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Resume example

Customs officer resume example

French customs (Direction générale des douanes et droits indirects, DGDDI) has two main branches, and the daily work depends on which one you join.

In the surveillance branch (branche surveillance), officers wear a uniform, often carry a weapon and check vehicles, passengers and freight at airports, ports, motorway tolls and border areas, looking for drugs, counterfeit goods, undeclared cash or tobacco. In the administrative and tax branch (opérations commerciales et administration générale), you process import and export declarations, check tariff classification, origin and value of goods, collect duties and indirect taxes, and advise companies on procedures. Both branches write official reports (procès-verbaux) and work closely with other services. Shift patterns, travel and outdoor work are common in surveillance; office hours and company audits are more typical in the tax branch.

Resume example

[First name Last name]

Customs Officer Candidate | Logistics and International Trade Background

[City] · [phone] · [email]

Profile

Customs officer for [x] years in the surveillance branch at [Airport or Port]. I carry out passenger, baggage and freight controls, use scanners and sniffer dog teams, and draft procès-verbaux that stand up in court.

Experience

Customs officer, surveillance brigade, [Port], [City]

[month year] to present

  • Carried out controls on trucks and containers using mobile scanners and document checks
  • Detected undeclared goods and counterfeit products, leading to seizures and procès-verbaux
  • Worked night and weekend shifts within a brigade of [x] officers
  • Cooperated with the dog team and the intelligence unit on targeted controls
  • Briefed new officers on control procedures and report writing

Resume headlines

  • Customs Officer Candidate | Logistics and International Trade Background
  • Agent des douanes, Surveillance Branch | Passenger and Freight Controls, Airport
  • Customs Officer, Trade Operations | Tariff Classification, Origin, Customs Procedures

Summaries for your profile

Entry level

BTS Commerce international graduate with an internship in the customs department of a freight forwarder in [City], where I prepared export declarations and checked commodity codes. I am preparing the customs competitive exam for the trade operations branch.

Experienced

Customs officer for [x] years in the surveillance branch at [Airport or Port]. I carry out passenger, baggage and freight controls, use scanners and sniffer dog teams, and draft procès-verbaux that stand up in court.

Career change

Former customs declarant at a freight forwarder moving to the public side. I already know the Union Customs Code, EORI numbers and DELTA I/E declarations from the company side, and want to bring that practical knowledge to a customs office.

Tips

  • Show any experience in international trade, logistics or freight forwarding, especially if you aim for the trade branch.
  • Mention languages: English and the language of a neighbouring country are useful at borders, ports and airports.
  • If you are already an officer, state your branch, grade and posting history clearly.
  • List sports and fitness for the surveillance branch, which includes a physical test.
  • Name the customs software and procedures you know rather than writing "customs knowledge".

Mistakes to avoid

  • Mixing up customs (douane) and border police (police aux frontières), which check identity documents.
  • Applying to the surveillance branch without mentioning shift work or mobility.
  • Listing international trade courses without any practical case.
  • Using vague phrases like "interest in security" without a link to goods, taxes or fraud.

Working as a customs officer in France

Customs officers in France are civil servants of the DGDDI, recruited by competitive exam at several levels: catégorie C (agent de constatation, no diploma required), catégorie B (contrôleur, Bac level) and catégorie A (inspecteur, degree level). Training at the École nationale des douanes is compulsory before taking up a post. Nationality conditions are set in each exam notice, and posts involving the exercise of sovereignty, such as armed surveillance, are reserved for French nationals. Search for « agent des douanes », « douanier », « contrôleur des douanes » or « déclarant en douane » for private-sector roles.

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Frequently asked questions

Which customs branch should I target on my CV?

Choose according to what you want to do daily. The surveillance branch suits people who like fieldwork, uniform and shifts. The trade operations and administration branch suits profiles from logistics, accounting or law. Your CV should highlight experience matching the branch, since the exam and the interviews differ.

Is a CV useful if recruitment is by competitive exam?

Yes. Several customs exams include an interview based on your file, and a clear CV gives the panel material for questions. It also matters later for internal mobility, specialised units and secondments, where selection is often based on application files.

Do private customs declarant jobs count as experience?

They are valuable. Working as a declarant or customs broker for a freight forwarder teaches you classification, origin rules and declaration software. Present these tasks in detail, as they show the panel you already understand what the administration controls.

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