Cuban regime extends free importation of food, hygiene products, medications, and medical supplies for non-commercial purposes.

The Cuban regime extended on Saturday the tariff exemption for travelers arriving from abroad who import food, hygiene products, medications, and medical supplies to the country for non-commercial purposes.

Resolution 311/2024, published this Saturday in the Official Gazette, extends until January 31, 2025, the provisions of previous resolutions in order to facilitate the population's access to these essential goods that are scarce in the country.

According to the text of Resolution 311/2024, it is authorized:

1. The unlimited importation of food, medicine, and hygiene products, free from customs duties. Passengers will be able to bring these products as accompanied luggage, non-commercially and without restrictions on their value.

2. The importation of up to 500 USD or 50 kg of food, medications, and hygiene products as unaccompanied luggage, also for non-commercial purposes and exempt from customs duties. This benefit applies through the value/weight relationship established by the General Customs of the Republic.

3. The increase of the value limit for non-commercial shipments to 500 USD, compared to the 200 USD allowed previously. Additionally, the exemption from customs duties for the first 30 USD or its equivalent weight of 3 kg of the shipment is maintained, with a tariff of 30% applied to the excess.

4. Facilities for air, sea, and postal shipments, where individuals will be able to import food, medicines, and hygiene products with a value of up to 200 USD or 20 kg, exempt from customs duties.

The regulation clarifies that the previous benefits are subject to the condition that the imported items such as food, medicines, or hygiene products are presented to Customs in separate packages from the rest of the luggage.

In times of acute crisis and absolute paralysis of Miguel Díaz-Canel's government, the decision to extend these measures aims to alleviate the limitations on access to basic products in the country, caused by the authorities' own incompetence, which has been extending this measure since it was approved following the protests of July 11, 2021.

Three years have passed and the situation in the country remains critical, which is why the imports made by Cubans from abroad continue to be essential for many families to have access to basic medicines such as pain relievers.