Quick Answer: With AB Group Shipping, a 10 kg courier box to Honduras costs from $235 door-to-door (September 2026 quote), and a full container takes 3 days from Houston, 14 from New Jersey, and 21 from Miami, port to port. The right method depends on volume, urgency, and budget.
- Five ways to ship to Honduras: door-to-door courier, air freight, ocean LCL, full container FCL, and household goods.
- Honduras applies import duties (DAI) from 0% to 15% on most goods outside SIECA, plus a 15% Sales Tax (ISV); alcohol and tobacco pay 18%.
- Puerto Cortés is the main ocean gateway; Palmerola (XPL) and Ramón Villeda Morales (SAP) handle air cargo.
- Decree 73-2026 (Special Law for Return Facilitation) exempts returnee household goods from duty up to USD 150,000, but as of October 11, 2026, it was not yet in effect due to missing Operating Regulations.
Before you pack, check what cannot enter: Honduras restricts firearms and ammunition without license, waste and toxic chemicals, pornographic material, and narcotics. This guide ranks the five methods, the prices we can publish, real transit times, and the Honduran customs process step by step.
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Go to the calculator →Reference prices: shipping from the USA to Honduras
| Shipment | From | Port |
|---|---|---|
| One vehiclecar, SUV, pickup or motorcycle, alone in a 20 ft container | $2,020 | Houston |
| Boxes and some furnitureconsolidated, ≈13 m³ | $2,732 | Miami |
| 2-bedroom move20 ft container | $2,700 | Houston |
| 40 ft HC containergeneral cargo | $972 | Houston |
Port to port to Puerto Cortes or San Pedro Sula, in USD, quoted with our system on September 28, 2026. Includes freight and US export charges; excludes import taxes and destination charges. The calculator on this page gives your exact price, with pickup and delivery.
Shipping from another state? Which port to read
Each port in the table is the one that cargo from these states usually leaves through. Miami: Florida. Houston: Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska. New Jersey: New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, District of Columbia and West Virginia. Los Angeles: California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah and Hawaii. Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky and Alabama ship through Savannah; Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota and South Dakota ship through Chicago (rail); Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Alaska ship through Seattle / Tacoma: those ports are not in the table yet. We pick up in every state, and the calculator finds the best port from your city.
Guides for shipping to Honduras
- Car Shipping to Honduras Calculator: Instant Quotes (2026) · Car shipping calculator
- Honduras Container Calculator: Instant Quotes, 2026 · Container (FCL) calculator
- Courier Calculator Honduras: Instant Rates (2026) · Boxes & packages calculator
What are all the ways to ship to Honduras from the USA?
Quick Answer: Five methods exist to ship to Honduras from the United States: door-to-door courier for boxes and packages, air freight for medium urgent volumes, ocean LCL for consolidated shipments, full container FCL for relocations or trade, and household goods for families relocating to the country.
First: what you cannot ship
According to the US Country Commercial Guide Honduras ("Prohibited & Restricted Imports", 01-25-2024), Honduras restricts the import of firearms and ammunition without license, waste and toxic chemicals, pornographic material, and narcotics. Plants do enter with the proper phytosanitary certificates. Any questionable item should be confirmed with us or an authorized customs broker before shipping.
Door-to-door courier: family boxes and packages
Courier solves the shipment of boxes from 5 to 50 kg: clothing, shoes, small electronics, baby items, and family gifts. It picks up at your US home and delivers to the Honduran address. It is the most used method by families and the best fit for frequent shipments. To see rates by weight, check our Honduras Courier Calculator 2026: Instant Rates.
Air freight: 50 kg to 2 m³ with urgency
Air cargo departs from Miami, Houston, Los Angeles, or New York/New Jersey to Palmerola (XPL) or Ramón Villeda Morales (SAP). It makes sense when inventory cannot wait weeks: spare parts, trade samples, medical equipment. Charges are calculated by volumetric weight, not scale weight alone.
Ocean LCL
Your cargo shares a container with other customers' shipments. You pay per cubic meter, not for the entire container. It works best below about 10 CBM: a small apartment move, two or three pallets, a merchandise lot. Add days for consolidation at the origin CFS and deconsolidation at Puerto Cortés.
