Cuba resumes processing all consular affairs

Posted on Thursday, 05.15.14

Cuba resumes processing all consular affairs
BY JUAN O. TAMAYO
JTAMAYO@ELNUEVOHERALD.COM

Cuba's diplomatic mission in Washington has resumed all consular
services, including the issuance of visas, clearing away a roadblock
that had threatened to severely disrupt the summer high-travel season,
according to Miami travel agents.

A mission announcement Monday said that it had resumed renewing Cuban
passports but made no mention of other services such as the issuance of
new passports or the entry visas required of all Cuban and
Cuban-American visitors.

Miami travel agents summoned to a meeting Wednesday at the mission said
Cuban diplomats told them that they are now processing all consular
matters — in essence, totally normalizing the process except for
requiring that payments be made in cash.

The mission, known as an Interests Section because Cuba and the United
States do not have full diplomatic relations, suspended all consular
services on Feb. 14 after M&T Bank of Buffalo, New York, shut down the
accounts the mission used to deposit the consular fees it collected.

The travel agents said they will likely have to fly employees to
Washington to hand-deliver the cash for the consular services, which
might increase costs and prices and hit some of the smaller companies
especially hard.

"Maybe we will find a better way of paying later, but for now that's all
we can think of," said one Cuba travel industry official who asked to
remain anonymous because of the sensitivity of the issue.

The official added that some questions remain about passports sent in
for renewal just before the Feb. 14 shutdown, and still in the hands of
the consulate. A few travel agencies seemed to have had advance notice
of the Monday announcement, the official added.

Monday's announcement said that those who want to renew their Cuban
passports for travel between May 15 and Aug. 31 should contact travel
agents, which would submit the applications to the consulate in
Washington. Cuban passports are valid for six year but must be
revalidated every two years. Visas can be single or multiple entry.

The Cuban government does not publish exact figures for the number of
U.S. residents who travel to the island, the overwhelming majority of
them Cubans and Cuban-Americans who visit relatives. The number for 2012
has been estimated at between 400,000 and 550,000.

Peak travel time is the summer, when kids are out of school in both Cuba
and the United States.

M&T Bank has never explained why it closed all the accounts it handled
for Cuba, including some for the Cuban mission to the United Nations in
New York City, as well as other countries.

Some U.S. banks have been getting out of all international transactions
because of the complex screening, record-keeping and reporting controls
required by U.S. laws on money laundering, fraud, terrorist financing
and other crimes.

The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the Patriot Act, the Bank Secrecy Act
and the Antiterrorism Act of 1996 all require controls. In addition,
Cuba is subject to other requirements because of the U.S. trade embargo
and its inclusion on the U.S. list of state sponsors of international
terrorism.

Some remittance and humanitarian organizations that send money or goods
to Cuba have been or denied new accounts by banks that say they simply
don't want to risk violating U.S. restrictions on Cuba.

State Department officials have said that they've been trying for months
to help the communist government find a U.S. bank that will handle its
accounts, but it cannot force private enterprises to do business with
Havana.

The Cuban diplomatic mission's announcement Monday said it has not found
a bank to replace M&T "because of the economic, commercial and financial
blockade imposed on Cuba by the United States."

Attending the gathering in Washington was Josefina de la Caridad Vidal,
director of the Cuban Foreign Ministry's North American Division,
according to the travel agents.

Source: Cuba resumes processing all consular affairs - Cuba -
MiamiHerald.com -
http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/05/15/4119882/cuba-resumes-processing-all-consular.html