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Cuba Policy Shift: Administration Eases Restrictions on Small Businesses

On May 28, 2024, the Biden administration announced new measures easing restrictions on independent small businesses in Cuba. The announcement follows a recent decision by the State Department to remove Cuba from the list of countries deemed uncooperative on counterterrorism. 

The Administration criticized the Cuban government in the announcement, saying: “We know the Cuban economy is in dire straits amid recurring shortages of fuel, electricity, increasingly even food. It’s clear the communist experiment of Cuba has failed, the government is no longer able to provide for its citizens’ most basic needs.” 

The new measures implemented by the Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) include four main parts:

1. Authorized Internet-Based Services and Software.

Cuban small businesses will now be able to access additional internet-based services such as video conferencing, social media, maps, e-learning, automated translation, and other online services. 

U.S.-based entities will be allowed to provide cloud-based services to these small businesses. OFAC is also authorizing the export or reexport of Cuban-origin software and mobile applications from the United States to third countries.

2. Re-defining “Self-Employment.”

OFAC is scrapping the term “self-employed individual” and replacing it with a new term: “independent private sector entrepreneur.” The new term will still cover traditional self-employed individuals such as business owners, but it will also cover private cooperatives or small businesses that are wholly owned by such individuals. 

By |2024-05-31T13:02:03-04:00May 28, 2024|Cuba, U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)|Comments Off on Cuba Policy Shift: Administration Eases Restrictions on Small Businesses
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Doing Business With Cuba: What You Need to Know

Cuba is home to 11 million consumers and a growing private sector. Its proximity to the United States (the Port of Havana is only 198 nautical miles from the Port of Miami) makes the country a natural trade partner. While changes in policy over the last several years have unlocked new business opportunities in Cuba, there are still regulatory barriers that individuals and companies should be aware of.

U.S. Embargo

The United States imposed a comprehensive economic embargo on Cuba in the 1960’s which restricts most trade between the two countries. It also includes restrictions on travel and investment.

Although the U.S. faced pressure to end the embargo, the state of affairs remained largely unchanged until 2014.

In December 2014, President Obama made a historic announcement: “Today, the United States is taking historic steps to chart a new course in our relations with Cuba and to further engage and empower the Cuban people.” By January 16, 2015, both the U.S. Treasury Department and the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) amended its Cuban Assets Control Regulations, and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s, Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) amended the Export Administration Regulations with a “Support for the Cuban People” license exception. The license exception was most significant for travel, telecom, building materials and agricultural equipment, financial services, and personal importations.

OFAC and BIS issued additional new rules on January 16, 2015, September 21, 2015, January 27, 2016, March 15, 2016, October 14, 2016, November 9, […]

By |2023-07-18T08:29:16-04:00July 18, 2023|Countries, Cuba|Comments Off on Doing Business With Cuba: What You Need to Know
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OFAC Sanctions & Licensing

Background on U.S. Sanctions (as of May, 2021)

The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) administers a number of different sanctions programs. The purpose of U.S. sanctions programs is to advance U.S. foreign policy objectives and protect national security. Currently, OFAC administers 35 sanctions programs. These sanctions programs vary widely – some are comprehensive while others are highly selective.

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By |2022-07-07T12:38:48-04:00June 1, 2021|China, Cuba, Export, International Trade, IRAN, U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)|1 Comment
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Building a Strong Export Compliance Plan

Exporting is a Privilege, Not a Right

Over 95% of the world’s consumers are outside of the United States. Opportunities abound for U.S. companies that export. However, exporting is a privilege and not a right. U.S. exporters have an important responsibility to adhere to U.S. export control laws, including the Export Administration Regulations (“EAR”), the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (“ITAR”) the Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) sanctions laws, and the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”). Violations of export control laws carry hefty civil and criminal penalties. Exporters can pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in penalties, lose export privileges, and even be imprisoned for violations of U.S. export control laws.

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By |2021-10-12T14:54:23-04:00February 23, 2021|China, China Trade War, Cuba, Export, FCPA, Freight Forwarding, International Trade, IRAN, U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)|1 Comment
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Commerce Department Issues Rule Securing Digital Supply Chains Against Foreign Adversaries

Background on Securing Information Technology & Communications Supply Chains

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By |2021-10-12T14:56:04-04:00February 16, 2021|China, China Trade War, Cuba, Export, FCPA, International Trade, IRAN, Supply Chain, U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), venezuela|Comments Off on Commerce Department Issues Rule Securing Digital Supply Chains Against Foreign Adversaries
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Trump Administration Designates Cuba State Sponsor of Terrorism

Cuba Designated a State Sponsor of Terror

The U.S. State Department designated Cuba a State Sponsor of Terrorism (“SST”) on January 11, 2021. Countries are designated on the SST list when they are determined by the U.S. Secretary of State to have repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism.