Full container (FCL)
A 20', 40', 40HC, or 45HC exclusively for you, sealed from origin to destination. It is the best option from 10–12 CBM up, when the cost per cubic meter drops versus LCL. Less handling, less damage risk, and a single Bill of Lading for Honduran customs.
Household goods and family boxes
Household goods travel as unaccompanied baggage, with its own customs treatment. RECAUCA article 585 is clear: vehicles and machinery, office equipment, laboratory, factory, or workshop tools can never be included in household goods. We will cover this in detail later.
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Choose method, origin, and volume. The calculator on this page gives you the price for your Honduras shipment.
Go to the calculator →How much does it cost to ship a package or cargo to Honduras?
Quick Answer: With AB Group Shipping, a 10 kg courier box to Honduras costs from $235 door-to-door from Miami, Houston, New Jersey, or Los Angeles (September 2026 quote). Other methods are quoted by weight, volume, and origin. See the price table below this answer: it updates itself every month.
Door-to-door price from Miami, Houston, New Jersey, or Los Angeles to Honduras, per our quoting system in September 2026. Rates change every month, so the valid reference is always the calculator on this page.
10 kg (22 lb) courier box to Honduras, door-to-door
See the data
| US Origin | Price from (Sep. 2026) | Method |
|---|---|---|
| Miami, FL | $235 | Door-to-door courier |
| Houston, TX | $235 | Door-to-door courier |
| New Jersey | $235 | Door-to-door courier |
| Los Angeles, CA | $235 | Door-to-door courier |
Source: AB Group Shipping quoting system · September 2026. Rates change every month.
MiamiFL
Hondurasdoor-to-door
HoustonTX
Hondurasdoor-to-door
New JerseyNJ
Hondurasdoor-to-door
Los AngelesCA
Hondurasdoor-to-door
What if I'm not shipping from one of those four cities?
Your region determines the gateway and, with it, the price and transit time. Other cities use the price of the nearest listed origin, always written as approx. next to the port:
- Florida → Miami: approx. $235 per 10 kg box, departing PortMiami.
- Texas and central states → Houston: approx. $235, departing Port Houston.
- California and the Southwest → Los Angeles/Long Beach: approx. $235.
- The Northeast → New Jersey: approx. $235, via Port of New York and New Jersey.
- The Southeast → Savannah: approx. $235, using Miami pricing as reference.
- The Midwest → rail via Chicago to Houston: approx. $235, plus extra rail days.
Ocean and air freight are quoted port-to-port or airport-to-airport. Inland delivery in Honduras, port storage, and customs broker fees are separate charges: they are not AB Group freight. The same applies to taxes, which are settled with the Honduran Customs Administration.
If you do not know how many cubic meters your cargo occupies, our Container Load Calculator: Pallets and Boxes solves it before you quote.
How long does ocean freight to Honduras take?
Quick Answer: A full container to Honduras takes 3 days from Houston, 14 days from New Jersey, and 21 days from Miami, port to port. LCL adds 5 to 10 days for consolidation and deconsolidation at destination. Air courier delivers in days, not weeks, depending on the Honduran destination city.
Ocean transit port-to-port to Honduras (full container)
See the data
| Port of Origin | Transit (days) | Destination |
|---|---|---|
| Houston, TX | 3 | Honduras (port-to-port) |
| New Jersey | 14 | Honduras (port-to-port) |
| Miami, FL | 21 | Honduras (port-to-port) |
Source: AB Group Shipping quoting system · September 2026.
| Method | Typical Lead Time | Ideal Volume | Cost | Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Door-to-door courier | Days | 5–50 kg per box | From $235 per 10 kg (Sep. 2026) | Family boxes, clothing, gifts |
| Air freight | Days | 50 kg to 2 m³ | By volumetric weight — see calculator | Spare parts, samples, urgent |
| Ocean LCL | Transit + 5 to 10 days | 1 to 10 CBM | Per cubic meter — see calculator | Small moves, 2–3 pallets |
| Full container (FCL) | 3–21 days by origin | From 10–12 CBM | Per container — see calculator | Full moves, trade |
Cut-off and departure are not the same date
Many shippers think they can deliver cargo on the day the vessel departs. That is not how it works. The document cut-off closes several days before the vessel's ETD, and the container physical cut-off does too. If you miss cut-off, your cargo waits for the next sailing, even if the ship is still at the dock.
