will help churches in both countries grow and develop as stronger communities of faith. As part of this process, some CPMG members visit our sister churches in Alamar and Perico. Here is some general information that will be of interest to those interested in making this trip. Criteria for Traveling to Cuba on the Oakhurst License Guidelines A person wishing to travel to Cuba with the Oakhurst delegation should be a participant in the work and ministry of the CPMG. According to Oakhurst’s license granted by the US Treasury Department, each traveler must have a “significant relationship” with the license holder. Church membership and/or participation over a period of time in the work of the church are indicators of a “significant relationship.” Travelers to Cuba must agree to abide by the regulations that govern the use of the Treasury Department license that is assigned to Oakhurst. Oakhurst, during a business meeting, must approve the use of its license for each traveler who wants to travel under it. Process Potential travelers become part of the CPMG during the year and familiarize themselves with the work of the group and with the work of Oakhurst’s sister churches in Cuba, Several months before the trip, which usually occurs in November, the CPMG submits to the church a list of proposed travelers. The church votes on whether to approve the use of its license by the individuals submitted by the CPMG. The church clerk prepares a letter for each approved traveler. The letter authorizes travel pursuant to the restrictions of the license granted to the church. In transit and in Cuba, travelers should keep on their person three things: 1) passport, 2) Oakhurst’s letter of authorization to use the license, 3) a copy of the license. Practical Information about Traveling to Cuba Dates of Travel/ Length of Stay The CPMG trips usually take place in late November, after the annual meeting of the Fraternity of Baptist in Cuba. Trips are usually 10 – 12 days and include two weekends. For the past several years, CPMG travelers have spent Thanksgiving in Cuba. Cost of Trip Estimate
Please see the next topic, which deals with exchanging and using money in Cuba, and note that in the table above, estimated costs that are payable in Cuban Convertible Pesos are figured in US dollars. For example, the exit tax from Cuba is $25 CUC. At the current exchange rate, $25 CUCs equals $27 US, so the estimate lists $27 as the cost of the exit tax. There are no direct flights from Atlanta to Cuba, and the CPMG has traveled three different routes: While there are pros and cons for each, we have found that the route through Cancún is easier and approximately equal in price. We always look for the best arrangements and price each year, so going through Cancún is not a given. Exchanging and Using Money in Cuba Credit Cards, debit cards, and ATM cards issued by US banks may not be used in Cuba. For most travelers from the US, that means that all transactions are in cash. All products and services purchased in country must be paid for in Cuban Convertible Pesos (CUCs). You may buy CUCs at the airport upon arrival in Havana. This is the easiest method, as the alternative is going to a bank and waiting in a long line, which, depending on the time of day, can take an hour or more. The rates are the same at both places. Never exchange money other than in a bank or an official exchange booth. It’s illegal and you could be arrested. The value of the CUC has been set by the Cuban government according to the following formula: $1.00 CUC = $1.08 US. In addition, there is a 10 percent charge by the Cuban government for changing US dollars into CUCs. The extra 10 percent is not charged for changing Euros into CUCs. Changing US dollars into Euros before leaving the US, then changing Euros into CUCs once in Cuba can save about half of the 10 percent tax—once the fees from exchanging dollars into Euros are taSken into account. Many in our group did this during the 2006 trip. Applying for and Securing a Religious Visa Currently, CPMG members must secure a religious visa from the Cuban government before entering the country. The religious visa authorizes you to participate in worship services—other than as an observer—and allows you to stay in accommodations provided by religious organizations, such as the William Carey Baptist Church in Havana or the Kairos Center in Matanzas. Months before the trip, CPMG send to Luis Carlos (husband of pastor Daylins Rufin) data needed for the religious visas. Luis Carlos applies for the visas, and the Fraternity of Baptists pays the application fee mentioned in the estimates above. Travelers will reimburse the Fraternity for these application fees after arrival in Cuba. Once you apply for a religious visa, you will need to reimburse the Fraternity of Baptists for it, even if you do not make the trip. Certain data is needed to apply for a religious visa. To provide that data online, please go to the following link (to come). Dress in Cuba Cuba is warm, even in November. Casual summer clothes are appropriate for almost every situation. Suits (for men or women) are not necessary and would seem out of place in most instances. A light jacket or sweater can be useful if there is rain or if a cold front comes through. Accommodations For the past few years, the CPMG has stayed in dormitory-style accommodations at the William Carey Baptist Church, which is in the Vedado district about two blocks from the campus of the University of Havana and within walking distance of the Malacón. On past trips, we have stayed in a large room with a divider of bookcases in the middle—men on one side, women on the other. The room is air-conditioned and is locked when not occupied. The accommodations are clean, safe, quiet (though you can sometimes hear street noise), and comfortable. There are two bathrooms—one for women, one for men. Shower water in both bathrooms is cool to warm. There are no toilet seats on many toilets in Cuba, including the men’s bathroom at William Carey. Due to the condition of the plumbing, toilet paper is not to be flushed in any toilet in Cuba. There is a waste basket by each commode for disposing of toilet paper. Communication with the US while in Cuba Cell phones from the US do not work in Cuba. To call the US, you need to purchase a pre-paid phone card and use a public telephone. The cost is approximately $2.00 per minute. Email is an option. You may email from a Cuban post office—approximately $5.00 per hour—or write an email using the account that Daylins and Luis Carlos have. They pay for emails sent from their address, but I do not know the rate. There is no access to Internet service, so surfing the web is not an option while in country. What Can Be Brought Back From Cuba? Each traveler will be given a list of Treasury Department regulations concerning what can and cannot be brought back from Cuba. Currently, the US government allows travelers to Cuba to bring back only art work and printed materials. Other items are prohibited and can be confiscated by the US Customs agents. Attempting to bring unauthorized items into the US could jeopardize the Treasury Department license under which Oakhurst travels to Cuba. Baggage Limits By US Treasury Department regulations, travelers may take a total of only 44 lbs. to Cuba, including checked and carry-on luggage. There are extenuating circumstances, and potential travelers are invited to ask Oakhurst members who have gone for more information on this. There are no direct flights to Cuba from Atlanta. Bags cannot be checked directly to Cuba from any US airport other than Miami, from which direct charter flights are allowed. Whether the intermediate point on the trip is Miami or Cancún, travelers must collect their baggage, take it through customs, and re-check it to Havana. Carry-on luggage requirements vary from airline to airline and country to country. On flights from Kingston Bay, Jamaica, to Havana, Air Jamaica has required its passengers to check luggage that was allowed as carry-on during the Atlanta to Kingston Bay flight. You will want to make sure that your most valuable possessions are on your person or in the small bag that you will use as a personal item. One traveler from another church lost a considerable amount of cash when he checked his carry-on luggage at the last minute and did not remove the money he has placed inside. Going Through Immigration and Customs upon Entering Cuba Upon arrival in Havana, CPMG travelers enter an immigration area. There, we ask an employee to retrieve our religious visas that are waiting for us on the other side. Upon receiving the visas, we go through immigration, at which time passports are scanned. The immigration agent may ask where you are staying and why you are visiting Cuba. Usually, the immigration officer will stamp your religious visa but not your passport. The Cuban government does not want to put at risk any US citizens who might be traveling to Cuba illegally. Upon leaving Cuba, the immigration officer will stamp and retain your religious visa. In this way, by looking at your passport only, immigration officials in other countries would not know that you had visited Cuba. After passing through immigration, travelers go through a metal detector, and their carry-on luggage is x-rayed. Then travelers proceed to the baggage area where they collect their checked luggage and exchange their money into CUCs. From that point, there is one final customs check before you are allowed to enter into the airport waiting lounge. You will be asked by a customs agent if all the articles in your baggage are for your personal use. You baggage may be opened and inspected at this point. You can get from information about this from CPMG members who have already made trips to Cuba. Going Through Customs when returning to the US On entry into the United States, travelers must list the countries visited. Because we have traveled legally, we have listed Cuba as one of our destinations. The customs officer may ask why you were there and if you were traveling under a license. You may be asked to produce a copy of the license or the letter from the church authorizing your travel. |