After a gap of more than two years, Western Union is resuming its money transfer service between the U.S. and Cuba. Following the tightening of laws by the U.S. government in 2020, services had to be suspended leaving those wishing to send money to Cuba from USA with limited and expensive options. Now that some restrictions have been lifted, Western Union is gradually bringing back limited money transfer services from the U.S. to Cuba.
Ongoing Restrictions on Money Transfers
If you plan to send money to Cuba using a money transfer, you will want to first understand the rules and restrictions. Despite resuming money transfer services to Cuba, Western Union is still lawfully bound to impose some restrictions on how money can be sent.
The following criteria must be met to enable a transfer to take place:
- Only $2,000 per transaction 1
- Can only send to close relatives (see definition below)
- The sender cannot send to self (same name on the sender and receiver).
- Can only send in USD
- Can only send to MLC account and debit cards (payee cannot pick up cash)
- Customers must be +18 years of age.
- Payee is not a prohibited official of the government of Cuba or a prohibited member of the Cuban Communist Party.
- Payee must be a Cuban National.
Definition of a “close relative”: A close relative is defined as any individual related to the sender by blood, marriage, or adoption who is no more than three generations removed from that person or from a common ancestor with that person.
How to Send Money to Cuba
Regardless of what method you choose to send money to Cuba, one of the steps will include completing an Electronic Remittance Affidavit template. This is a legal declaration the sender must agree before the money can be sent. Incomplete or missing information in this document will result in the transaction not being processed, so be sure to carefully follow directions until you get more familiar with the process.
In-person transfers
Western Union has reinstated in-person services at a limited number of U.S. retail locations as some restrictions on sending money to Cuba were loosened by the current U.S. government. For now, this trial is confined to Miami Agent locations where you can send money to three Cuban banks only. The banks which can receive payments via Western Union are Banco de Credito y Comercio, Banco Metropolitano SA and Banco Popular de Ahorro.
Online transfer
The popular online money transfer service means you can send money to Cuba from USA from the comfort of your own home by first creating a profile, adding your ID information and payment card. At present, there is a limit of $2,000 a day and the recipient must have a Cuban ID card to receive their transfer.
Money transfer app
Another option for U.S. residents wanting to send money to Cuba is the money transfer app. The app is available for download from your app store on iOS and Android and has a range of features to simplify the process of sending money to your close relatives in Cuba. Features include:
- Scanning your payment card to prevent data entry errors
- Exchange rate information to allow you to quickly calculate conversions
- Store recipient bank details for easy repeat payments
- Easy access with one touch fingerprint login
- Encrypted transfers to reduce the risk of fraud
- Transfer tracking for peace of mind that your payment has been safely received
The Impact of Resuming Services for Cubans
Due to the 2020 regulations, Cuban citizens who receive cross-border payments have had to use much less secure and more expensive options including having someone flying into Cuba bring dollars in cash, transferring money through small companies, and even receiving transfers in cryptocurrency which can result in loss of value when crypto values are so volatile.
This is why Western Union is happy and proud to be resuming money transfer services to Cuba from USA, even in a limited capacity. We know that family remittances are often a lifeline to Cuban residents so we look forward to being able to expand services when we are able.
Opening your Western Union money transfer account
Registering with Western Union is straightforward and takes only a few minutes. You’ll need to complete an online form as well as your card payment details. You can save payee details if you plan to make repeat payments to the same individual saving you time in the future.
If you are new to making money transfers, we have a wealth of frequently asked questions in our Help Center.
