Cuban Cigars Allowed in the US After Ban is Lifted

Americans will face fewer obstacles in traveling to Cuba under new regulations announced by the Obama administration on Thursday, continuing a promise to thaw relations with the country the President started last month.

While short of lifting the decades-old U.S. embargo on the island, a move that would require congressional approval, the administration’s new rules on travel and trade will likely herald a new era in ties between the two countries.

Under the softened regulations whose details were outlined in more detail Thursday, Americans will be able to visit Cuba without first seeking a license from the Treasury Department, so long as the travel meets certain criteria. The new regulations will take effect Friday, according to the U.S. Treasury.

President Barack Obama originally announced the change in U.S. policy on Cuba on Dec. 17, as part of a larger deal that secured the release of Alan Gross, an American government subcontractor who was imprisoned on the island for five years.

In unveiling the new regulations, the Obama administration revealed it is moving to establish a U.S. embassy in Havana, allowing American officials to make purchases that will revamp U.S. diplomatic facilities that already exist in the Cuban capital.

Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker is slated to visit Cuba later this year.

“Today’s actions, which are being taken in coordination with the U.S. Department of the Treasury, give legal effect to the historic policy changes that President Obama announced,” Pritzker said in a statement.

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