The Directorate-General of Customs and Indirect Taxes (french: Direction générale des douanes et droits indirects, DGDDI), commonly known as ''les douanes'' (Customs), is the
customs service
Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out of a country. Traditionally, customs ...
of the
French Republic
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
. It is responsible for levying indirect taxes, preventing smuggling, surveilling borders and investigating counterfeit money. The agency acts as a
coast guard
A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...
,
border guard
A border guard of a country is a national security agency that performs border security. Some of the national border guard agencies also perform coast guard (as in Federal Police (Germany), Germany, Guardia di Finanza, Italy or State Border Gua ...
, sea
rescue
Rescue comprises responsive operations that usually involve the saving of life, or the urgent treatment of injuries after an accident or a dangerous situation.
Tools used might include search and rescue dogs, mounted search and rescue ho ...
organisation, and
customs
Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out of a country. Traditionally, customs ...
service. In addition, since 1995, the agency has replaced the
Border Police units of the
National Police National Police may refer to the national police forces of several countries:
*Afghanistan: Afghan National Police
*Haiti: Haitian National Police
*Colombia: National Police of Colombia
*Cuba: Cuban National Police
*East Timor: National Police of ...
in carrying out
immigration
Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...
control at smaller
border checkpoint
A border checkpoint is a location on an international border where travelers or goods are inspected and allowed (or denied) passage through. Authorization often is required to enter a country through its borders. Access-controlled borders ofte ...
s, in particular at maritime borders and regional airports.
The Directorate-general is controlled by the Minister for the Budget, Public Accounts and the Civil Service
(french: Ministère du Budget, des Comptes publics et de la Fonction publique) at the
Ministry of the Economy, Industry and Employment. It is normally known simply as "''la douane''", individual officers being referred to as "''douaniers''". Officers are routinely armed.
History
![Renault Mégane Douane française](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/99/Renault_M%C3%A9gane_Douane_fran%C3%A7aise.jpg)
The first French customs service was called the
Ferme générale
The ''ferme générale'' (, "general farm") was, in ''ancien régime'' France, essentially an outsourced customs, excise and indirect tax operation. It collected duties on behalf of the King (plus hefty bonus fees for themselves), under renewable ...
("General Farm") and operated under the
monarchy
A monarchy is a form of government in which a person, the monarch, is head of state for life or until abdication. The political legitimacy and authority of the monarch may vary from restricted and largely symbolic (constitutional monarchy) ...
. The ferme générale was a private company which bought each year the right to collect taxes. After the
Revolution
In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...
, the General Farm was dismantled and the French Customs, as a State service were created. Shortly after the instauration of
Empire
An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
, the Customs gained a military status. Some personnels were affected in ''bureaux'' (port or office-based staff who were tasked to apply customs measures to the goods entering and leaving France), others in ''brigades'' (mobile detachments organized and equipped to patrol the borders and arrest smugglers).
During French wars, notably the
Franco-Prussian War and the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
[source]
Site de la Douane: L'Histoire de la douane
History of the French Customs the brigades were used to form marksmen units and to track enemy units trying to infiltrate French lines. During WW1, due to their knowledge of the areas and their experience in human tracking, they were part of ''Corps Francs'' (small units which were tasked to operate behind German lines to collect intelligence and perform sabotages on enemy targets).
The red stripe on their uniforms is a remaining of the decoration of one of their officers, ''Capitaine Cutsaert'' during the
Napoleonic wars
The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...
The military customs service fought in the early part of the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
but was disbanded on June 22, 1940 after the French defeat and was never reconstituted as a military service. The most plausible reason was the downsizing of the French Military due to the 1940 armistice
Nonetheless small units of customs men from customs posts in
French Indochina
French Indochina (previously spelled as French Indo-China),; vi, Đông Dương thuộc Pháp, , lit. 'East Ocean under French Control; km, ឥណ្ឌូចិនបារាំង, ; th, อินโดจีนฝรั่งเศส, ...
fought against the Japanese as guerilla units until the end of the war.
The
Musée national des douanes
The Musée national des douanes is a national museum on the history of French customs located at Place de la Bourse in the city of Bordeaux, France. The building was built in the 18th century to receive the new ''Ferme générale
The ''ferme g ...
located in
Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, presents the history of French customs.
Jurisdiction
France has land borders with other members of the
European Union Customs Union
The European Union Customs Union (EUCU), formally known as the Community Customs Union, is a customs union which consists of all the member states of the European Union (EU), Monaco, and the British Overseas Territory of Akrotiri and Dhekel ...
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
,
Luxembourg
Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
,
Monaco
Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...
and
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
.
European Union laws prohibit systematic customs checks at any border between two members of its Customs Union. So, there is permanent customs facility at the borders with these countries. However, France has borders with non members of this Union :
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
,
Andorra
, image_flag = Flag of Andorra.svg
, image_coat = Coat of arms of Andorra.svg
, symbol_type = Coat of arms
, national_motto = la, Virtus Unita Fortior, label=none (Latin)"United virtue is stro ...
,
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
and
Suriname
Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...
.
[source]
Status of the European Countriess At these borders are located customs facilities.
