Importing From India to Hungary

Between 2023 and 2025 Hungary's market inspectors flagged 19 Indian perfumes, eaux de toilette, body sprays and gift sets. Every single alert was for the same thing - the ingredient list named BMHCA, also sold as lilial, a fragrance chemical banned in EU cosmetics since March 2022 because it may harm fertility (Safety Gate, for example this 2025 body spray (opens in a new tab)). The fault was printed on the box.

That's the most specific signal we have for any member state on this list, and it's where this page starts. It then covers Hungary's VAT (the highest in the EU), the label and the Adriatic route. Duty and the EU-wide rules are on the EU bloc page.

Last researched 28 September 2026 · Next review 24 October 2026 · Written by SourcingFrom

1. The Lilial Problem

Hungary raised 19 EU product safety alerts on Indian goods from 2021 to September 2026, and all 19 were cosmetics with BMHCA (Safety Gate (opens in a new tab), our count to 18 September 2026). Across the whole EU there were 32 BMHCA alerts on Indian goods in the same period, so Hungary found more than half of them (same source, our count). Czechia flagged one more in 2026, which is on the Czechia page.

How does a banned ingredient end up printed on the box? Most likely the perfume house kept an older formula and never reformulated for Europe, and the importer didn't read the INCI list. That's a guess about the cause, but the fix doesn't depend on it. Before you order any fragrance or cosmetic from India, get the full INCI list, check it against the EU's banned list (Annex II of the Cosmetics Regulation), and make sure the EU responsible person has signed off the product safety report. A "made for export" label on the carton proves nothing.

Food barely registers. Hungary raised only 2 food alerts on Indian goods in the period, sesame in 2021 and ginger powder without a valid certificate in 2024 (RASFF Window (opens in a new tab), our count to 22 September 2026).

2. The Highest VAT in the EU

Import VAT (ÁFA) is charged at 27%, the highest standard rate in the EU (Your Europe, VAT rates (opens in a new tab), last checked by the Commission 13 July 2026, read 25 September 2026). On a low-duty product the VAT is the bigger number at the border, so plan the cash flow around it, not around the duty.

The label is in Hungarian under Regulation (EU) 1007/2011 (opens in a new tab). Hungarian isn't related to any neighbouring language, so there's no regional Central European label. Customs is the National Tax and Customs Administration (NAV) (opens in a new tab).

3. Adriatic or North Sea

Hungary is landlocked. Koper and Rijeka on the Adriatic are the nearest ports, with Hamburg and Rotterdam the northern options, all followed by rail or road under EU transit. The Adriatic is short on the map but depends on the ship running Suez. We have no India transit for Koper or Rijeka, and our Rotterdam figure is 33 days from Nhava Sheva (carrier schedules, September 2026, Indicative). If you route via Rijeka, read the Croatia page, because Croatian inspectors check transit cargo at entry. SourcingSync (opens in a new tab) can check the formula with your supplier and book the route.

Up: the EU bloc page and India's trade agreements.