Your best bet is to contact Thomson as soon as possible. Yes, it is essential and if Thomson say it's included then they should have sent it with your tickets. It might be just an oversight on their part but have you got written confirmation that the cost is included in the price of the holiday? If it isn't they are easy to get hold off - including at certain UK departure airports - but without one you probably won't be able to check-in for the flight as they are not available on arrival in Cuba. I've always been asked to produce it at check-in so that they can check that you have filled it in correctly and they can direct you to where you can get another if you haven't.

SM

Ukbill,

Did you contact thomson? If so what did they say? I am also travelling to cuba next month and i did not recieve a visa with my etickets either?

Thanks

I actually posted on the Thomson Facebook page - and got a really fast answer that the visa document would be sent by conventional mail, that it was normal procedure, and don't worry.
And it was. Just a few days later it arrived no problem.

Very ironic!! came back from work today to a letter from tui group!! the visas have arrived

Great news

Just a quick reminder to those about to go to Cuba. Whatever you do make sure that you keep the other half of your visa/tourist card to hand when leaving. Don't do what someone on my recent dance and music trip did - pack it in her case and then check the case in! You need it with you so that you can hand it in to the Cuban border staff as you leave the country as part of their check that the person leaving is the same person who arrived.

They didn't make her retrieve her suitcase and get it out or pay again but they did keep her landside while they ran extra checks on her. Not too much of problem for us as we had arrived at the Airport early in order to get checked in and through immigration and security before the package transfer passengers arrived en masse and created large queues. But scary for her because amongst other things she was on her own, the rest of us had gone through immediately after checking-in and paying our departure tax whereas she decided to go and sit outside for a while first. The result was that she was only cleared to go airside very shortly before the flight started to board. Any longer and there's a good chance that she would have missed the flight.

SM