Beginning January 23, travelers to Cuba will be required to carry a digital entry form, regardless of visa type. The online entry application via the portal “D’Travellers’ was first introduced in January 2022. After a one-year test phase, the form is now mandatory for visitors.
As the director of air traffic at the Institute for Civil Aviation (IACC), Rita María García González, announced in a press conference, airlines are required to check the form before boarding. With the digital entry form, the customs declaration that was previously made in paper form is no longer necessary. Instead, all required information now has to be entered in the portal no earlier than 48 hours before the start of the flight. As the party newspaper “news” reports, “the measure is part of the country’s digital transformation efforts, but also an international practice of advance information to speed up processes at the terminals”. As explained by representatives of the IACC, more than 30 countries use comparable systems.
The one-year test period seems to have gone pretty smoothly. Since the launch of the D’Viajeros portal in November 2021, more than four million hits have been recorded on the website. 1.7 million travelers have arrived with forms. After the portal was initially only translated into Spanish and English, the site is now also available in French, German, Russian and Italian.
As can be seen from the website, it is sufficient to carry the form with you digitally as a PDF. Upon entry, all information is recorded by scanning the QR code, a printout is not required. If, contrary to expectations, technical problems arise, they want to find a quick solution on site, announced IACC President Armando Daniel López.
The same regulations apply to entry into Cuba today as before the pandemic: In addition to the passport, a visa (“tourist card”) and proof of international health insurance (in English or Spanish) must be carried with you. Information on the vaccination status is voluntary. Cash amounts over US$5000 may be brought in but must be declared.
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