Customs and Excise Officer

Job overview
Customs and Excise is a branch of the government's Department of Finance, coming under the direction of the Commissioner of Customs and Excise.

The staff can be divided into three groups - those concerned with customs affairs, those with excise affairs and those with people arriving at and departing from the country.

What do people do in these jobs?
Customs and Excise officers concerned with customs affairs?

Control all imports and exports, checking the tariff classification of all goods.

They ensure that the correct import duties are paid.

They sometimes examine goods to determine their composition and ensure that live animals and plants are not imported or exported illegally.

They inspect the books and documents of importers and exporters to ensure that legislation is complied with.

They also have other duties, such as controlling goods stored in bonded warehouses.

Customs and Excise officers concerned with excise affairs?

"Excise?" ?refers to tax levied on certain goods produced within the country such as cigarettes, alcoholic drinks and motor vehicles.

These officers must ensure that excise duties are levied from firms which are licensed to manufacture taxable products.

In some cases officers are stationed at the premises of large manufacturers, such as motor vehicle factories or assembly plants.

The officers are involved in inspections, stocktaking and the control of all sales.

Customs and Excise officers concerned with arrivals and departures.

These officers are concerned with people entering or leaving the country, aircraft passengers and crew members and travellers by road and by rail.

They are stationed at places of arrival or departure such as frontier-posts and airports.

They control smuggling and ensure that import duties are paid.

Passengers and their luggage are examined when necessary.

What kinds of people are suitable for this career?
Customs and Excise officers must be fair, patient and polite and at the same time watchful and firm.

Their turn-out must be immaculate.

What qualifications are needed?
An aptitude for figures, with a minimum of good O-level passes, including mathematics.

Many Customs and Excise officers in fact have a university degree.