Panama to issue 30-day tourist card to Cubans

Panamanian embassy in Havana helps Cuban entrepreneurs

HAVANA ā€“ It is not a secret that Cuban entrepreneurs travel to Panama to buy consumer goods that they laterĀ sell in the black market.Ā The Panamanian government is making it easier for them to continue their business.

The Panamanian embassy in Havana was busy on Tuesday. Cubans will now be able to travel to the Central American country to stay for 30 days with a new touristĀ card, and they will be issuingĀ 5-year visas.Ā Panamanian officialsĀ vowed to issue a thousand visas a month.

Processing the tourist cardĀ will cost $20 and Cubans will have toĀ show they areĀ private sector workers, accredited artisans, or that they have traveled to another country before. Aylen Serrano was at the embassy to get information and learned she will have to come back in 10 to 15 days.

"If I have the money to travel and I am interested in traveling, I imagine that this should be granted to me," Serrano said in Spanish.Ā 

Serrano said she is a dress maker, soĀ it makes sense to travel to Panama to buy cheaper products toĀ helpĀ lower her costs.Ā To circumvent the government's limitations, Cuban entrepreneurs like Serrano also travel to countries likeĀ Mexico, Guayana and Russia.


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