Import charges in Hungary: what you’ll actually pay
Updated
Order from outside the EU and the price on the shop page is only part of it. Here is how customs duty, VAT and Magyar Posta’s own fee work when the parcel lands — in plain English, with the figures each authority publishes.
The Summary
- Buying from the EU? No import duty and no import VAT — the price you pay is the price.
- Buying from outside the EU at €150 or less? 27% Hungarian VAT plus €3 of customs duty per item, counted by tariff classification.
- Over €150? VAT plus the real duty rate for that product, on a full customs declaration — for which Magyar Posta charges 11,870 Ft.
- Charges not settled at checkout? Magyar Posta clears the parcel and adds its own fee, 800 Ft to 3,380 Ft paid online depending on the value, more if you pay at the door.
The €3 duty, precisely
It is charged per itemin the sense customs uses the word: per line of the declaration, which means per tariff classification. NAV’s own worked answers make it concrete — five copies of the same book are one line and pay €3 once; two goods classified differently pay €3 each. It applies to consignments with an intrinsic value up to €150, and it applies even when the seller used IOSS and the VAT was already paid.
Two details worth knowing before you compare prices. NAV charges the duty in forint, converted at the European Central Bank rate fixed for the month, so the forint figure moves monthly rather than daily. And the duty is legally owed by the declarant — the platform, seller, carrier or agent that declares the goods — with the buyer liable only residually. That is why the large marketplaces show it inside the checkout price; when a seller does not collect it, the carrier asks for it before it hands the parcel over.
VAT: the bigger number
Hungary’s standard VAT rate is 27%, and since July 2021 it applies to every non-EU parcel regardless of value. It is calculated on the price paid plus transport and insurance where those are known at clearance, and the €3 duty is added to the taxable amount too (except on an IOSS parcel, where import VAT is not charged again).
One more distinction that catches people out: the €150 line is measured on intrinsic value, which leaves out transport and insurance when the invoice shows them separately — so goods at €140 with €20 of shipping stay under the line, while the VAT is still charged on the whole €160.
What Magyar Posta charges to clear it
Customs clearance itself is free; the fee is the post’s, for acting as your customs agent. It is banded by the value of the parcel, and it is cheaper if you pay online after the notification rather than in cash at the door. These are Magyar Posta’s published figures, VAT included, in forint:
| Parcel value | Paid online | Paid on delivery |
|---|---|---|
| up to €10 | 800 Ft | 1,640 Ft |
| €10.01 – 22 | 1,010 Ft | 1,870 Ft |
| €22.01 – 50 | 1,340 Ft | 2,210 Ft |
| €50.01 – 100 | 2,070 Ft | 3,240 Ft |
| €100.01 – 150 | 3,380 Ft | 4,770 Ft |
| seller used IOSS (0 – €150) | 710 Ft | 1,440 Ft |
| full declaration (typically over €150) | 11,870 Ft | 11,870 Ft |
You are notified by SMS or e-mail, and Magyar Posta allows online payment within 48 hours of that notification. An item arriving from abroad is held for 15 working days before it goes back to the sender, and whoever collects it has to prove their identity — an ID card, passport, driving licence or address card.
Gifts, disputes and returns
A genuine gift between private individuals is free of duty and VAT up to €45, provided nothing was paid for it and it is for personal or family use; a declaration is still filed, with a gift declaration attached where you file it yourself. The value cannot be split, and alcohol, tobacco and perfume have their own quantity limits and never qualify.
If you think a charge is wrong, NAV’s decisions can be appealed to the authority that issued them within 15 daysof the decision being served (30 days where tax was assessed retrospectively). On returns, expect less than you would hope: the €3 duty on a returned low-value consignment can no longer be reclaimed through the invalidation route the Commission used to allow, import VAT can be corrected only where the declaration itself is invalidated, and the post’s fee is gone either way.
Frequently asked
I ordered from Temu, Shein or AliExpress to Hungary — do I now pay customs duty on orders under €150?
Yes, since 1 July 2026. The EU abolished the €150 duty-free allowance and replaced it with a temporary €3 customs duty, charged per item by tariff classification rather than per parcel. Several identical books count as one line and pay €3 once; two different kinds of goods pay €3 each. NAV charges it in forint, converted at the European Central Bank rate fixed for the month. The big marketplaces build it into the checkout price. The flat duty runs until 1 July 2028.
What is the EU handling fee of €2 per item?
A fee the EU charges from 1 November 2026 on goods bought from a seller outside the EU: €2 per item, counted the same way as the €3 duty. Unlike the duty, it applies whatever the parcel’s value, above €150 too, and it has no end date. VAT is charged on it as well, and it is not refunded if you send the goods back. The seller, platform or carrier that declares the parcel pays it to customs, so it reaches you inside the checkout price or as a charge before delivery. A gift between private individuals is not a sale and does not carry it.
How much VAT is charged on foreign online orders in Hungary?
The standard Hungarian rate is 27%, and since July 2021 it applies to every parcel from outside the EU whatever its value. It is calculated on the price paid plus transport and insurance, and the €3 duty is added to that taxable amount as well. Reduced Hungarian rates exist — 5% on printed books and newspapers, for example — but when Magyar Posta declares the parcel under the Special Arrangement and collects the tax from you, NAV states the rate is 27% in every case, whatever the goods.
What does Magyar Posta charge on top of the taxes?
A postal customs-agency fee that depends on the parcel value and on when you pay. Paying online it runs from 800 Ft on a parcel up to €10 to 3,380 Ft in the €100.01–150 band; paid on delivery the same bands run 1,640 Ft to 4,770 Ft. If the seller used IOSS and the VAT was already settled at checkout, the fee is 710 Ft online or 1,440 Ft on delivery — an IOSS parcel is cheaper to clear, not free. A parcel needing a full declaration, typically anything over €150, costs 11,870 Ft either way.
I already paid VAT at checkout — why is Magyar Posta asking for VAT again?
Checkout VAT only counts if the seller is IOSS-registered and its valid IOSS number reached the electronic customs declaration. When that chain breaks, the VAT is assessed again on arrival. NAV’s own ruling on this puts the remedy with the seller, not with the tax office: pay to release the parcel, then send the seller proof that import VAT was paid and the seller refunds the VAT it charged at checkout.
Are gifts from family or friends outside the EU taxed in Hungary?
A genuine gift between private individuals — occasional, nothing paid for it, for personal or family use — is free of duty and VAT up to €45. A customs declaration is still needed, with a gift declaration attached if you file it yourself. The value cannot be split: above €45 the charge falls on the whole consignment, not only on the excess. Alcohol, tobacco and perfume have their own quantity limits and are never covered by the gift relief.
Can I return an online order and get all my money back?
From an EU-based store you have the EU 14-day right of withdrawal from the day of delivery, with the usual exclusions (personalised or made-to-order goods, perishables, unsealed sealed media, and so on); you normally pay the return postage. On a non-EU order the import charges are a different matter: the European Commission has confirmed that the €3 duty on a returned low-value consignment can no longer be reclaimed through the usual invalidation route, import VAT can only be corrected where the customs declaration is invalidated, and Magyar Posta’s own fees are not refunded.
Want the number for your actual basket? Use the Hungary import cost calculator — forint in, landed cost out.