How to Ship from the US to Hungary: Complete 2026 Guide

Hungary is a small but increasingly attractive market for US e-commerce businesses. With roughly ten million people and one of the highest internet penetration rates in Central Europe, Hungarian consumers are enthusiastic online shoppers — particularly for American electronics, fashion, health supplements, and specialty foods that are hard to find locally.

Shipping to Hungary is straightforward thanks to EU membership, which standardizes customs procedures across the bloc. If you already ship to Germany or France, Hungary follows the same basic rules. If this is your first foray into European shipping, Hungary is a forgiving place to start.

Geography and Logistics Basics

Hungary sits roughly 5,000 miles from the US East Coast, about the same distance as shipping to Austria or the Czech Republic. The country is on Central European Time (UTC+1), six hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time. Budapest is the major logistics hub, with modern sorting and distribution infrastructure that connects efficiently to the European carrier networks.

Hungary uses the Hungarian Forint (HUF) as its currency rather than the euro, despite being an EU member. This does not affect your shipping logistics, but it matters for customs declarations where values need to be stated in euros or dollars. The EU import duty threshold of EUR 150 applies — shipments below this value are exempt from customs duties but still subject to Hungarian VAT at 27 percent, which is the highest VAT rate in the European Union.

That 27 percent VAT is worth planning around. If your products are priced at 50 dollars and the customer expects to pay 50 dollars, they will actually owe an additional 13.50 dollars in VAT on delivery. Customers who do not expect this charge frequently refuse delivery, creating a return shipment that costs you money. Consider either raising your prices to include VAT or registering for the EU Import One-Stop Shop so you can collect VAT at checkout and remit it directly.

Carrier Options

Express: 2 to 5 Business Days

DHL Express, FedEx International Priority, and UPS Worldwide Express all serve Hungary with delivery times of two to four business days to Budapest. Smaller cities like Debrecen, Szeged, or Miskolc may take an additional day. USPS Priority Mail Express International delivers in three to five business days.

Express rates for a one-pound package range from 46 to 74 dollars depending on the carrier. DHL tends to offer the most competitive express rates to Hungary because their European network is particularly strong in Central Europe, with a major hub in nearby Germany.

Standard: 7 to 14 Business Days

USPS Priority Mail International is the go-to standard option at 35 to 52 dollars for a one-pound package with delivery in seven to fourteen business days. FedEx International Economy and UPS Worldwide Expedited offer similar timelines at slightly higher prices with better tracking.

Economy: 14 to 30 Business Days

USPS First-Class Package International Service starts at roughly 12 to 16 dollars for lightweight items and delivers in 14 to 25 business days. This is a good option for low-value, non-urgent shipments, but tracking becomes minimal once the package enters the Hungarian postal system (Magyar Posta).

Customs and EU Rules

Since Hungary is an EU member state, all the standard EU customs rules apply. Every commercial shipment needs a commercial invoice with detailed item descriptions, quantities, values in US dollars or euros, HS tariff codes, and the country of origin for each product.

Duty rates follow the EU Common Customs Tariff. Electronics face duties of 2 to 4 percent, clothing around 12 percent, and most consumer goods fall between 3 and 8 percent. The EUR 150 threshold applies to duty exemption only — VAT is charged on all commercial imports regardless of value.

One peculiarity of shipping to Hungary: Magyar Posta, the national postal service, handles USPS parcels for customs clearance and last-mile delivery. Their customs processing can be slower than DHL or FedEx's dedicated brokers, especially during peak holiday periods. If speed matters, using an express carrier with integrated customs brokerage will get your package through Hungarian customs faster.

For food products, Hungary follows EU food safety regulations, which means proper labeling in Hungarian or at minimum English is required for commercial shipments. Personal gifts of food in small quantities generally clear without issue, but commercial food imports need to comply with EU ingredient labeling, allergen declarations, and packaging standards.

Prohibited and Restricted Items

Standard EU prohibitions apply: no firearms, controlled substances, counterfeit goods, or items violating EU safety standards. Hungary specifically enforces EU restrictions on meat and dairy products without proper veterinary certificates, seeds and plants without phytosanitary documentation, and any items containing protected species materials.

Tobacco products face extremely high Hungarian excise duties and are generally not worth shipping from the US. Alcohol imports are legal but require proper documentation and attract significant excise taxes on top of import duties and VAT.

Packaging and Delivery Tips

Hungarian postal addresses follow a European format: postal code first, then city, then street name and number. Budapest addresses include a district number (expressed in Roman numerals like "VII. kerulet") which is important for accurate delivery. Make sure your label includes the full address format the recipient provides, including any apartment number or floor designation.

Include the recipient's phone number on both the customs declaration and the shipping label. Hungarian delivery services — both Magyar Posta and commercial carriers — use phone contact for delivery coordination, especially in apartment buildings where buzzer systems may not have name labels.

For packaging, standard international best practices apply. Use sturdy boxes with adequate cushioning, attach customs documents in a clear pouch on the outside, and place a copy of the invoice inside the package as backup. If shipping during winter months (November through March), be aware that temperatures in Hungary regularly drop below freezing, which can affect temperature-sensitive products.

Shipping platforms like atoship simplify the process by comparing carrier rates for Hungarian shipments, generating EU-compliant customs documentation, and providing consolidated tracking across carriers.