No longer sanctioned for export to Cuba include:
- Building materials, equipment, and tools for use by the private sector to construct or renovate privately-owned buildings
- Tools and equipment for private sector agricultural activity
- Tools, equipment, supplies, and instruments for use by private sector entrepreneurs such as auto mechanics, barbers and hairstylists and restaurateurs
- Items donated for use in scientific, archaeological, cultural, ecological, educational, historic preservation, or sporting activities
- The temporary export of certain items by persons departing the United States for their use in scientific, archeological, cultural, ecological, educational, historic preservation, or sporting activities or for their use in their professional research
- Goods for telecommunications, including access to the Internet, use of internet services, infrastructure creation and upgrades
- Items for use by news media personnel and U.S. news bureaus engaged in the gathering and dissemination of news to the general public
To accommodate these changes, a new license exception “Support for the Cuban People” (SCP), license code C62, will become available in the Automated Export System. See AESTIR Appendix F at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website for more details.
The new export regulations also make it easier to send gifts and humanitarian aid to Cuba. The US Department of Commerce revised the note in the Export Administration Regulations that excludes from eligibility consolidated shipments of multiple parcels for delivery to individuals residing in a foreign country. This note required parties exporting multiple gift parcels in a single shipment to obtain individual validated licenses. Now sending multiple gifts in a single shipment is allowed under license exception GFT. According to the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security, “Although the requirement [for individual validated licenses] is not limited to Cuba, in recent years BIS has received gift parcel consolidation license applications only for Cuba, which are routinely approved. Individuals who wish to send gift parcels to Cuba have had to search for parties that have received consolidation licenses, resulting in an unintended disincentive to donate eligible items to the Cuban people.” Now there will be less hassle.
See the fact sheet of the U.S. Department of Commerce for a breakdown of newly allowed imports and exports from Cuba.