Cuba is a beautiful destination, with its hundreds of kilometers of beaches the color of mother-of-pearl, its rum, its sunshine, its mountain ranges, its Hispanic-Colonial architecture… But there’s one prerequisite for getting there: travel insurance.
Since May 2010,travel insurance has been compulsory to obtain a visa to Cuba, according to a directive published in the official gazette.
This directive requires all travelers (foreigners and ins) to present documents attesting to their subscription to a travel insurance policy. If you are unable to provide this documentation, you will be obliged to take out a policy with a Cuban insurance company as soon as you arrive in Cuba.
According to official statistics, more than 4 million tourists and 300,000 Cubans living abroad, visited Cuba in 2018.
For this travel insurance to be valid it must be issued by a Cuban or foreign organization provided it is approved by the Cuban authorities.
What is the purpose of this insurance?
This travel insurance covers medical expenses and repatriation.
Obviously, coverage can be more extensive: reimbursement of your trip in the event of cancellation, or of the contents of your luggage if it is lost during the flight or stolen, right up to payment of a lawyer’s fees if you are held civilly or criminally liable.
Mandatory and useful!
Even if it’s compulsory, you should know that it’s not an unnecessary expense. Beyond the paperwork: it’s reassuring to know that not only will you always be taken care of by professionals, but you’ll also be spared the financial difficulties that can result from your misadventures. A simple sprain in Varadero can cost upwards of 3,000 euros. So for a more worry-free trip, make sure you have good travel insurance !
