Travellers who have visited Cuba in last 11 years will need visa to enter US

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy In one of his last acts as US president, Donald Trump added Cuba to the American list of “state sponsors of terrorism”. The Independent has been told by the US State Department: “Any visit to an SST on or after March 1, 2011, even if the country was designated yesterday, renders the applicant ineligible for Esta.” Instead, they must try to get a tourist visa – which requires payment of $160 and for the traveller to attend an appointment at the US embassy in London or the consulate-general in Belfast. The US embassy in London says: “Please note that due to an increasing backlog of visa appointment requests, you may experience a significant delay between paying your visa fee and scheduling an interview appointment. “By paying the visa fee, you acknowledge that it may take several months to schedule an interview appointment.” Anyone who has been to Cuba and obtains Esta clearance for the US will be breaching the rules, and could in theory be turned away upon arrival But some travellers have told The Independent that they have successfully visited the US using passports issued since their trips to Cuba.