International destination listing

Senders should determine import restrictions from the country's authorities before posting:

• arms, ammunition, gas guns and alarm guns
• animals and animal products
• agricultural protection products
• cinematographic films
• cremation ashes
• medicine and pharmaceutical products
• plants
• seeds
• vegetables and products of vegetable origin
• textiles and related products

Automobile spare parts

Gifts of automobile spare parts (one of each kind) are admitted for the use of an individual person, subject to 60% customs duty assessed on the domestic retail value.

Medicines and medical products

Medicines and medical products are admitted for the use of an individual person, to the quantities shown on the prescription or medical certificate.

Medical products and vaccines sent to authorized institutes do not require the permission of the Ministry of Public Health. Items sent to the Hungarian Red Cross, to schools and to medical institutes or other establishments for teaching, science or research, are exempt from customs duties only if these establishments become the owners of the items.

Gifts

Personal duty-free gifts to a value of $12 are admitted. Above $12, the rate of customs duty increases proportionately to 60% as the value increases to $200. Values are the domestic retail price. The table shows the maximum permitted value of each item in a postal article. Gifts that exceed these values are deemed as commercial items. Any item exceeding $200 must be the only item.

If the postal article has a value of:

• $20
• $40
• $100
• $200
• $400.

Then, no one item may exceed:

• $4
• $8
• $20
• $40
• $200.

Prohibited items

In addition to items considered non-mailable matter, the following are prohibited:

• credit card blanks
• cash and cash equivalents
• counterfeit materials
• food and beverages harmful to health
• food and perishable items
• graphite products
• natural fertilizers
• narcotics and illegal drugs
• monetary instruments
• publications embarrassing to the interests of the Hungarian Republic or contrary to public order of morality
• roots, stems and leaves of potatoes, tomatoes and eggplant
• waste materials
• weapons (knuckle-dusters, flick knives, coshes, etc).

Documentation required

Information regarding Customs can be found in "Customs Requirements" of the Canada Postal Guide.

For the Xpresspost-International service, the addressee’s address and phone number must appear on the item, otherwise the guarantee is void.

In addition, all commercial items or merchandise mailed to Hungary must include an invoice on an original letterhead with date, reference number, original signature and stamp. The invoice must clearly describe the contents and itemize each by number of units, value, country of origin and terms of trade. It should also include the type of currency and the reason for export.

The following list shows other documentary requirements:

• jewellery, and other items with gold, silver or platinum in their make up  –  Hallmark of the Institute of Control and Authentication of Precious Metals
• red pepper and pimento  –  Examination certificate issued by the National Agriculture Substances Quality Control Institute
• mineral waters, animal products, plants and vegetable substances, veterinary medicaments  –  Written authority of the Ministry of Agriculture and Food
• non – Hungarian films  –  Written authority of the Ministry of Culture
• radio transmitters or transmitter – receivers  –  Written authority of the Ministry of Communications and Posts.

Phytosanitary goods (plants or seeds) that originate from outside the EU and are addressed to Hungary must be accompanied by a health certificate. All types of seeds require a phytosanitary certificate for import, issued by the country of origin.

Value Added Tax (VAT)

The Import One-Stop-Shop (IOSS) is a program that allows the seller to collect the Value Added Tax (VAT) at the time of purchase, rather than have VAT collected by the recipient at the time of delivery. Under the IOSS program, VAT is remitted monthly by the seller directly to the European Union (EU) tax authority using an online portal. The IOSS can only be used for shipments with a value of less than €150. For shipments over €150, there are no changes to the collection of VAT, duties or other applicable fees on imported goods. The IOSS program also cannot be used for goods subject to excise duties (such as tobacco or alcohol) or gifts. More information on the program can be found here.

In order to register for an IOSS number, a business must have an address in one of the EU member states or hire an IOSS intermediary. If you sell through an online shipping platform or marketplace, you can contact them to see if they are registered for the IOSS program and have their own IOSS number.

If using the IOSS program, the IOSS number must be included when creating the electronic shipping label, entered in the “Tax ID” field (sender.identification.reference). This will allow for the number to be sent electronically. If the number is not present in the electronic data, VAT may be collected from the recipient at the time of delivery. The following Canada Post shipping systems can be used to capture and transmit the IOSS number:

• EST Desktop 2.0
• SnapShip
• Shipping Manager

The IOSS number cannot be transmitted electronically when using a retail location. IOSS numbers start with IM, followed by 10 numeric digits (ex: IM0123456789). When using the IOSS program, a minimum 6-digit Harmonized System (HS) code is required. To find the right HS code, visit the Canada Post HS Lookup tool.