Honduras country guide

If you are looking to grow your ecommerce business into Honduras , you’ve come to the right place. Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about selling goods into Honduras.

Ease of importing goods score: B 

Ease of doing business 4/5

• Some corruption and external factors have caused economic instability.
• Honduras is prioritizing infrastructure development and modernization.
• Honduras' Central American location promotes easier trade.
• There aren’t any significant trade barriers in Honduras and there are quite a few trade agreements in place, which makes doing business easier for countries involved in those trade agreements.

Landed cost fairness 2/5

• Honduras' duty rate range is fairly low and duty is often waived under trade agreements, which can be favorable for landed cost.
• The tax rate is slightly high, which can make for a high landed cost.
• There is no duty or tax de minimis in Honduras, meaning that every order may incur duty and tax, which is unfavorable for landed cost.

Flexibility of legal regulations 5/5

• There are not any significant legal regulations when importing into Honduras that would present barriers to doing business.

Availability and accessibility of shipping 5/5

• All major carriers ship to Honduras, making it accessible.

Accessibility and variety of payment methods 5/5

• Honduras uses universal payment methods, making online selling accessible to Honduran consumers.

Market opportunity 2/5

• While over half the population use the internet, less than half shop online, making the market opportunity average.

Key stats for Honduras 

Landed cost for Honduras 

The landed cost for a cross-border transaction includes all duties, taxes, and fees associated with the purchase. This includes:

• Product price
• Shipping
• Duties
• Taxes
• Fees (currency conversion, carrier, broker, customs, or government fees)

Honduran de minimis, tax, and duty

Further explanation of de minimis, tax, and duty is provided below

Duty and tax de minimis

• Duty and tax de minimis: 0 HNL

Based on the FOB value of the order

De minimis value

Normally, duty and tax are only charged on imports where the FOB value of the import exceeds the minimum value threshold (de minimis). However, Honduras has a de minimis of 0 HNL, which means duty and tax fees are charged on all imports. The only time goods are exempt from duty and tax is when they receive preferential treatment through trade agreements.

Import tax

• Standard rate: 15%

Applied to the CIF vale of the order

Value-added tax (VAT)

All imports into Honduras are subject to 15% VAT.

Excise tax

An excise tax is charged on the following imports sent to Honduras:

• Cigarettes
• Sodas
• Beer
• Alcoholic beverages

Cigarettes incur an excise tax of 511.77 HNL per thousand units.

The excise tax rates for sodas, beer, and alcoholic beverages are levied on a per liter basis as follows:

Import duty rate range

• 0-15%

Applied to the CIF value of the order

Import duty

Most goods imported into Honduras incur a duty rate between 0% and 15%.

Landed cost examples

Below is a sample landed cost breakdown for Honduras calculated using Zonos Quoter. Since there is no de minimis, duty and tax will always apply:

Trade agreements

Honduras has at least 10 trade agreements that offer a zero or highly discounted duty rate for goods manufactured in participating countries.

Honduras is a member of the World Trade Organization

As a member of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Honduras must abide by the most-favored-nation (MFN) clause, which requires a country to provide any concessions, privileges, or immunities granted to one nation in a trade agreement to all other WTO member countries. For example, if one country reduces duties by 10% for a particular WTO country, the MFN clause states that all WTO members will receive the same 10% reduction.

Customs resources 

Honduras’ Customs Administration

Honduras congressional ecommerce law

Customs refunds in Honduras

Honduras — Getting a Value-added tax (VAT) or sales tax Refund

Note: Talk to your carrier about customs refunds.

Shipping and compliance 

Top courier services:

• DHL Express
• FedEx/TNT
• UPS
• USPS

Depending on the courier, additional shipping fees may include:

• Tracking
• Insurance
• Fuel surcharge
• Remote delivery charge
• Signature fee
• Overweight or oversized fee
• Special handling fee
• Dangerous goods fee
• etc.

Documentation and paperwork

Always needed:

• Bill of lading or air waybill
• Commercial invoice

Sometimes needed:

• Packing list (always recommended, not required)

• Import certificate from Honduras' National Plant, Animal Health, and Food Safety Service (SENASA)

  • Required when importing the following product types:

    • Food products
    • Food additives
    • Pesticides
    • Inputs used in food processing

  • Required documents to obtain the import certificate:

    • Certificate of origin
    • Phyto or zoo sanitary certificate
    • Photocopy of pro forma commercial invoice

Prohibited, restricted, and controlled imports into Honduras

Government agencies regulate imports.

Prohibited items:

• Animals
• Products made in Iran
• Narcotics, medicine, and drugs
• Weapons and ammunition
• Pornographic materials
• Toxic chemicals
• Refurbished and right-hand drive vehicles
• Ivory
• Jewelry, precious stones, and metals
• Offensive or immoral articles
• Dangerous or hazmat goods

Restricted items:

• Plants and plant products
• Food products
• Medicines and medical samples
• Perishables
• Soil samples
• Firearms or firearm parts
• Animal products

Legal regulations for businesses

Import certificates

As outlined above in the Documentation and paperwork section, import certificates are required for certain imports into Honduras.

Tips for exporting from Honduras 

Exporting from Honduras