Havana Favorite Tips by fga

Language
The official language... Immigration and Customs Review

Favorite thing: Language
The official language is Spanish, which is spoken in the entire island. It is often peppered with special Cuban phonetics and witty popular metaphors that colour each region. However, at Cubanacan hotels and resorts there are highly skilled personnel capable of communicating in various languages, especially English.

Currency
Tourist facility prices are indicated in U.S. dollars. Dollars have free circulation in Cuba and are used in all tourist installations and resorts.
The national currency is the Cuban peso which contains 100 cents (centavos). There are 50, 20, 10, 5, 3 and 1 peso notes as well as 1 and 3 peso coins in circulation. Other coins are in 40, 20, 5, 2 and 1 cent (centavos) denominations.
No credit cards or traveller checks issued by a U.S. bank are accepted. Visa, Master Card and Thomas Cook traveller check issued from non-U.S. banks are accepted. Consult your travel agency or a Cubanacan office regarding the use of any other type of credit card or traveller check.

TOURISM REGULATIONS
For tourism travel all you need is a valid passport and the corresponding visa or tourist card which will be issued by your travel agent or the Cuban consulate.

CUSTOMS REGULATIONS
Cuba follows the international practices established for this purpose. The following goods may enter Cuba free of taxes:
Personal jewelery
200 cigarettes, 50 cigars or 250 grams of cut tobacco; or an assortment of all three with a weight not exceeding 250 grams
2 bottles of alcoholic beverages
You must take articles such as cameras, video cameras, radios and tape recorders with you when you leave the country. The following goods may not enter Cuba:
Firearms, except for hunting and with prior authorization
Non-processed vegetable or animal products
Narcotics and psychotrophic drugs
Pornographic material or any other obscene or morally offensive material
Blood based medications
National currency, except that imported by travellers authorized by the proper Cuban autorities
It is forbidden to export the national Cuban currency. When leaving Cuba you may freely exchange up to (ten) Cuban pesos to any exchangeable currency.
You may export duty free all durable goods purchased in the network of stores submitting receipt of payment. You may also take with you up to 200 cigarettes; live or dried specimens of Cuban flora or fauna may only be exported with the corresponding sanitary and export documents.

HEALTH REGULATIONS
Health restrictions only apply to travellers from countries with yellow fever and endemic cholera or countries declared infection zones by the World Health Organization. In those cases a vaccination certificate isssued at least ten days and no more than ten years prior is required.
The import of meat products is only allowed if they are sterilized and canned; products of vegetable origin only if they havbe been industrially processed; pasturized dairy products and ripe cheeses. Also fresh and dried fruit, accompanied by the appropriate Agricultural health certificate.
If you are travelling with animals, plants or any of the above mentioned products which do not meet the requirements, you must contact the Cuban health Authorities upon arrival in order to learn more about the regulations applicable to each case.

CAR RENTAL
Cubanacan, Havanatur Transtur and Panauto's have car rental services at airports, hotels and tourist centres. Cubacar offers a large fleet of vehicles including models by: Mitsubishi, Toyota, Hyundai, Suzuki, etc. The only requirement to renting a car is a valid drivers license and your passport.
Cuban traffic signs follow international codes and driving is done on the right hand side of the road.

PHOTOGRAPHS, VIDEOS & MOVIES
Special regulations apply to taking photgraphs and taping or filming audio-visual materials in museums. It is strictly forbidden to do this in military zones. Regulations are also in force in industrial centres, factories scientific research centres etc. for which previous authorization must be obtained. On the streets, men and women will always respond to your camera wiht a smile, but it is correct to ask them before taking their photos.