Moving to Cuba by 2016 - Tips and Advice welcome!

Hi my name is Louis Jordan I live in Toronto and I am looking to move to Cuba also. I have to get married first. I would like to know when I buy a house can it be in my name.Reason being I have heard off horror stories of guys buying a house then the woman leaves them and they lose the house. Or you get divorce and you lose the house. One person said who ever buys the house it stays in there name. Any help would be appreciated.

Hi, my husband is Cuban. But we both agree that the house is going to be under my name because I am the mother of his children. But Yes, in part of what people have told you is somewhat true. Things are changing now, but something that will not change is this. If you buy anything in Cuba and for some reason you talk to someone or you speak out loud your opinion of the Castors and it is not good. Someway or another you will lose in that (war) everything, but that is my opinion. Now, about getting divorce, a Canada man told me that he got a house for his cuban wife, but if they divorce she will be the keeper because she is the resident of Cuba. Now, for me is different because I am American but I am going to do my papers to have or to be another resident in Cuba and have the same rights as Cuban. You only can buy two houses or property per person. When are you planning this moving journey?

Thanks for your reply, I plan to do this by early next year. If I am a resident like you side I have the same rights as a cuban, and if I pay for the house I would think it would stay in my name.

Hi again, My husband and I did a little more research for you and for us too. Just to confirm what we need to do as well.

There is a total of Three Ways for Foreign investors to buy a property in Cuba:

1)Buying directly from one of the current foreigners who own a home or an apartment in Cuba.  For a period during the 1990's Cuba permitted the construction of some condominiums with apartments which could be sold to foreigners.  Those who bought during those times are now able to sell to other foreigners who are not currently residents in Cuba.  This is the best way for foreigners without family ties to Cuba to invest in the Cuban Real estate market.

2)Marriage to a Cuban allows the foreign citizen to become permanent resident thus being allowed by law to buy a home from local Cuban owner.

3)Buying a property in the names of your Cuban spouses, family members or Cuban friends: By law, the remainder of the market is only open to Cubans on the island or those Cubans living temporarily abroad.  Many foreigners and Cubans emigrants living abroad are also buying properties in the names of family members or friends.

Anything else email: [email protected]

Question: Have you looked at houses to buy and do you have an idea what city?

Tip: House online are more $$ than face to face with the owner.

My family are helping me in that area. I see the house online and than they go for us and talk to the owner, but the trick is not to let the owner know that we are from outside of Cuba. Why? because than the price will stay or go up.

talk to you soon.

ElizabethyRey wrote:

Hi again, My husband and I did a little more research for you and for us too. Just to confirm what we need to do as well.

There is a total of Three Ways for Foreign investors to buy a property in Cuba:

1)Buying directly from one of the current foreigners who own a home or an apartment in Cuba.  For a period during the 1990's Cuba permitted the construction of some condominiums with apartments which could be sold to foreigners.  Those who bought during those times are now able to sell to other foreigners who are not currently residents in Cuba.  This is the best way for foreigners without family ties to Cuba to invest in the Cuban Real estate market.

2)Marriage to a Cuban allows the foreign citizen to become permanent resident thus being allowed by law to buy a home from local Cuban owner.

3)Buying a property in the names of your Cuban spouses, family members or Cuban friends: By law, the remainder of the market is only open to Cubans on the island or those Cubans living temporarily abroad.  Many foreigners and Cubans emigrants living abroad are also buying properties in the names of family members or friends.

Anything else email: [email protected]

Question: Have you looked at houses to buy and do you have an idea what city?

Tip: House online are more $$ than face to face with the owner.

My family are helping me in that area. I see the house online and than they go for us and talk to the owner, but the trick is not to let the owner know that we are from outside of Cuba. Why? because than the price will stay or go up.

talk to you soon.

There is another way to buy a property, if you have a compay (foreign ) ; the prices on web are higher then if you go there and start looking yourself; in January i saw plenty of houses and apts for sale in Vedado and i knew they are for sale because of some papers the owners put outside:SE VENDE. Also, across the Coppelia in Havana at a newspapers stand , they have  EL PAPELITO ,kind of newspaper where people who dont have access at inetrnet advertise.

