The duty-free limit on certain imported goods remains at $500
14ymedio, Havana, 28 June 2024 — The Ministry of Finance and Prices has approved a new resolution extending its tariff exemption for food, toiletries and medicines intended for non-commercial use. Travellers arriving from overseas now have until September 30 to bring these items into the country duty-free.
The measure, which officials have described as “exceptional and temporary” in nature, has been extended several times since it was adopted in 2021. The latest extension retains the current duty-free limit of 500 USD for goods shipped to the country by private individuals.
This new ruling, which is dated June 26 but was issued on Thursday, applies to imports with a total value of no more than $500 or weighing no more than 50 kilograms, as determined by the Cuban custom service.
Similarly, the exemption applies to the first 30 dollars of a shipment’s value or 3 kilos of its weight. Anything above that will be subject to a 30% tariff.
The regulation stipulates that, to qualify for the tariff exemption, eligible items must be packed separately from all other products when presented to Customs
Food, toiletries, medicines and supplies being shipped by private individuals via air, sea or mail may enter the country duty-free if they are valued at less than 200 dollars and weigh less than 20 kilos.
The regulation stipulates that, to qualify for the tariff exemption, eligible items must be packed separately from all other products when travelers present them to Customs.
Current Cuban regulations on the importation of goods brought into the country as part of travelers’ accompanying luggage consists of a complex system of points and weight limits that sets tariffs on excess items.
Tariff exemptions for imports of food and medicine first took effect in July 2021, a few days after the widespread protests of July 11 (commonly known in Cuba as J11), when obtaining these products was extremely difficult.
Initially, the exemption was only supposed to last only until December 31, 2021. However, since conditions have continued to worsen since then, the government has felt obligated to extend it multiple times, for periods lasting three to six months
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