The U.S. Department of the Treasury announced on Tuesday a new round of restrictions on Cuba that, starting Wednesday, prohibits individuals under U.S. jurisdiction from attending or organizing meetings or professional conferences on the island, and significantly reduces authorized educational travel.
The measure was published by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) as an amendment to the Cuban Assets Control Regulations (CACR) and will take effect on September 30, 2026.
According to the OFAC, "individuals subject to U.S. jurisdiction are no longer authorized to attend or organize professional meetings or conferences in Cuba."
Those who were on the island under that authorization on September 30 have a liquidation period of 30 days—until October 30—to complete their travel transactions and leave Cuban territory. It is also allowed to cancel and obtain refunds for already booked trips up to that same date.
In educational matters, the OFAC significantly restricted current authorizations. From now on, educational travel is only permitted under two conditions: accredited university institutions in the U.S. and their students or permanent employees, for non-commercial research specifically related to Cuba; or high school exchanges, as long as all travelers are accompanied by a representative of the sponsoring organization.
Additionally, the authorization for group educational trips categorized as "people-to-people" has been completely eliminated. This category was specifically created to facilitate direct contact between American and Cuban citizens without it being considered tourism.
Travelers who had completed at least one transaction—either a flight purchase or accommodation booking—before September 30 are covered by exception clauses that allow them to proceed with their plans.
Travel restrictions are not the only measures included in the amendment. The OFAC also removed the authorization for banks under U.S. jurisdiction to open or maintain accounts in the name of Cuban entrepreneurs from the independent private sector; existing funds must be immediately frozen, and a specific license is required to unblock them.
Additionally, the general license for transactions known as "U-turn" has been removed, which allowed U.S. banks to process operations that originated and ended outside the U.S. without involving individuals under their jurisdiction. Now, those transactions can only be rejected, not blocked.
The amendment also expands the ban on transactions with entities from the Department of State's Cuba Restricted List to include indirect financial operations, in addition to the direct ones that are already prohibited, and adds an explicit ban on any transaction aimed at evading these restrictions.
All these measures are part of Presidential National Security Directive number 5 (NSPM-5), reissued by the Trump administration on June 30, 2025, which establishes a policy of maximum pressure on Cuba.
This is not the first time Washington has taken this path. During Trump's first term, the OFAC had already revoked the license for professional meetings in Cuba in September 2020. The Biden administration restored it in June 2022 as part of a package of 12 rapprochement measures that also eased remittances and flights. This Wednesday's amendment reverses that opening.
Since January 2026, Washington has imposed more than two dozen rounds of sanctions against Cuba, including measures targeting the nickel sector and individuals close to Raúl Castro. The elimination of "people-to-people" exchanges shuts down one of the few remaining civil contact avenues between the two countries.
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