The customs clock starts at arrival, not departure. Filing the declaration, selectivity, any inspection, and payment determine when cargo leaves the port. That is why we recommend having documentation ready before the vessel reaches Puerto Cortés.
What taxes are paid when receiving a package in Honduras?
Quick Answer: Honduras charges an import duty (DAI) that for most goods outside SIECA falls between 0% and 15%, plus a general 15% Sales Tax (ISV). Alcohol and tobacco pay 18%, and some non-essential products also pay a 15% selective consumption tax.
These rates come from the US Country Commercial Guide Honduras, "Import Tariffs" section (January 25, 2024). They are published rates, not a commercial estimate. Taxes are not an AB Group price: they are settled with the Honduran Customs Administration.
The ISV base on imports is the CIF value plus import duties, selective taxes, and other import charges, per the Sales Tax Law, Decree-Law 24, article 3 b). That is, taxes stack.
Example with visible math
- Start with a CIF value of USD 1,000 (goods + freight + insurance).
- Apply the DAI. Assume a 10% tariff line: $1,000 × 10% = $100.
- Sum to get the ISV base: $1,000 + $100 = $1,100.
- Calculate the 15% ISV on that base: $1,100 × 15% = $165.
- Total taxes in this example: $265 on a CIF of $1,000.
No official "X% of CIF" for household goods
No official source publishes a single combined percentage for household goods. Distrust guides that promise "15% to 30% of CIF." The correct approach is to cite the two rates separately: 0%–15% duty plus 15% ISV. Any other percentage, cap, or rate must be confirmed with us or an authorized customs broker before shipping.
What is the customs declaration and how does Honduras' customs process work?
Quick Answer: The customs declaration is the document with which goods are presented to the Honduran Customs Administration. It is backed by the commercial invoice or equivalent document, the transport document, the customs value declaration, and, if claiming tariff preference, the certificate of origin (RECAUCA article 321).
The authority is the Honduran Customs Administration, which has operated as its own agency since 2020 (US Country Commercial Guide Honduras, "Customs Regulations", 2024). Previously, the Deputy Directorate of Customs Revenue and, before that, the Executive Directorate of Revenue signed off on instructions.
Do I need a customs broker?
In most cases, yes. RECAUCA article 87 h) exempts a customs broker for non-commercial imports only when the value does not exceed 1,000 Central American pesos. Above that threshold, or if the cargo is commercial, an accredited customs broker is required.
The operational flow, step by step
- Book space with the carrier or NVOCC and confirm the booking.
- Deliver cargo before the document and physical cut-off at the origin port.
- Vessel departs; the Bill of Lading and cargo manifest are issued.
- Arrives at Puerto Cortés and the carrier unloads the container.
- File the customs declaration with supporting documents.
- Pass selectivity; if red channel is drawn, physical inspection occurs.
- Pay duty and ISV and withdraw cargo from the port.
Operations tip
Send the commercial invoice and packing list to your customs broker while the vessel is at sea, not after it arrives. Preparing the declaration in transit cuts storage days. Any deadline, form, or official rate not cited in the regulation must be confirmed with an authorized customs broker.
Which port or airport is best to ship cargo to Honduras?
Quick Answer: Puerto Cortés is Honduras' main ocean gateway and the natural destination for nearly all container traffic from the United States. Puerto Castilla and San Lorenzo handle specific cargoes, while Palmerola (XPL) serves Tegucigalpa and Ramón Villeda Morales (SAP) serves San Pedro Sula and the industrial valley.
| Terminal | Location | Cargo Type | To San Pedro Sula | To Tegucigalpa |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Puerto Cortés | Caribbean, Cortés dept. | FCL, LCL, container | Close, by road | By road |
| Puerto Castilla | Trujillo, Colón | Breakbulk, projects | approx. 220 miles | approx. 300 miles |
| San Lorenzo | Pacific, Valley | Bulk, spot cargo | approx. 170 miles | approx. 80 miles |
| Palmerola (XPL) | Comayagua | Air cargo | By road | Close, by road |
| Ramón Villeda Morales (SAP) | San Pedro Sula | Air cargo | In city | approx. 155 miles |
| Golosón (LCE) | La Ceiba, Atlántida | Light air cargo | approx. 125 miles | approx. 235 miles |
If your destination is the Sula Valley
San Pedro Sula, Choloma, Villanueva, and El Progreso are supplied via Puerto Cortés, less than an hour by truck. For urgent air, SAP is the natural terminal. It is the country's industrial corridor and the one with the highest service frequency.
