Travel-related transactions are permitted by general or specific licenses for certain travel related to the 12 categories of activities identified in 31 CFR § 515.560(a). Those travel-related transactions permitted by general license, subject to specified criteria and conditions, include: family visits; official business of the U.S. government, foreign governments, and certain intergovernmental organizations; journalistic activity; professional research and professional meetings; educational activities; religious activities; athletic competitions by amateur or semi-professional athletes or athletic teams; support for the Cuban people; humanitarian projects; activities of private foundations or research or educational institutes; exportation, importation, or transmission of information or information materials; and certain authorized export transactions. Each person relying on a certain general authorization must retain specific records related to the authorized travel transactions. See §§ 501.601 and 501.602 of the Reporting, Procedures and Penalties Regulations for applicable recordkeeping and reporting requirements.
Effective September 30, 2026, OFAC amended § 515.564(a) to remove the authorization for persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction to travel to Cuba for purposes of attending or organizing professional meetings or conferences in Cuba. OFAC also amended § 515.565 to reinstate certain restrictions on authorized academic educational activities to require certain educational travel to occur under the auspices of an organization subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, and a representative of that sponsoring organization to accompany those travelers. Finally, OFAC removed the authorization for group people-to-people educational travel previously included in § 515.565. See FAQs 1274 and 1275 for more information on changes to travel-related authorizations under the Cuban Assets Control Regulations (CACR).
Furthermore, the CACR includes a prohibition at § 515.209 that restricts certain direct and, effective September 30, 2026, indirect financial transactions with entities and subentities identified on the State Department's Cuba Restricted List (CRL). For a description of the scope of the prohibition on direct and indirect financial transactions with entities or subentities on the CRL, and the restrictions and exceptions that apply, see § 515.209.
Additionally, § 515.210 prohibits any person subject to U.S. jurisdiction from lodging, paying for lodging, or making any reservation for or on behalf of a third party to lodge, at any property that the Secretary of State has identified as a property in Cuba that is owned or controlled by: the Cuban government; a prohibited official of the Government of Cuba, as defined in § 515.337; a prohibited member of the Cuban Communist Party, as defined in § 515.338; a close relative, as defined in § 515.339, of a prohibited official of the Government of Cuba, or a close relative of a prohibited member of the Cuban Communist Party, when the terms of the general or specific license expressly exclude such a transaction. The State Department maintains the Cuba Prohibited Accommodations List, which identifies the names, addresses, or other identifying details, as relevant, of properties identified as meeting such criteria.