Stamping passport

If you actually ask for a Cuban stamp in your passport will they humour you and do it?

If you offer them a bribe they may stamp your passport or throw you in jail.

You don't need to pay (or offer money) to get your passport stamped, you just have to ask.

I wasn't planning to offer a bribe, just ask the question.
Thought it would be nice to have.
Being a non-American, travelling to Cuba isn't an issue in my home country.

My passport was up for renewal and had many extended pages and so I asked them to stamp my US passport and they did towards the back. After renewal they send it back to you with a hole in it, but I still have all my travel memorabilia stamps including Cuba. I know it was a silly move, but really......

I have entered the US many times with two Cuba stamps in my Canadian passport. No problema. The Immigration agents simply flip through your passport and don't read every stamp. However, where Smilecu has a point is if, for some other reason, or if you are the unlucky # 7 in the line, you are questioned about something else, or a name similar to yours is on the no-fly list, then having that stamp is going to "strengthen their case" for not letting you enter their wonderful country.

"Being a non-american, going to Cuba is not an issue in my country." What you don't realize
is the government of the USA(the American Empire) believe they rule the world by fear, intimidation
military occupations and unilateral legal authority. They believe they, and they alone, have the extra-territorial legal power to pass laws and regulations controlling everyone on the planet. If you want to
travel to Cuba, avoid the USA and certainly do not demand the Cubans stamp your passport for
whatever silly reasons you may have for collecting passport stamps.

One very distinct advantage I have is that I am a citizen of two countries and I'm not using my primary passport for Cuba.
So the passport I use to enter and leave the United States is not the same.

Hi,
In Dec 2004, when I was returning to Canada from Cuba, the Cuban customs offered me the stamp on a piece of paper. Since my passport was about to expire -- and I did not foresee going across the line to the USA anytime soon -- I asked for the stamp inside the passport instead. The customs official was reluctant, but complied. It is nice to have that 'souvenir'.

PMHLB

#5, why so angry?? The US does not control everyone as it pertains to Cuba, only those that fall under its legal jurisdiction. Many countries like Cuba control all aspect of their citizens lives by force. The US only controls financial aspects of spending US earned money in Cuba, Iran, and Sudan. So you have a clear choice, if you are not American and want to go to these countries you are free to go as you wish. If you are legally living in the US then the same rules apply to you as do all others under US jurisdiction (in the USA). The solution is simple, stay away from the USA and you are free to travel to Iran, Sudan and Cuba and spend as much money as you wish without a problem.

My passport if full of Cuban exit permissions (since I have residency here). I regularly enter the US without any comment. (I include Cuba on the list of countries previously visited, too).

I once got an extra search leaving the US.

(Aside, my ex-wife claims that when she went to the US Interests Section, she said that I was "financial controller", and they looked on their computer and corrected her - actually "finance director".)

With the UK's move towards ID cards, things are getting more controlled there. Yes - the Cuban government tries to control its people. Yet I know people with duplicate ID cards, I know one cubana who got a friend to change the records to amend her daughter's surnames (to take the father's surname off). I doubt those sort of things will be as easy in the UK.

Hi

I am returning to Cuba in November and I´m thinking of asking them to stamp my passport rather than the tourist card (or as well as??)as memorabilia. I´m British with Spanish residency and I have no plans to travel to the USA. I have about two years left on my passport.

Can anyone see any reason why I should run into problems with this?

Lucinda
Marbella, Spain

Lucinda - no, there should be no problem with that. (Even if you do travel to the US within the two years.)

I asked for a stamp and after the officer asked if I was sure - she went and ahead and did it - no problem.

#5

If you want to travel to Cuba, avoid the USA and certainly do not demand the Cubans stamp your passport

#8

when I was returning to Canada from Cuba, the Cuban customs offered me the stamp on a piece of paper. Since my passport was about to expire -- and I did not foresee going across the line to the USA anytime soon -- I asked for the stamp inside the passport instead.

You two may have some idea that the US denies entry to people with Cuban stamps in their passports. It doesn't.

So if there is no problem, why does Cuban immigration noy stamp the passport for everyone except USA passport holders???

#15 -- Does "noy" mean "not"? My understanding is that they don't stamp any passports unless you request it.

In any case, it would be pretty perverse of them to stamp only the people for whom stamps would be a problem.

Perhaps they were worried that things might get difficult for those with Cuban stamps, and didn't want to create problems.

I just realized I misread loopy's question. I thought he meant "why does Cuban immigration not stamp the passport for everyone except USA passport holders?" -- i.e. why do they only stamp US passports? (Which of course would make no sense and isn't what the do.) I realize he meant: "What prevents them from stamping passports of everyone except USAnians?"

One answer is probably that it's easier just to have one practice and not worry about stamping a USA passport by mistake. Another may be that, as they often say on the Cuban branch "Es Cuba."

Edited by: VinnyD

And I just realized that this thread had been moved over here to Cuba from Your Choice.

Yeah sorry. Wasn't very clear with what I was asking:

If having a Cuban stamp in a passport is not a problem, why does Cuban immigration only stamp the tourist card and not the passport. Obviously the exception is USA passport holders but for the rest of us why don't they just stamp it the same as any other country?

"Es Cuba" is a great answer!!!!

Sorry for the misunderstanding

They stamp the tourist card/visa as a matter of course.
If you then ask them to specifically stamp the passport, they will.
I don't see any problem with that approach.