Published Tuesday, September 10, 1996, in the Miami Herald.

Cuba adds customs restrictions

Still duty-free: 22 lbs. of medicine

By CYNTHIA CORZO
Herald Staff Writer

In an effort to limit the flow of merchandise from the United States to Cuba, Havana has tightened customs regulations.

Travelers arriving in Cuba loaded with suitcases and packages should expect to pay more for excess baggage -- or forfeit it altogether, Cuban authorities said. The new restrictions took effect Sept. 1.

Customs inspectors had noted ``certain specific irregularities'' in the luggage carried by most travelers, said Jorge Arias, a Foreign Ministry official.

The travelers ``brought in merchandise for sale and profit,'' Arias said Monday from Havana. ``We're trying to neutralize that kind of business.''

Some exemptions are being terminated, he said. Gifts with a declared value of $100 will no longer be duty-free. In addition:

  • The contents of hand-carried duffel bags or handbags will be subject to customs duty.

  • Additional duffel bags or handbags will be subject to duty of $225 each, up to a maximum of four items, or $900.

  • Electrical appliances will be taxed as new, even if they are secondhand, at the rate of 100 percent of their market value. The duty on such appliances will be included in the $900 maximum for excess merchandise.

  • Anything that exceeds the established regulations will be held by Cuban Customs and returned to the travelers on their way out -- for a fee.

    If storage space is unavailable, the excess luggage or merchandise may be confiscated.

    Still exempt from duty, however, are the 22 pounds of medicine allowed an incoming traveler. The medicine must be carried in a single handbag, separate from the rest of the luggage.

    The new regulations should not affect the average traveler, an exile returning to Cuba to visit relatives, said Nilda Serret, owner of Cuba Paquetes, a Miami-based forwarding agency.

    The restrictions ``are aimed at the baggage carriers, or `mules,' who make the trips for profit,'' she said.

    ``I don't think the new regulations are harsh enough to discourage the [carriers'] trade,'' Serret said. ``People who make a living from this will continue to profit -- although less than before.''

    © 1996 The Miami Herald.