A Cuban resident in Miami shared on TikTok the excitement of having fulfilled one of her family's dreams: having their first car in Cuba, after a process she described as surprisingly quick and smooth.
Ady Machín (@adymachin23), a Cuban content creator, posted a video on June 24 in which she recounts how she and her husband sent the vehicle from Miami on Saturday, June 13, through a shipping agency she described as "highly recommended."
According to the explanation in the clip, the car arrived at the Port of Mariel in just 48 hours, and four days later it was ready for pickup, completing the entire process in less than a week.
"The entire process was much faster than we imagined, and we are very satisfied with the service," Machín stated in the video.
For the content creator, the vehicle represents something more than a material possession: "More than the car itself, what it represents is the effort and the satisfaction of seeing that things can indeed happen," she noted.
The case contrasts with the situation experienced by hundreds of Cubans in recent months. On February 19, 2026, the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Foreign Investment temporarily suspended all new shipments of internal combustion vehicles to Cuba, citing the severe fuel crisis the country is facing.
The measure, signed by First Deputy Minister Carlos Luis Jorge Méndez, includes exceptions only for diplomatic and consular personnel, cooperants, and crew members of ships and aircraft.
In this context, the successful shipment described by Machín—carried out weeks after the official suspension—is notable, although the video does not provide details about the specific circumstances that made it possible.
The difficulties of importing cars to Cuba are well known. Starting from January 1, 2025, individuals can bring vehicles up to ten years old, with a limit of one unit every five years; however, the tariffs of 42% can nearly double the original price: a car costing 20,000 dollars in the United States can end up costing 36,000 dollars on the Island when taxes and logistics are added.
At least 131 people have been affected by months-long delays in the delivery of their vehicles, with storage fees of up to 120 dollars per day and in some cases, owners had to pay as much as 5,500 dollars in addition to retrieve their cars.
In April 2026, dozens of Cubans protested at the Port of Miami demanding the release of vehicles that had been held for months, and in June, the Miami-Dade authority issued a public warning to businesses in the sector.
In light of that situation, Machín concluded his video with a message of encouragement: "If you have a dream today that still seems far away, don’t stop working for it. Sometimes it takes time, but when it arrives, it makes all the effort worthwhile."
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