Is There Still a U.S. Embargo on Cuba Postage Stamps?
Americans face different hurdles than residents of other countries when it comes to collecting Cuban postage stamps. As the disclaimer at the end of this article states, the author is not an attorney and cannot provide legal advice. With that in mind, I will attempt to provide information that may prove helpful.
In email correspondence received on June 16, 2017, from an employee of the U.S. Treasury Department, I was advised of the following:
- The Cuban Assets Control Regulations prohibits U.S. Persons from transacting in importations and trade in goods in which Cuba or Cuban Nationals have an interest.
- With respect to Cuban stamps, the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) considers used Cuban stamps that have been outside of Cuba to fall outside and therefore be exempt from the regulations. [Emphasis added.]
- OFAC also considers unused stamps issued before 1962 that have been outside of Cuba to fall outside and therefore be exempt from the regulations. [Emphasis added.]
- A person residing in the United States may be required to provide proof the stamp in question has not been traded from Cuba depending on the circumstances of the sale.
In other words, until the Cuban Assets Control Regulations are appropriately modified or repealed, you can’t trade in unused Cuban stamps issued in 1962 or later. You should not have any issue with pre-1962 mint Cuban stamps, or used Cuban stamps regardless of date of issue, that were purchased from a dealer in the United States.
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External Link:
U.S. Department of the Treasury
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(Note and disclaimer: The owner of this website is not an attorney, and is not qualified to provide legal advice. This website is not intended as a substitute for the legal advice of attorneys. The visitor should consult an attorney in all matters relating to legal questions. Additionally, laws change all the time, and this information may become out of date at any time.)