Am I allowed to

Hi, I'm new here. I love Cuba and plan to return soon. My last stay was for 16 days. My next visit I plan to stay longer. What's the max time I can stay on my tourist visa as a Canadian citizen and am I allowed to stay with a local friend or do I have to stay at a licensed accommodation? Thx

Hi Ralph3500,

welcome to Expat.com!

I have created a new topic as from your post on the Cuba forum for better visibility.

Best of luck,
Christine

Hi Christine, how do I navigate to your topic for better visibility? Thank you
Jason.

Hi Jason > I have created a new topic with your post on the Cuba forum.

I hope other members will be able to advise you.

Best of luck,
Christine from Expat.com team

A tourist visa is normally valid for 30 days. There may be circumstances under which you may be able to renew it with local Immigration where you are staying.

It would be better to check with the Cuban Consulate in your country before you travel. Failing that, check with the authorities on arrival. However, it is NOT advisable, under any circumstances, to overstay your visa without prior permission.

Hi Ralph, I believe as Canadian citizens we can stay up to 3 months on our tourist visa & are able to pay/apply to extend the visa for another 3 month period. 

I believe you can not legally stay with a friend. You are required to stay at a hotel or casa particular. If caught staying at a local home, the person who owns the home will be fined & it's not cheap. However, people do it.  It really depends on what town & how well liked your friend is in that town.

Thanks

You can stay with a friend if you obtain a Family Visa (visa classification A2, as opposed to category A1 for a tourist visa). In order to achieve this, you would have to have close personal ties to the person with whom you are staying.

Hi, does anyone know if a foreigner owning the "residencia temporal" can stay at a cuban house which is NOT a casa particular? I mean a home without the licence to rento to foreigners..thanks!

As I understand the position it is that it is Cubans who are not permitted to have visitors from other countries to stay in their homes. There is an exception for those who are married. The risk of being fined heavily is for the Cuban hosts not the visitor(s).Obviously the Cuban government does not derive any revenue from such visits whereas it does receive the taxes from Casa Particulars.