It is known that Cuba Tourist Cards issued in the US have a different colour than those issued in every other country.
Cuba Tourist Cards issued to enter from the US are pink. Tourist Visas issued to enter from anywhere else are green.
But what does it mean? Does it affect you if you are a UK passport holder? What if you are a US citizen and wish to travel to Cuba from London?
Find all the answers below.
A Colourful Solution for the Cuba Tourist Card. Pink for travelling from the USA. Green elsewhere
The Cuban Tourist Card comes in two colours. A green slip is issued in every country except the USA where the same document takes a pinkish tint, the only way two differentiate the two.
The colour-coded documents create a bit of confusion.
People tend to think it is about nationalities. That is, if you are a US citizen, you need to get the pink visa. Well it is not.
By that logic, if you are a US citizen living in London, temporarily or as a settler, you would need a pink visa to travel to Cuba.
And, by that same logic. If you are a British passport holder, you would need a green Cuba Tourist Card for a trip from London Heathrow to Miami, then Havana, then back to London.
Both assumptions are wrong.
It is not about your nationality. It is about your port of last departure.
Therefore, if you are a US passport holder and wish to travel from London to Havana and back, you need a green Cuba Tourist Card. And you can get yours cheaply and quickly online using visacuba.com. Simply because you arrived at Cuba from a country other than the USA.
Now, if you are a British passport holder and wish to travel to Cuba but your trip involves a stop in US soil before arriving to Cuba – for instance a trip from London to New York, then Havana, the back to London – you will need a pink visa because you arrived to Cuba from US soil.
So, to sum up. Regardless your nationality, if you are arriving to Cuba from the US: pink visa.
If you are arriving to Cuba from any country other than the US, regardless your passport: green Cuba Tourist Card.
Simple. Is it not? We agree. Not really. If in doubt, just drop us a line and we’ll help you walk the winding road of US-Cuba relations.