If your destination is Tegucigalpa
Ocean cargo still enters through Puerto Cortés and travels by road to the Central District. For air, Palmerola (XPL) in Comayagua is the terminal serving the capital and central zone, less than two hours away.
Sample routes, port-to-port, with transit times from our September 2026 quoting system: Houston → Puerto Cortés in 3 days, New Jersey → Puerto Cortés in 14 days, and Miami → Puerto Cortés in 21 days. Several regional guides, such as shipping services from Colombia to Honduras, confirm that Puerto Cortés concentrates the bulk of the country's container traffic.
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Select your departure port and see the price and transit to Honduras.
Go to the calculator →What items cannot be shipped to Honduras?
Quick Answer: Honduras restricts the import of firearms and ammunition without license, waste and toxic chemicals, pornographic material, and narcotics. Plants may enter with proper phytosanitary certificates. Any other questionable item should be checked with us or an authorized customs broker before shipping.
- Prohibited or restricted: firearms and ammunition without license, waste and toxic chemicals, pornographic material, and narcotics [US Country Commercial Guide Honduras, "Prohibited & Restricted Imports", 01-25-2024].
- Plants: admitted with the appropriate phytosanitary certificates.
- Never in household goods: vehicles, and machinery, office equipment, laboratory, factory, or workshop tools [RECAUCA article 585].
- Outside the return exemption: firearms and ammunition, hazardous substances, luxury goods outside household use, and goods for immediate resale or intended for third parties [Decree 73-2026 article 7, original text of May 28, 2026].
Beware of third-party lists
Lists circulate in moving guides and videos like this guide on how to ship boxes from the USA to Honduras that mention medications, refrigerators with certain refrigerants, jewelry, or food. No official Honduran source confirms those restrictions as published. Confirm with us or an authorized customs broker before packing.
How do I ship household goods and family boxes to Honduras?
Quick Answer: Household goods travel as unaccompanied baggage in LCL or full container. The Special Law for Return Facilitation (Decree 73-2026) allows Honduran returnees and their family group to import their household goods duty-free, tax-free, and fee-free, with a cap of USD 150,000 in customs value, one time per family group.
Decree 73-2026, articles 1 and 18 (La Gaceta No. 37,153, May 28, 2026), exempts household goods, work implements, and one private or work vehicle from import duties, Sales Tax, and all other import taxes and fees. Article 4 sets the exemption as total, granted once per family group, with a USD 150,000 customs value cap.
What the original published text says
- Article 9, in its original text of May 28, 2026, sets no minimum residence time abroad. It requires consular proof of residence and a passport or migration record.
- Household goods must be imported within twelve months following return, counted from the date of entry to Honduras.
- The law covers Hondurans returning by deportation, voluntary departure, or expired migration status, and those declaring return to establish domicile.
- Exemptions (waivers or franchises) are issued by the Ministry of Finance (SEFIN), Customs Franchises Unit; consular proof is issued by consulates.
Mandatory notice before shipping your household goods
Decree 167-2026 (La Gaceta No. 37,246, September 21, 2026) reformed several articles of the Return Law, and its text has not been read. Also, as of October 11, 2026, the law was not yet in effect: the Operating Regulations had not been issued, and the deadline passed on August 28, 2026. Confirm current terms with us or an authorized customs broker before shipping.
As a regional baseline, the Central American Tariff and Customs Regime Convention (article 21-a) and RECAUCA article 586-c allow household goods exemptions only for residents absent from the country for the 24 months prior to definitive return. To see how a comparable household goods corridor is handled, check Shipping to Ecuador from the USA: Everything You Need to Know.
What Incoterm and documents do I need to ship a box to Honduras?
