Tourists arriving in Cuba from the 1st of May 2010 will be required to have travel insurance in place before they can enter the country.
The rule, announced by the Cuban government in February 2010, applies to all visitors from overseas and Cubans living abroad, and is designed to make sure holidaymakers have adequate medical cover before arriving on the island.
Anyone entering Cuba will be expected to present a copy of their insurance documents on arrival, showing that they have a policy in place which covers the full duration of the trip and includes medical evacuation by air.
Travellers will need to make sure their policy is valid. Some policies do not provide cover for any trip to or through four nations that the underwriters deem dangerous. These include Cuba as well as Afghanistan, Liberia and Sudan. Policies excluding Cuba include those underwritten by Chartis UK, which are sold by companies such as Direct Travel Insurance, Yorkshire bank and Barclaycard.
Travellers who arrive on the island without insurance, or with invalid insurance, will be able to buy a policy from a Cuban insurance company, but the cover is likely to be less comprehensive than many UK-bought policies and could work out more expensive. The Cuban ministry is quoting typical premiums of around £2 a person a day.
Travellers should also make sure their policy covers them for any pre-existing medical conditions. Cuban insurance cover is not likely to provide for this.