Amended Hungarian Postal Act Come Into Force

From 28 March 2024, every e-shop in Hungary must offer to deliver goods to customers via Magyar Posta (Hungarian Post). The details are provided by the Czech APEK in a legal brief in English. They also elaborate on the Post without Borders blog.

“The obligation to offer delivery via Magyar Posta applies to all companies targeting the Hungarian market. The exception is when the merchant delivers the goods directly from abroad. Therefore, if an e-shop sends parcels directly from Germany to Hungary, Magyar Posta cannot ensure delivery and therefore does not have to be included in the offer of carriers of the shop in question”. Source APEK.cz quoted on 27.3.2024 at 14:48.

The amendment to the law is intended to promote state-owned enterprises, and the regulation will apply to the offer. It will be up to the customer to decide whether to choose the Hungarian Post or its competitors to deliver their order. However, e-shops must offer a choice of all the delivery methods offered by the post office: home delivery (to the address), delivery to the post office, delivery to a collection point or to collection boxes.

The Hungarian Post has published fixed prices for e-shops on its website. For example, Magyar Posta has set a maximum price of HUF 990 (approx. €2.5) for delivery to a post office or post box, and home delivery should cost HUF 1,990 (approx. €5). The price depends on the weight of the parcel.

Compliance with the government regulation is monitored by the Consumer Protection Authority. Failure to comply with the regulations is considered to be detrimental to the interests of consumers and may result in action being taken by the relevant authorities. The legal consequences may include a fine.