The four main categories of sanctions resulting from designation can include restrictions on U.S. foreign assistance; a ban on defense exports and sales; certain controls over exports of dual use items; and miscellaneous financial and other restrictions. Here, the January 11 re-designation of Cuba on the SST subjects Cuba to:

  • Sanctions that penalize persons and countries engaging in certain trade with Cuba
  • Restricts U.S. foreign assistance to Cuba
  • Bans defense exports and sales to Cuba
  • Imposes certain controls on exports of dual use items.

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By |2021-10-12T15:06:51-04:00January 12, 2021|Cuba, EAR, Export, FCPA, Freight Forwarding, U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), U.S. Department of State (DOS), U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)|Comments Off on Trump Administration Designates Cuba State Sponsor of Terrorism
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U.S.-Cuba Trade under Trump vs. Biden

U.S.-Cuba Trade under Trump

Since the early 1960s, the U.S. maintained a policy of economic sanctions towards Cuba. The U.S. policy sought to isolate the Cuban government. In 2014, the Obama administration significantly changed U.S. trade and economic policies towards Cuba by restoring diplomatic relations, rescinding Cuba’s designation as a state sponsor of terror, and permitting increased trade between the two countries. This period was known as the Cuban Thaw.

However, under President Trump’s administration, the Obama administration’s efforts to normalize relations have been rolled back. In November 2017, the Trump administration restricted financial transactions with entities controlled by the Cuban government. Furthermore, many new entities have been added to the Cuba restricted list under the Trump administration. As of 2019, the Trump administration has more or less abandoned engagement with the Cuban government, and has opted instead to increase sanctions based on Cuba’s human rights violations and its support of the Venezuelan government under Nicolas Maduro.

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By |2021-10-12T15:17:14-04:00December 21, 2020|Cuba, Customs Expert, Election 2020, Export, Import, International Business, International Law, International Trade, U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)|Comments Off on U.S.-Cuba Trade under Trump vs. Biden
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UPDATE: Non-Commercial Airplanes and Cruise Ships on Temporary Sojourn are Now Prohibited To Travel To Cuba.

cuba - prohibtFollowing President Obama’s historical break in precedent, easing restrictions on Cuba in 2016, President Trump now seeks to deprive the Communist regime of revenue from American citizens.

President Trump, not wanting the US to be complicit in the oppression and subjugation of Cubans, has decided to roll back the newly established relationship and directed the Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) to draft a final rule limiting the types of aircraft that are authorized to fly to Cuba and the types of vessels that are authorized to sail to Cuba on temporary sojourn. This change is likely to be a result of the exponential growth of the island’s economy, coupled with the lack of improvement in overall quality of life for its citizens.

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By |2021-11-09T09:31:34-05:00June 4, 2019|Cuba, Customs Expert, Enforcement, Export, International Business, International Law, International Trade, International Travel, U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC)|1 Comment
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Trump Administration Tightens Cuba’s Sanctions Program 

Since June 2017, we have been anxiously awaiting changes to the Cuba sanctions program since President Trump signed an executive order and emphatically stated that his administration would tighten loose regulations established under the Obama Administration.

On November 8, 2017, the U.S. Department of the Treasury stated,

  • “We have strengthened our Cuba policies to channel economic activity away from the Cuban military and to encourage the government to move toward greater political and economic freedom for the Cuban people”

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By |2021-11-05T14:55:38-04:00November 9, 2017|Best Practices, Cuba, International Business, International Trade, International Travel, U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), U.S. Department of State (DOS), U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC)|3 Comments
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Top Successes of Diaz Trade Law (DTL) & Diaz Trade Consulting (DTC) in 2016!

DTL saved clients MILLIONS of dollars in 2016, below we list a summary of some of our compliance successes!

U.S. Customs & Border Protection (CBP)

  • Assisted an importer in having $434,486.00 worth of goods seized returned to it in a RECORD 24 working days, with a signed settlement agreement with CBP in a record 17 working days!
  • Assisted an importer in having $324,466.00 worth of goods seized for an underlying AES violation returned.
  •  Assisted importers in filing prior disclosures that were accepted by CBP, advising of errors found, and avoiding substantial penalties.
  •  Assisted importers in successfully responding to CBP 28’s and 29’s resulting in close outs, and no further enforcement action by CBP!
  •  Assisted importers in creating and maintaining pre-compliance programs to evaluate intellectual property rights and pre-report merchandise to CBP resulting in expedited entry into the U.S. with no delays or examinations by CBP.

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By |2021-11-09T13:53:53-05:00January 26, 2017|Best Practices, Cosmetics, Cuba, Events, Export, Import, IPR, Trademarks and Logos, Seizures, Speaking, U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)|Comments Off on Top Successes of Diaz Trade Law (DTL) & Diaz Trade Consulting (DTC) in 2016!
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