North and Central America and Caribbean

We strongly recommend that you obtain comprehensive travel and medical insurance before travelling. This should cover medical evacuation by air ambulance.  You should check any exclusions, and that your policy covers you for all the activities you want to undertake.  For more general information see Travel Insurance.

If things do go wrong when you are oversees then this is How We Can Help.

Register with our LOCATE service to tell us when and where you are travelling abroad or where you live abroad so our consular and crisis staff can provide better assistance to you in an emergency.  More information about registering with LOCATE can be found here.

   

You should keep a copy of the photo page of your passport in case your documents are stolen.  

Baby food, disposable nappies etc. are patchily available in Havana and normally unavailable in the rest of Cuba; if you are bringing a baby it is best to come self-sufficient.  

You should check with your bank before you leave the UK to confirm that your debit/credit/cashpoint cards will work and will be accepted in Cuba. If your bank cannot confirm this then you should bring suitable Sterling or Euro alternatives, preferably in the form of travellers’ cheques. You should also be aware that there are virtually no cash-points available for drawing cash against Cirrus or Switch cards in Cuba. You should also be aware that Scottish and Northern Irish bank notes/coins cannot be exchanged in Cuba.

 

US Dollars are no longer accepted in Cuba, and you will be charged 10% commission to exchange them.  Following the revaluation of the Cuban Convertible Peso (CUC) in March 2005, credit card transactions, including cash withdrawals from ATM machines, are subject to local commission charges of between 11%-13%.

 

American Express travellers' cheques are no longer accepted in Cuba.  Travellers' cheques and/or credit cards drawn on all other American banks are also not accepted in Cuba.

 

The use of the CUCs to include the tourist industry has inevitably meant an increase in the number of forged CUC banknotes of all denominations but in particular $100.00.  You are strongly advised not to change money anywhere other than at the airport Cadecas, hotel exchange bureaux or banks.  Individuals offering exchange facilities to avoid queues should be avoided, and where possible small denomination bills should be requested.