Thank you, I told my husband what you just confirm and informed me and he says you are right. He is cuban but he has not been in Cuba for 10 years. We have his brother in Cuba looking for a house for us. When we see one online, we pass the information to him.

Thanks again and hope that one day after 2016 we all can meet with some mojito, Lol.

I was happy to hear that there is another couple looking to move to Cuba, start a business there and establish residency there as well.
I first went to Cuba while taking an international finance class while obtaining my master's degree in international business. The professor offered a class trip each semester to a foreign country and this semester it was Cuba.  There were 16 people in this class in 1998, and of the 16 I was the only one to sign up to goto Havana, Cuba for Thanksgiving.  I asked I could also bring my brother a recent graduate of the college and my girlfriend and we had a great time first going to Toronto then spending 3 days in Havana.
While there we met with the attorney that was responsible for writing & oversight of the Foreign Investment Act of 1995.  I wrote a paper on the FIA, as well as the impact of it following the withdraw of Russian aid and the effect of the Helm's Burton Act.  I continued to visit Cuba since my first trip there and now, nearly 20 years later I do some consulting in regards to assisting foreign corp's partner with the Cuban government. The Cuban government was looking for an economic impact of over 2 billion dollars per year, but the FIA has only produced about 20% of this goal on average.
Moving forward, the need for the FIA to prosper as well as the continued prospects of open tourism with the US makes this a very exciting and opportune time to start a business and/ or invest in Cuba.
I plan on retiring to Cuba myself in the next 5 years and since I will only be 50, I will continue my consulting business which specializes in asset protection services as well as wealth creation strategies.  Consulting and active equity trading are my passions in life and I will run both part-time in a small paladora that my wife and I will operate.  We currently live in Michigan in a Detroit suburb with a condo in Las Vegas as well as a condo in South Beach, Florida that is connected to a hotel that rents it out all year except for the 6-12 weeks we spend there.  Neither my wife nor myself are of Cuban decent.  When friends or clients inquire as to why we would move to Cuba and spend between 6 and 8 months per year there as we plan, we respond that they would need to experience the Country first hand in order to understand.  I love the weather,cthe people are very friendly and helpful, cthe food is great, the beaches are incredible and I can live very well for very little.
My next trip will be in May of next year.  If you'd like to discuss moving to Cuba, citizenship, starting a business there etc please email me at [email protected] or post on this board.  I'm new to this site, but like the information it provides and will continue to frequent it.

Happy New Year...maybe?
Some basics...been in and out of Cuba almost 6 years with my common law wife...the last 2 in our house...in her name...foreigners can't own or rent houses in Cuba... if married and residency obtained possible name on house papers.
Check the amount of time your citizenship is allowed in Cuba...Canadian was 6 but now 3... Germany was 3 but now 2 months only...different for all countries.
I believe the government is trying to gain more control of foreigners spending lots of time in Cuba.
Having lived there full time for 14 months of the last 2 years I can attest to a reality of increased desperation and frustration in the areas of jobs, food availability and government ignorance.
Things have become worse since Obama's visit despite what the media portrays.
Since last November /15, vegetable street vending was outlawed because "the people are making too much money".
Private taxi owners were forced to repaint their cars similar to the government color or were prohibited from carrying foreigners to airports or through Varadero.
Raul Castro gave a speech on TV in October saying "I do not want the Cuban people to have lots of money or become rich".
And to top it off, food prices have not been lowered as promised...the only things that are cheap are rice and beans...most Cubans can't even afford vegetables.
There are stores full of packaged foods that are the same price or more expensive then Canada.
Oh yes...cigarettes and rum are cheap though...but not beer.
To sum up life in Cuba I must say that I thought I could live cheaply with my wife, stay out of trouble and just enjoy the weather...the government is making that a questionable idea now.
I see life in Cuba getting much worse before it gets better...and don't even think about the embargo being removed...it's all politics and media.
So good luck but check your facts before you jump.
Mike

Hi Nick,
I am curious to know how you will be able to purchase a paladar as a foreigner.
I have heard a rumour that foreigners can now purchase property directly from the government. If you decide to sell then it is purchased back from you by the goverment. Has any one else heard of this?

Hi Eli,

I know its been a while since you posted here but I'm just wondering if you relocated to Cuba already and how you like it.  I'm planning to visit this year and possibly relocate there myself.

Lupe