# Visiting Cuba. What can I bring back **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 6, 2018, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-cuba-what-can-i-bring-back/817397 "2018-07-06T16:43:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2018, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-cuba-what-can-i-bring-back/817397/1 "2018-07-06T16:43:45Z")
So I’m heading for Cuba in October. Just for a day or so as part of a longer trip. Will I run into any issues with getting stuff I purchase there…perhaps some rum and such…back into the United States? ---
**Author:** ![Profound\_Gibberish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Profound\_Gibberish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Profound_Gibberish)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2018, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-cuba-what-can-i-bring-back/817397/2 "2018-07-06T16:49:57Z")
You can bring back anything but produce or meat (which is true of virtually every foreign country). Rum and Cigars are no problemo. ---
**Author:** ![Toxgoddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f08c70/32.png) [@Toxgoddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toxgoddess)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2018, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-cuba-what-can-i-bring-back/817397/3 "2018-07-08T15:41:56Z")
We recently returned from a Cuban cruise with several cases of rum, packets of cigars and assorted clothing items and other souvenirs. Cuba is not a great shopping venue and most items you find will be of the tourist-souvenir type. But to my great amusement they will happily sell you anything with Che’s face on it-t-shirts, caps, tote bags, mugs. Fidel they don’t seem to care about so much but they market the heck out of Che! Wonder what he would have thought?������. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2018, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-cuba-what-can-i-bring-back/817397/4 "2018-07-09T01:00:40Z")
Oddly, when we were in an open-air market at Havana and I wanted to buy a Cuban flag, one stall had them but was very cautious about selling it. Took my money then put the flag in a white plastic bag, literally under the counter, then handed it to me. No-one watching could tell what I had just bought. Maybe they’re cautious about selling emblems of the state to gringos or something. ---
**Author:** ![glowacks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/glowacks/32/5548_2.png) [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Post date:** [July 16, 2018, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-cuba-what-can-i-bring-back/817397/5 "2018-07-16T02:21:21Z")
> [@Toxgoddess](#): > > We recently returned from a Cuban cruise with several cases of rum, packets of cigars and assorted clothing items and other souvenirs. Cuba is not a great shopping venue and most items you find will be of the tourist-souvenir type. But to my great amusement they will happily sell you anything with Che’s face on it-t-shirts, caps, tote bags, mugs. Fidel they don’t seem to care about so much but they market the heck out of Che! Wonder what he would have thought?��. Che stuff probably sells _much_ better to Americans than Castro stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2018, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-cuba-what-can-i-bring-back/817397/6 "2018-07-17T00:32:24Z")
Only been once years ago. People who worked in cigar factories would try to sell you cheap boxes of seconds with fake labels. The quality varies from good to poor to getting a box of sand. If you like cigars and don’t know good from bad — tour the factories, stick to government or buy Dominican ones. Wooden statues, posters, handicrafts and most of all, many types of fantastic music. This was what I enjoyed most about Cuba. As for legal limits, no idea, ask your airline. ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2018, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-cuba-what-can-i-bring-back/817397/7 "2018-07-17T11:53:34Z")
> [@Profound\_Gibberish](#): > > You can bring back anything but produce or meat (which is true of virtually every foreign country). Rum and Cigars are no problemo. Note, though, that you’re only allowed 1 liter of alcohol and 100 cigars duty-free. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2018, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-cuba-what-can-i-bring-back/817397/8 "2018-07-17T12:58:48Z")
> [@glowacks](#): > > Che stuff probably sells _much_ better to Americans than Castro stuff. Cuba have been peddling Che stuff to foreign tourists long before Americans were let back in. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2018, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/visiting-cuba-what-can-i-bring-back/817397/9 "2018-07-17T13:03:46Z")
My SiL brought back a box of Cuban cigars for my brother, which he mightily enjoyed! That was while Obama was still president, though. The “hater” threatened to reinstate all the sanctions that Obama had lifted during his presidency, so I don’t know if that can still be done.