The new EU customs rules will also apply in Hungary from July 1. goods in consigments worth less than 150 euros ordered from a non-EU online store will be subject to a 3 euro customs duty. The measure protects consumers in the Member States, including Hungarians, on the one hand, and creates fairer conditions of competition between EU and third-country traders on the other.
The legislation announced by the EU Commission – as part of the EU customs reform – applies to all Member States, and is therefore mandatory in Hungary. The National Tax and Customs Administration (NTCA) is continuously communicate with market players to ensure that the transition is as smooth as possible. The customs clearance of small consigments will continue to be handled by the post office, courier service or platform agent.
According to the new rule, the 3 euro customs duty is not paid per consigment, but for the product categories in a package. The product categories are determined by the customs tariff numbers. For example, if someone orders a T-shirt, a phone case and a pair of headphones in the same package from an online store, they are buying goods from three different product categories (with different customs tariff numbers), so the total customs duty payable is 9 euros. If the same customer orders three cotton T-shirts of the same type (with the same customs tariff number), the shipment contains a single product category, so the customs duty payable is 3 euros. The rule only applies to consigments with an internal value of less than 150 euros; there will be no change in the customs clearance of shipments of higher value.
The change, which will come into force on July 1, will be applied uniformly in all EU member states, so all online shoppers should take the new rules for customs clearance of small packages arriving from third countries into account. NTCA publishes the most important information on its website, helps the affected market players and logistics companies prepare, but information can also be requested on the NTCA Infoline, which can be called free of charge at 1819 or +36 1 461 1819 from abroad.
National Tax and Customs Administration