Customs officers are employed by HM Revenue & Customs and work in UK ports and airports.

They are also known as

customs and excise officers. Typical responsibilities of the job include:

identifying people to question on the basis of prior offences/likely risk etc

searching baggage and individuals for smuggled items

making arrests of people suspected of smuggling

seizing smuggled goods

checking documentation relating to imported goods

detecting and prosecuting drug smugglers

collecting and supplying trade statistics

writing reports

fighting the increasing problem of alcohol and tobacco smuggling

helping to combat the worldwide illegal trade in endangered species of animals and birds

dealing with revenue due on imported goods

liaising with others, such as police officers and members of the Home Office.

Job vacancies are advertised by careers services and via the internet. You may be able to find a role through Civil Service
Jobs on GOV.UK.

Qualifications and training required

It’s possible to become a customs officer both with or without a degree. Most people begin as an administrative
assistant or assistant officer, before gaining promotion to the position of customs officer. Five GCSEs at grade 4 (C) or
above are usually needed to begin at an officer level, while two GCSEs is the minimum requirement for an administrative
position. You should check vacancies on an individual bases, as qualification requirements could vary depending on
location.

Experience of and/or a qualification in legal studies or European/non-European languages may be beneficial. A relevant
postgraduate qualification and/or work experience may be required for some positions.

Key skills for customs officers

All candidates should be UK nationals and free from certain criminal convictions. Customs officers need to be calm,
assertive and resilient, and must possess excellent communication, teamworking and interpersonal skills.
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‍ ‍
 customs the duties or taxes imposed on imported or
exported goods; the government department
or agency that is authorised to collect the
taxes imposed on imported goods
‍ ‍
 customs officer an officer enforcing customs laws
‍ ‍
 duty a tax placed on imports or exports
‍ ‍
 smuggle to import or export, illicitly or by stealth,
without paying lawful customs charges or
duties
‍ ‍
 declare to make outstanding debts, e.g. taxes,
payable; to announce something formally or
officially
‍ ‍
 duty-free shop a shop, especially at an airport, where goods
may be purchased that are excluded from
duty
‍ ‍
 duty-free excluded from duty, especially from customs
duty
‍ ‍
 passport an official document normally used for
international journeys, which proves the
identity and nationality of the person for
whom it was issued
‍ ‍
 expired that is no longer valid
‍ ‍
 valid acceptable or correct; not yet expired