I am very often asked by first-time travellers to Cuba if they will be asked, by Cuban customs & immigration officials, for proof of medical health insurance coverage on entry into Cuba.

The answer is: it is entirely inconsistent.

Sometimes they ask for proof of health insurance coverage (and specific proof that the coverage includes COVID-19 explicitly).

And sometimes they basically wave you through without asking this, or much of anything.

Over many years and many trips to Cuba, I’ve had both experiences. As have all of my friends who are frequent travellers to Cuba.

In this and other Cuba-related travel groups, you’ll find people who adamantly answer “No” to your question, and others who adamantly answer “Yes” to your question, based only on their own limited experience.

But, while enforcement is inconsistent, the thing that is indisputable is that Cuban law does require travellers into Cuba to have medical insurance coverage (including specifically COVID-19 coverage) to be able to enter Cuba, and requires that you be able to provide proof of such coverage if asked.

For our friends in the USA who travel directly from the USA to Cuba (most often via southern Florida), it is made super easy for them: for all passengers flying on a direct flight from the USA to Cuba, basic medical travel insurance (meeting the basic requirements of Cuba’s laws) is *included in their flight cost*. They simply need to show their airline boarding card to prove insurance coverage, and when seeking medical treatment at Cuban health clinics or hospitals, they also simply need to show their airline boarding pass.

But for the rest of us, in the rest of the world, medical insurance coverage is not included or embedded in the cost of a flight.

*IMPORTANT NOTE*: There are two circumstances in which you will *always* be asked for proof of medical / health travel insurance coverage:

1.) if you are planning to stay in the home of your Cuban relative or Cuban spouse, and need to apply for an “A-2 Visa Familiar”. The A-2 Visa Familiar / Cuba Family Visa (A-2) is issued to foreign nationals who wish to enter Cuba in order to join a family member living there. This type of visa is generally only available for immediate family members (spouses or children) of Cubans, and is issued at the discretion of a Cuban immigration officer at the local Cuban immigration office of the community in which you will be staying (ie. *not* at the airport). Your Cuban relative or spouse needs to attend the appointment with you, and needs to show both their Cuban ID, and *proof of ownership of the home in which you will be staying*. As part of your application interview process for an A-2 Visa Familiar, the Cuban immigration officials will *always* ask for proof from you of health / medical travel insurance coverage that fully covers you for the full duration of your trip to Cuba (including coverage for COVID-19). Expect the whole process to take at least a half a day, and sometimes longer.

2.) If you are planning to stay in Cuba for more than the 90 days which is allowed under your Cuban tourist card / visa (you can extend once, up to a maximum of 180 days, before being required to depart Cuba until your next trip), prior to the expiry of the first 90 days of your trip, you will need to go to the local Cuban immigration office to apply for a “prorroga” (ie. extension) of your Cuban tourist card / visa from 90 days to 180 days. As part of your application interview process for an extension/prorroga, the Cuban immigration officials will *always* ask for proof from you of health / medical travel insurance coverage that fully covers you for the full duration of your trip to Cuba (including coverage for COVID-19).

*In both of these two cases, it is absolutely mandatory for you to provide proof of health insurance coverage that fully covers you for the full duration of your trip to Cuba. There are no exceptions or exemptions. And you will *absolutely*, without any question, be asked to provide proof.*

ALSO:

It may be possible that your workplace health insurance coverage, for example, may *already* include travel insurance that will fully cover you in Cuba.

Or maybe you can qualify get low-cost travel insurance from an insurance provider in your home country that will cover you in Cuba if you happen to be part of a group plan or have membership in some associations or some trade unions. Great if so.

BUT: it is important to know if your insurance provider, whoever it might be, has a formal relationship and contract with Cuba’s ASISTUR.

Because if your insurance provider does not have a formal relationship and contract with ASISTUR, than in the event of an unfortunate accident or other need to access healthcare services at Cuban health clinics or Cuban hospitals, *you will first need to pay for those medical services yourself*, and then seek reimbursement from your insurance provider by providing them receipts for your medical-related expenses when you get back to your home country.

And that could, in some cases, mean a considerable outlay of $$$ at a Cuban hospital, and a delay in reimbursement until you are back in your home country and have submitted your medical-related receipts from your Cuba trip to your health insurance provider for reimbursement.

Asistur S.A is the official Cuban insurance agency providing medical coverage for island visitors.

ASISTUR organizes medical services and support across the nation for travelers as needed.

Emergency response through Cuba’s ASISTUR is available 24 hours a day. ASISTUR coordinates services with many major medical and insurance companies globally (but, as mentioned, not all — you should ALWAYS ask your insurance provider if they have a relationship and contract with ASISTUR).

ASISTUR insurance covers the following medical services and procedures while in Cuba:

- Medical care in hospital, clinic or home.
- Monitoring and attending to the patient's condition.
- Obtaining and issuing medical reports.
- Coordination of wheelchairs and medication.
- Coordination of air and land ambulance services.
- Coordination of medical expenses.

ASISTUR insurance covers medical evacuation from Cuba up to a limited amount, including:

• Monitoring and attending to a patient's condition while in transit.
• Airline flight bookings and transportation to the airport.
• Accommodation for health care providers.
• Authorization for air ambulance landing.
• Coordination of air and land ambulances.
• Assistance from air ambulance crew.

ASISTUR insurance covers repatriation from Cuba in the event of death up to a limited amount,i ncluding:

* Medical and legal procedures required for funerary services.
* Processing of documents with local and consular authorities.
* Airline booking and transportation to the airport.
* Dispatching appropriate documents to funeral provider.

For inexpensive (actually, very cheap) medical travel insurance coverage recognized by ASISTUR that will meet the requirements and which will allow you to access care at Cuban medical clinics and Cuban hospitals without having to pull out your wallet and pay up front for those medical services, I strongly recommend that you purchase your travel health insurance online through Cuban travel company Solways Cuba.

Solways sells an inexpensive health insurance plan for travellers entering Cuba, with costs ranging from one US dollar per day to two US dollars per day, depending on the level of coverage you desire.

The insurance is provided by ESICUBA, and administered by Cuba’s country-wide ASISTUR network, giving you medical coverage (including, but not limited to, coverage for COVID-19).