International Customs Day
Next: January 26, 2027
Thank you to the people at every border.
The story
Where it comes from
International Customs Day marks 26 January 1953, when the Customs Co-operation Council held its inaugural session in Brussels with 17 founding members. The council had been created by a convention signed in 1950, after post-war studies of how European customs could work together. Its membership soon spread to every region of the world, and in 1994 it took its present name, the World Customs Organization. The day is its annual moment to recognise the work of customs officers everywhere.
How it's celebrated
The World Customs Organization and its member administrations use the day to recognise customs officers and the work they do, from collecting revenue to stopping dangerous goods. For travellers it is a reminder of the people who check what crosses borders so that trade, parcels and holiday luggage can move safely.
Did you know
- Today the organisation represents 187 customs administrations, which together process about 98 per cent of world trade.
- It maintains the Harmonized System, a shared list of about 5,000 groups of goods, each with a six-digit code, used for customs tariffs around the world.
- Malaysia joined the council in 1964 and Singapore in 1975.
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