Directorate-General of Customs and Indirect Taxes

French Customs
Direction Générale des Douanes et Droits Indirects
French Customs logo
French Customs logo
Common namela douane
Agency overview
Formed1791
Annual budget€1.66 billion (2020)
Jurisdictional structure
Operations jurisdictionFrance
Specialist jurisdiction
Operational structure
Headquarters11, Rue des Deux Communes, Montreuil, Seine-Saint-Denis
Elected officer responsible
Parent agencyMinistry of the Economy, Industry and Employment
Minister for the Budget, Public Accounts and the Civil Service
Website
www.douane.gouv.fr

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 of the French Republic. It is responsible for levying indirect taxes, preventing smuggling, surveilling borders and investigating counterfeit money. The agency acts as a coast guard, border guard, sea rescue organisation, and customs service.[1] In addition, since 1995, the agency has replaced the Border Police units of the National Police in carrying out immigration control at smaller border checkpoints, in particular at maritime borders and regional airports.[2][3]

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.[4]

  1. ^ Missions of the DGDDI
  2. ^ "Center for the Study of Democracy: Study to identify best practices on the cooperation between border guards and customs administrations working at the external borders of the EU" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2012-01-30.
  3. ^ "Circuler en sécurité en Europe : renforcer Schengen" (in French). Senate (France). 2017-03-29. Retrieved 2020-04-18. la PAF a-t-elle vocation à se voir attribuer les PPF au « trafic permanent significatif en provenance de pays sources d'immigration ou qui possèdent une importance justifiant une présence policière et douanière permanente »
  4. ^ p Site internet de la Douane: Son organisation Archived 2011-07-27 at the Wayback Machine