Moreover, there are many facilities inland. French Customs are allowed to search vehicles, merchandises and individuals anywhere France according to the French Customs Code, article 60.
French Customs, in addition to their main missions, are also tasked to perform immigration controls at the following airports and ports at the external border of the
Schengen Area
The Schengen Area ( , ) is an area comprising 27 European countries that have officially abolished all passport and all other types of border control at their mutual borders. Being an element within the wider area of freedom, security and j ...
:
The French customs service carries out customs checks only at the following airports, ports and stations at the external border of the
Schengen Area
The Schengen Area ( , ) is an area comprising 27 European countries that have officially abolished all passport and all other types of border control at their mutual borders. Being an element within the wider area of freedom, security and j ...
:
Organisation
The customs headquarters is in
Montreuil (
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
).
The agency consists of one national headquarter (Cabinet of the General Director, six sub-directorates and supporting services), national departments and local directorates :
''Administration centrale'', national headquarters
** Sub-directorates (A : Human Resources, B : Budget, C : IT, D : Legal affairs, E : International Trade, F : Indirect Taxation)
** ''Département des statistiques et des études économiques'', Statistics and Economic studies department ;
** ''Inspection des services'' (IS), internal auditing ;
** ''Bureau de l'information et de la communication'' (BIC), Office of Information and Communication ;
** ''DRI'', Delegation for International Relations ;
** ''CCG'', Management Control Unit ;
** ''General Director’s Office – General Affairs'' ;
''Services à Compétence Nationale'', national departments
** ''Direction nationale garde-côtes des douanes'' (DNGCD) based in
Le Havre
Le Havre (, ; nrf, Lé Hâvre ) is a port city in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France. It is situated on the right bank of the estuary of the river Seine on the Channel southwest of the Pays de Caux, very cl ...
, under the supervision of the Sub-directorate ''Réseau''. It is composed of three coast guard services (''services garde-côtes des douanes''), in
Nantes
Nantes (, , ; Gallo: or ; ) is a city in Loire-Atlantique on the Loire, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the sixth largest in France, with a population of 314,138 in Nantes proper and a metropolitan area of nearly 1 million inhabita ...
- covering the Atlantic and English Channel region,
Marseille
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
for the Mediterranean sea, and
Fort-de-France
Fort-de-France (, , ; gcf, label=Martinican Creole, Fodfwans) is a Communes of France, commune and the capital city of Martinique, an overseas department and region of France located in the Caribbean. It is also one of the major cities in the ...
for the Antilles and French Guyane seas ;
** ''Direction nationale du recrutement et de la formation professionnelle'' (DNRFP) based in
Tourcoing
Tourcoing (; nl, Toerkonje ; vls, Terkoeje; pcd, Tourco) is a city in northern France on the Belgian border. It is designated municipally as a Communes of France, commune within the Departments of France, department of Nord (French department), ...
, under the supervision of the Sub-directorate A. It is composed of the two training facilities, in Tourcoing and
La Rochelle
La Rochelle (, , ; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''La Rochéle''; oc, La Rochèla ) is a city on the west coast of France and a seaport on the Bay of Biscay, a part of the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Charente-Maritime department. With ...
;
** ''
'' (DNRED), which acts both as an intelligence agency and as a very serious investigations services with headquarters in
Ivry, near
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
(formerly
Vincennes
Vincennes (, ) is a commune in the Val-de-Marne department in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. It is next to but does not include the Château de Vincennes and Bois de Vincennes, which are attached ...
) and substations all across France ;
** ''Direction nationale des statistiques et du commerce extérieur'' (DNSCE), formerly a statistical service, currently a datacenter and IT engineering agency, based in
Toulouse
Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...
, under the supervision of the Sub-directorate C ;
** ''Centre informatique douanier'' (CID), a datacenter and IT engineering agency based in
Osny, under the supervision of the Sub-directorate C ;
** ''Service national de la douane judiciaire'' (SNDJ), a judicial investigative service based in Ivry in the same building as the DNRED. Like the DNRED it has substations in France but not always in the same cities.
** ''Service commun des laboratoires'' (SCL), providing scientific support and legal analysis in laboratories. This service depends both of the French Customs and the ''Direction Générale de la Concurrence, de la Consommation et de la Répression des Fraudes'' ;
** ''Unité d'Informations Passagers – Passenger Name Record'' (UIP-PNR), ''Passenger's Information Unit'', the French part of the
PNR
A passenger name record (PNR) is a record in the database of a computer reservation system (CRS) that contains the itinerary for a passenger or a group of passengers travelling together. The concept of a PNR was first introduced by airlines that n ...
, a joint unit (with the
National Police National Police may refer to the national police forces of several countries:
*Afghanistan: Afghan National Police
*Haiti: Haitian National Police
*Colombia: National Police of Colombia
*Cuba: Cuban National Police
*East Timor: National Police of ...
;
** ''Musée National des Douanes'' (MND), the Museum ;
** ''Service d'Analyses de Risques et de Ciblages'' (SARC) which uses big-data to produce risk analysis to help local services to better detect frauds, under the supervision of the Sub-directorate D ;
Decentralised Services
France is divided into 12 ''Directions inter-régionales'' (Inter-region Directorates). These 12 are divided into ''Directions régionales'' (Region Directorates).
