Please log in with your username or email to continue. No account yet? Create an account. Edit this Article. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. By using our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Cookie Settings. Learn why people trust wikiHow. Download Article Explore this Article parts. Tips and Warnings. Related Articles. Part 1. Get a passport. Apply for residence in Cuba. Call xt. Have your documents translated and mail them to the Cuban Consulate.
The American Translators Association has a directory of certified translators. Bureaucracy in Cuba moves slowly, so be prepared to wait a few weeks for anything to happen. Spanish is essential for living in Cuba, as most people will not know your native language. Consider signing up for a Spanish language course before leaving for Cuba.
Move your possessions to Cuba via boat or air cargo. If you're coming from the US, shipping to Cuba will be cheapest if done from Miami, Florida, the closest large port to the island. If you're coming from elsewhere, air shipping may be cheaper, so search "air freight your city or country to cuba" in a search engine. Be sure to check reviews before choosing a service. Use Yelp or the Yellow Pages to see what other people have said about shipping services. Draw your cash out of the bank before leaving.
If you're an American, you'll be unable to withdraw cash from an ATM while in Cuba due to trade restrictions. Be sure to take out all of the money you plan on needing and probably more! Travelers of other nationalities should be able to withdraw funds from an ATM. Find a place to live in Cuba. While only Cuban citizens can own property, non-citizens are allowed to rent.
Its members serve five-year terms. Following elections, there are usually no big surprises, due to the one-party system. However, upon moving to Cuba you should make sure to not address politics and communism too directly.
After all, Cubans are quite proud of their country and, particularly in a business environment, it is not a good idea to upset your local contacts and colleagues.
However, until this point, expats moving to Cuba should know that there are two currencies which are used in this country: the Cuban convertible peso CUC , and the Cuban peso CUP or moneda nacional MN. Are you moving to one of the bigger cities or tourist destinations in Cuba? In that case, you should make sure to use Cuban convertible pesos, as they are widely accepted.
Only smaller towns and villages, or street vendors in the cities accept only Cuban pesos. Please remember that Cuban convertible pesos can only be exchanged for Euros, British Pounds, Swiss francs, and Canadian dollars. ATMs, although they have become more common in recent years, do not always work. You should thus consider always carrying a small amount of cash to cover everyday expenses.
However, try to avoid exchanging money on the street. Many a foreigner has been subject to scams and lost quite some money that way. The best way to avoid this is to not change money anywhere other than Cadeca exchange houses, or large hotels and banks. If you want to visit Cuba for your job search, or if you have already secured a way of covering your living expenses, for a fact-finding trip, you need to get a Tourist Card.
It is valid for one single entry for a day trip 90 days for Canadian citizens and can be extended for an additional 30 days at the hotel where you are staying or at the immigration offices. Before travelling to Cuba, be it for a visit or in order to move there, you must apply for a visa. The type of visa you need to apply for depends on a lot of factors, such as the duration of your journey or its purpose. The spouses and children of Cuban citizens holding any other nationality who travel to Cuba and wish to stay at the home of their Cuban relatives must present their passport and the document attesting to their kinship e.
If this application is made by mail, the applicant must present all of the above documents with a stamped self-addressed envelope in order to get their passport back. Business visas must be requested by applicants from the corresponding office at the Cuban Embassy, and after approval has been communicated to the Consulate, the applicant will visit the Consulate during normal business hours.
Apart from the documents stated above, you will need to prove that you are employed in Cuba. Applications for permanent resident visas can only be drawn up at Cuban consulates, and are difficult to obtain.
The process takes between three to six months, and the required documents include:. The difficult part of the process, however, consists in obtaining another set of documents: firstly, you need a Certificate of Regular Residency , which is a document certifying or accrediting your place of residence.
Then you need to complete several health tests and present the results of a chest X-ray, blood and AIDS tests. These tests cannot have been done more than six months prior to being presented to the Consulate. You can do these tests directly in Cuba as long as you go to a hospital or clinic specializing in the care of foreigners. You will also need to present a proof of technical and practical capacity for those older than 16 and younger than These may be university diplomas or documents attesting to years of professional experience, technical degrees, or to your trade or occupation.
The consulate will also ask for a proof of economic solvency. You must therefore open an account in a Cuban bank. If the DIE does not grant the permit, the account maybe closed whenever you desire. The bank account may be opened from abroad, as long as the certification is acknowledged and issued by the respective Cuban bank. Your new account must have a balance of at least 5, Finally, a certification of criminal record from the country of residence is requested.
It must have been issued by the official institution in question e. Exploring Cuba by train can be an amazing way to get to know this exceptional country. After all, the railway system, operated by Ferrocarriles de Cuba, serves all provincial capitals. However, you should be aware that travelling via train takes lots of time and patience as, unfortunately, the train is not the most efficient mode of transportation. For example, the trip from Santiago de Cuba to Havana takes about 20 long hours by train, while driving would take just about half this time.
This is actually quite surprising, considering the fact that an extensive railway network is spreading across the country. In the past, trains were used by the Spanish to transport freshly harvested sugar canes to sugar mills all over Cuba. With the downfall of the Soviet Union in the early 90s, however, fuel and spare parts became harder to come by.
Disadvantages probably outweigh the advantages, truth be told. They include: chronic, rampant infidelity; traditional gender roles including deep-seeded machismo ; possibilities of raging jealousy; and in most Cuban-foreigner relationships, the latter pays for everything and financial inequities can be a major source of strife.
Of course, the innumerable differences which come to the fore in any cross-cultural relationship are also potential pitfalls. My readers www. I thought that writing such a forthright blog about Cuba would ruffle feathers on both sides of the spectrum, but the response has been overwhelmingly positive. The blog has served as a foundry for a community of people who love and are confounded by Cuba.
I think Cuba has changed my perspective in that it gives me hope, no matter the challenges. This is a hard question since there are so many great books out there. I know the real estate will be worth more than it is now.
I have dial up internet access for my work as a journalist. Why do you live in Cuba? Havana [ Public Domain ] I was lured here, like many, by an intoxicating combination of the intellectual and spiritual. What do you love about Cuba?
What do you dislike about Cuba? How can an ex-pat make a living in Cuba? What example have you seen? If you had to give pieces of advice to tourists or ex-pats coming to live in Cuba, what would be the top 3? Already a speaker? Then hone it. Brush up and familiarize yourself with Cuban Spanish which is a language unto its own. Second: do not get a car or driver.
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