14 Feb Transport to Hungary? Keep in mind the EKAER system
Since 2004 Hungary has been a member of the European Union which means that customs formalities are not needed . From then on, transport to Hungary became easier, but fraud detection didn’t. In January 2015, Hungary implemented the EKAER system (Electronic Public Road Trade Control System).
The system allows the Hungarian authorities to keep an overview on what cargo is traded between the other EU-countries and Hungary, in order to prevent tax fraud and corruption. Basically, each road transport, performed with a vehicle of more than 3,5T needs to be registered in the EKAER system.
WHICH TRANSPORTS NEED TO BE REGISTERED IN THE EKAER SYSTEM?
Following transports need to be announced by the Hungarian importer/exporter
- Intra-community acquisition of goods from another EU-member to Hungary
- Intra-community delivery of goods from Hungary to another EU-member
- Domestic supplies, not directly to final users (only when transported by a vehicle of more than 3,5T)
Deliveries by rail, water or air are not included in the scope of the law.
The party who made the announcement, is obliged to pass the EKAER number to the transport company. In case of multimodal transport, only the truck details of the delivering vehicle need to be inserted into the system.
FINES
The EKAER number is valid for a period of 15 days, but certain data can be changed during this period. When a truck is stopped by the Hungarian authorities, all the details need to match. The Hungarian importer/exporter will be kept responsible if a non- conformity is detected and he risks a fine up to 40% of the value of the goods or even confiscation of his cargo.
HOW ABOUT HIGH-RISK GOODS
Some goods are defined as high-risk (e.g. agricultural products, clothes, chemicals, wood…) and they have specific rules. An EKAER number is then also mandatory for vehicles under 3,5T.
Do you have a transport to Hungary? Contact us for further questions or quotations.