The new government decree regulating the import of certain agricultural products into Hungary entered into force on 16 April 2024. Under the Decree, any natural person, individual entrepreneur, legal entity or other organisation planning to import products subject to notification for non-private purposes must notify the NÉBIH in advance.
The list of affected products is extensive, including, among others, pork and beef, chicken, eggs, vegetables, cereals such as wheat and maize, as well as oilseeds and wine. The method of notification is electronic: the on the form available on the NÉBIH website and the notification deadlines are strictly defined: 6 hours before importation in the case of transport by air or water, and 24 hours in other cases. In other words, the person placing the order must declare all products that fall under a specific tariff heading the day before the goods cross the border.
As the regulation will now make him the first seller in the country and the first place of entry. To put it simply, anyone buying from a company that does not have a registered place of business in Hungary will have to register, which means a lot of attention, administration and logistics. Like EKAER, here is you have to enter the registration number of the transport vehicle, the value, weight and type of the goods, where it is going from, etc. In this light, it has never been more sensible to order from a domestic company, as this is a considerable burden for the customer.
The penalty may be up to 40% of the net value of the goods transported
The Regulation pays particular attention to the administrative fine for failure to notify and the penalties provided for by law, up to 40% of the net value of the goods transported. To avoid this, the NÉBIH also provides a dedicated helpdesk and electronic channels to deal with reporting issues quickly and efficiently. The new rules aim to Agriculture increasing transparency of import processes, protecting the domestic market and maintaining much tighter controls.
For the HORECA sector, this new regulation could be particularly important, as restaurants, hotels and other catering establishments often rely on imported agricultural products. Accurate and timely notifications will be essential to maintain smooth business operations and avoid legal consequences. However, it will not apply to businesses in the HoReCa sector until they make purchases directly outside the border under a Community VAT number.
