Customs attachés

Doing business safely and pleasantly

Attachés are officials who work for the government and live abroad for long stretches of time. Customs attachés work especially for customs. They exchange information and they keep up a good working relationship with the customs services of the country concerned. Customs is able to have a better collaboration with the country through the attaché. Typically, activities comprise the import and the export of goods between the two countries but they also concern tackling the smuggling of illicit goods like drugs, protected animals and plants and counterfeit articles.

Locations

Customs currently has 4 attachés in four countries: 

• Beijing, China;
• Brasilia, Brazil;
• London, United Kingdom;
• Singapore. This attaché also has contact with Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.

A specific contact 

Every attaché has its own contact at Customs in the Netherlands. The attaché provides that person with important information such as information that may help us here to check goods and persons coming from that country. In turn, the contact here provides information as to what is happening at Customs in the Netherlands. Online communications take place every month with all of the contacts in the Netherlands.

Working method

Attachés collect information about the countries where they work. An example is how a country monitors the goods that go to the Netherlands, in addition to what illegal goods come to the Netherlands from that country. They provide advice to Customs in the Netherlands. During checks at the Dutch borders, we take such advice into consideration. Customs thoroughly check for hidden drugs in goods coming from South America. 
In the event of developments affecting both countries, the attachés also gives advice to customs services abroad, which was evident in the case of the consequences of Brexit on the transport of goods between the United Kingdom and the European Union.

Sharing knowledge and information 

Customs attachés do not only collect information; they also share valuable information on the Netherlands with the government in the other country. Customs is always interested in the latest techniques for better checks, such as the use of drones for finding criminals. Occasionally, countries may learn about innovative techniques from Dutch Customs. For instance, our Customs laboratory has made an app to make it easier to determine whether particular medicines are allowed to be imported into the Netherlands.

Keeping good relations

The work of the attachés does not only concern knowledge and information, attachés are also working on the relations with a country, such as meeting people who are important for doing business between the countries. It is essential to actually see people in order to have a good relationship.

Important characteristics

Being an attaché is not an easy job. They usually live abroad for their work for a period of up to 4 years, often with their family. It is for that reason that it is important to speak the language well and to respect other cultures as well as having to be able to cope with stress. The work of an attaché may be quite demanding.