* 42 are inland directorate, which typically consists of:
**Managerial, training and logistic services ;
**Customs ''Bureaux'': dealing with commerce ;
**Customs ''Brigades'': Squads dealing with surveillance ;
**Two regional units, the ''Service Régional d'Enquêtes'' (SRE) ''Regional Service of (serious frauds) Investigations'', ''Service Régional d'Audits'' (SRA) ''Regional Service of audits (before giving them a "trustee" status)'' ;
**A wines unit ;
Legal Framework
Unlike the
French National Police
The National Police (french: Police nationale), formerly known as the , is one of two national police forces of France, the other being the National Gendarmerie. The National Police is the country's main civil law enforcement agency, with primar ...
, Municipal Polices and the
French Gendarmerie
The National Gendarmerie (french: Gendarmerie nationale, ) is one of two national law enforcement forces of France, along with the National Police (France), National Police. The Gendarmerie is a branch of the French Armed Forces placed under the ...
, most customs officers do not gain their powers from the ''Code de Procédure Pénale'' (Code Of Criminal Procedure) but from the ''Code des Douanes National'' (''National Customs Code'').
They can :
* search vehicles of any kind, merchandises, people, artificial islands, installations and constructions of the continental shelf and the exclusive economic zone, commercial buildings and habitations ;
* perform drug tests on individuals ;
* order a driver to stop, and if he does not comply use all necessary means to immobilize him ;
* divert a ship to a French port ;
* seize documents and merchandises ;
* consult files of many administrations and nearly all companies which move goods or accomplish customs operations ;
* open boxes send by postal service or express fret companies ;
* perform identity checks, infiltrate criminal organizations
* investigate both nationally and internationally with foreign customs ;
* requisition qualified people ;
* take samples ;
Some of these operations require prior approval by a magistrate.
However, the personnels of the SNDJ, nicknamed ''Officiers de Douane Judiciaire'' (ODJ), can not use these powers. They gained their powers from the Code of Criminal Procedure
Personnel
![Borgman1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f3/Borgman1.jpg)
Category A ''(inspecteur des douanes )'' is recruited from holders of a bachelor's degree; category B is recruited from holders of a high school diploma giving access to university studies; category C from holders of a vocational high school diploma.
In 2017, the ranks of Agent de constatation principal de 2nde classe and Agent de constatation de 1ère classe were merged and the rank of Agent de constatation de 2nde classe were renamed Agent de constatation. Before the Agents de constatation de 1ère class wore the same insignia than the Agent de constatation de 2nde classe except they had 3 chevrons.
Armament and equipment
Air
In 2010 the aircraft fleet consisted of
Reims-Cessna F406
The Reims-Cessna F406 Caravan II is a turboprop twin engine utility aircraft manufactured and designed by Reims Aviation in cooperation with Cessna.
Design and development
The F406 Caravan II is a twin turboprop engined, fourteen-seat low-win ...
maritime patrol aircraft; and
Eurocopter EC-135
The Eurocopter EC135 (now Airbus Helicopters H135) is a twin-engine civil light utility helicopter produced by Airbus Helicopters (formerly known as Eurocopter). It is capable of flight under instrument flight rules (IFR) and is outfitted with ...
and
Aérospatiale AS355 helicopters. Two Reims-Cessna F406s operated out of Martinique and the rest were based in metropolitan France.
From 2012 onwards eight
Beechcraft King Air 350s replaced the F406s.
Surveillance maritime : La Douane va acquérir 8 nouveaux avions
Mer et Marine, 14 juin 2010
Maritime
In 2010 the customs had 3 offshore patrol boats, 18 coastal patrol boats, 18 surveillance patrol boats and 5 speed boats. The boats are assigned as follows:
*North sea/Channel:
:1 Offshore Patrol Boat
:2 Coastal Patrol Boat
:1 Surveillance Patrol Boat
:2 speed boats
*Atlantic
:1 Offshore Patrol Boat
:4 Coastal Patrol Boat
:3 Surveillance Patrol Boat
:2 speed boats
*Mediterranean
:1 Offshore Patrol Boat
:8 Coastal Patrol Boat
:8 Surveillance Patrol Boat
*Antilles/South America
:4 Coastal Patrol Boat
:5 Surveillance Patrol Boat
*Polynesia
:1 Offshore Patrol Boat
:1 Speed boat
Ground forces
As of 2008 the Customs service had 3255 vehicles (including 355 motorbikes).
Small Arms
Customs Agents are now armed with the 9 mm SIG Sauer SP 2022
The SIG Pro is a series of semi-automatic pistols developed by SIG Sauer in Exeter, New Hampshire. It became the first polymer-frame handgun from SIG Sauer and one of the first pistols to feature a built-in universal accessory rail and interch ...
pistols as the standard issued sidearm, a French custom-tailored variant of the SIG Sauer Pro. The pistol was ordered to replace the several revolvers in service.
References
{{Border guards
National law enforcement agencies of France
Border protection
Customs services
Immigration services
Coast guards