If you’re planning a trip to Cuba, but you’re finding it difficult to determine how many Cuban cigars you can bring back to the U.S., that’s because it’s a little unclear. A quick Google search yields numerous news articles that center around the Trump Administration’s recently implemented travel restrictions—but the information provided on the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol website, seemingly updated in 2016, declares that it’s fine to return from Cuba with tobacco goods for personal use. We communicated with the U.S. Department of the Treasury to clear things up.
According to a recent email correspondence with the Treasury, regulations in regards to what you can return to the States with are essentially the same as they have been in recent years: “Persons authorized to travel to Cuba may purchase alcohol and tobacco products while in Cuba for personal consumption. Authorized travelers may also return to the United States with alcohol and/or tobacco products acquired in Cuba as accompanied baggage for personal use. OFAC considers ‘personal use’ of an imported item to include giving the item to another individual as a personal gift, but not the transfer of the item to another person for payment or other consideration.”
As of this summer, there are no restrictions on the number of cigars or bottles of rum you can bring back to the states, as long as they are being used for personal use only.
So for now, it may be a good time to stock up those cigars—for personal use only, of course—while you still can.
