Quick answer Yes, family remittances to Cuba are allowed: the Treasury Department regulates them through OFAC, with licenses that authorize certain transfers without case-by-case permission. The rules control three things: who may receive (certain government and Party officials are excluded), which entities the money passes through and, in some periods, how much and how often. Because the rules have changed several times, check what is currently in force on OFAC’s website before sending and use an authorized provider.
Cuba is the most complicated remittance corridor from the United States, and not because of price: because of the rules. They have changed several times in recent years, what was valid two years ago may not be today, which is why this article explains how the system is built and where to check what is current, rather than giving you figures that expire.
The basics: sending to your family is contemplated
The Cuba embargo is far broader than sanctions on other countries, but family remittances are not generally prohibited. They are regulated by the Treasury Department, through OFAC, via licences that authorise certain transfers without needing case-by-case permission.
That means providers operate the corridor legally. You are not in a grey area for sending money to your mother.
The three things the rules do control
And here is what genuinely matters, because it stays true even as the details change:
- Who may receive. The regulations exclude certain Cuban government and Communist Party officials. This is not a matter of political opinion: it is a legal restriction on the recipient.
- Where the money passes through. There are lists of Cuban entities with which transactions are not permitted. Since remittances usually route through a processing entity on the island, this has blocked entire channels in the past.
- What amounts and how often. There have been quarterly caps in some periods and not in others.
All three have changed across administrations. Which is why the right question is not “how much can I send?” but “what do the rules say today?”
Where to check what is currently in force
Two sources, and only two:
- OFAC, within the Treasury Department, which publishes the Cuban Assets Control Regulations and their FAQs. It is the official source and it is public.
- The provider you plan to use. If it operates legally, it has a compliance department that knows the current limits and will tell you before accepting the transfer.
Be wary of any site — including any that states specific figures with no date — that assures you an exact cap. Replace it with the official source.
How the money arrives
Depending on the period and the provider, the usual routes have been:
- Cash pickup, in local currency or in foreign currency depending on the period.
- Credit to a card in freely convertible currency, for use at certain shops.
- Home delivery, offered by some operators.
Availability of each has varied over time. Ask the provider which method is currently operating before deciding, and exactly what your family receives under each.
Why informal channels are a bad idea
In this corridor more than any other there is a widespread informal network: people carrying cash by hand, contacts offering a better rate if you pay a third party here, messaging groups.
The risks are of two kinds and both are serious:
- Practical: no receipt, no traceability, nobody to complain to. If the money does not arrive, that is the end of it.
- Legal: operating outside authorised channels in an embargoed country is not the same as in another corridor. The consequences can go well beyond losing the transfer.
Whatever better rate they offer never covers that.
The 1% tax on cash remittances
On top of the sanctions framework, since 2026 there is a federal tax on certain remittances sent in cash from the United States. It depends on how you pay for the transfer. It is a separate layer, independent of everything above.
In short
- Sending money to your family in Cuba can be done legally.
- There are restrictions on the recipient and on the entities the money passes through.
- The specific limits change: check them with OFAC or with your provider before sending.
- Always use a registered provider, even when an informal rate looks better.
This is general information, not legal advice. If your situation has any particularity — large amounts, a recipient who is not immediate family — check it with a professional.
Related articles
Official sources
To check what this guide explains, these are the official references. If a rule changes, the official version always prevails.
- CFPB: what is a remittance transfer and what are my rights: required disclosures, 30 minutes to cancel and 180 days to report errors.
- OFAC (U.S. Department of the Treasury): Cuba sanctions program and the licenses that allow remittances
