Cuba to Continue Allowing Tax-Free Imports of Certain Items

The Cuban Government is once again extending the tariff benefit for non-commercial traveler imports of foodstuffs, toiletries, medicines and electricity generation equipment. The regulations for such tariff exemptions were published in the Extraordinary Gazette No. 2 on January 29, 2025.

The specific products benefited are detailed in four different resolutions – two from the Ministry of Finance and Prices, one from the Health Ministry, and one from the Customs Office. These resolutions also detail the conditions for realizing non-commercial imports.

The new exemptions will be valid for a period of three months, through April 2025.

One novelty was a new tax-free allowance for imports of medical materials (gowns and gloves), hearing aids, and other items related to health services. Yenisley Ortiz, Deputy Minister of Finance and Prices, recognized that the measure was in response to the growing demand for medical equipment and supplies on the island.

Since 2021, when the country suffered the health crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic, the tax exemption for imported medicines, hygiene supplies, and food items has been a palliative measure used to alleviate the scarcity of essential products for Cuban families.

The inclusion of electric generators among the tariff-exempt items was a response to the energy crisis that has affected the country since August 2022, and that continues until today, with over 8 hours of daily blackouts in some places.

Ortiz recalled that the products should be imported in bundles separate from personal luggage (or sent alone) in order to access the fiscal benefits.

The official noted that between April and December 2024, over 60 infractions were registered in the Island’s Custom’s offices, resulting in the seizure of over 280,000 hygiene products, around 15,400 pounds of food and over 760 tablets of controlled medications.

Due to these violations, the authorities will be reinforcing their controls in Customs, as well as locally, to prevent deviations in the import of non-commercial products.

For three years, the Cuban government has been regularly extending the free import of medicines, toiletries, and foodstuffs. In this regard, Yenisley Ortiz stated that tax exemptions (as in this case) are specific, and are granted on a temporary, not a permanent, basis. She assured that her ministry will continue to evaluate the implementation and impact of the measure; and that the objective is to resolve the needs of the country for three months. However, she added, the benefit cannot be granted for a more extended time.

This article was translated into English from the original in Spanish.