CUBAN TOURIST CARD

We are a South African family with US visas, headed on a cruise from Miami to Cuba in August. The local Cuban embassy indicated we need a tourist card, which we can get in the country where we board the ship. Please advise on the best way to get this card. — Limise

Cuba requires that all visitors have either a tourist card or a visa to enter the country. The tourist card — tarjeta turistica —is perforated in two sections. The immigration representative keeps one part and the second section is turned in upon departure. Do not detach the two separate sides yourself. Your cruise line should issue you with a tourist card. You don’t say which company you are sailing with but it appears most lines handle this for their passengers — check before you travel.

Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruises have comprehensive FAQs on their websites covering the tourist card and visa issues.

Both lines state that they will facilitate tourist cards at the port of embarkation — Miami, in your case. The fee is $75, which will be charged to your onboard accounts on the first day of the cruise.

You have to complete a simple form at the terminal and will get your tourist card immediately. Present the card to immigration authorities on your arrival in Cuba. Lost cards can be replaced — for another $75.

For the benefit of other readers, in February 2017, Cuba announced that — for security reasons — South Africans could no longer apply for visas at the Cuban embassy in South Africa, but would instead have to apply at airline desks in the US.

This is good news. The tourist card — which is what airlines will issue — is effectively a single-entry visa and valid for

30 days.