Quick Answer: To ship to Honduras you need a commercial invoice, packing list, transport document (B/L or AWB), customs value declaration, and certificate of origin if claiming preference under CAFTA-DR. The Incoterm defines who pays freight, insurance, duty, and ISV: DDP puts it all on the seller, EXW all on the buyer.
| Incoterm 2020 | International Freight | Insurance | Duty (DAI) | ISV 15% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EXW | Buyer | Buyer | Buyer | Buyer |
| FCA | Buyer | Buyer | Buyer | Buyer |
| CIF | Seller | Seller | Buyer | Buyer |
| DAP | Seller | Seller | Buyer | Buyer |
| DDP | Seller | Seller | Seller | Seller |
DDP looks comfortable on paper and is expensive in practice. The seller assumes the full Honduran settlement: duty, 15% ISV, and any value adjustment Customs makes. With DAP, the goods arrive at destination but the Honduran consignee settles the taxes in their name. For families and small businesses, DAP is usually the sensible middle ground.
CAFTA-DR can reduce duty on originating goods. But it requires a certificate of origin and compliance with the agreement's rules of origin. Without that document, customs applies the general rate.
Volumetric weight: the cost the scale does not show
On air and courier, you pay the greater of actual weight or volumetric weight. The usual formula is length × width × height (cm) ÷ 5000. A large box with pillows weighs little and costs a lot. Pack tight, use snug boxes, and avoid air. Also buy insurance for the commercial value and keep photos of the packing for any claim.
Supporting documents are per RECAUCA article 321: commercial invoice or equivalent document, transport document, customs value declaration, and certificate of origin when claiming preference. Regional operators like Coordinadora in their guide to shipments to the United States apply the same document logic in reverse. And if you compare carriers, check our Canada to Colombia Boxes Calculator 2026: In Seconds or the Online Calculator: How Much Does It Cost to Ship a Car to Mexico.
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Courier, air, LCL, or full container to Honduras, with your real origin.
Go to the calculator →Take the next step with your Honduras shipment
Quick Answer: Choose the method by volume and urgency, prepare the commercial invoice and transport document, and confirm customs treatment with an authorized broker. As a shipping company to Honduras with thousands of shipments processed on the USA–Latin America corridor, we quote your exact origin in seconds.
With AB Group Shipping we cover door-to-door shipments to Honduras from any city in the USA and Canada, via Miami, Houston, Los Angeles/Long Beach, New York/New Jersey, Savannah, Chicago by rail, Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. Use the calculator on this page to compare courier, air, LCL, and full container with your real origin, no email and no follow-up calls.
Price depends on actual weight, volumetric weight, origin city, and method: door-to-door courier, air, LCL, or full container. Our rates change every month, so the valid reference is the price table on this page, which updates itself. Use the embedded calculator to see your exact origin price in seconds.
A full container takes about 3 days from Houston, 14 days from New Jersey, and 21 days from Miami, port-to-port to Honduras. LCL adds several days for consolidation at origin and deconsolidation at Puerto Cortés. Add those times to customs clearance and inland delivery to Tegucigalpa or San Pedro Sula.
Honduras applies an import duty ranging from 0% to 15% on most goods outside SIECA, plus a general 15% Sales Tax (ISV). Alcohol and tobacco pay 18%, and some non-essential goods also pay a 15% selective consumption tax. The ISV base is the CIF value plus import duties and other import charges.
You cannot import firearms and ammunition without license, waste and toxic chemicals, pornographic material, or narcotics. Plants may enter with proper phytosanitary certificates. Vehicles and machinery, office equipment, laboratory, factory, or workshop tools can never travel in household goods, per RECAUCA article 585.
The Special Law for Return Facilitation (Decree 73-2026) exempts household goods, work implements, and one vehicle from duty, Sales Tax, and all other import taxes, one time per family group with a USD 150,000 customs value cap. However, as of October 11, 2026, the law was not yet in effect because its Operating Regulations had not been issued, and a September 2026 decree reformed several of its articles. Confirm current terms with us or an authorized customs broker before shipping.
You need the commercial invoice or equivalent document, transport document (ocean B/L or air AWB), customs value declaration, and, if claiming tariff preference under CAFTA-DR, the certificate of origin, per RECAUCA article 321. For returnee household goods, add consular proof of residence and passport or migration record. An authorized customs broker confirms what applies to your case.