History Directorate General of Customs and Excises
The establishment of official customs and excise administration in Indonesia began during the colonialization period of the Netherlands, specifically upon the entry of VOC to the country. The officers were often called ‘douane’, while the official name of the administration was De Dienst der Invoer en Uitvoerrechten en Accijnzen (I. U & A), loosely translated as the Department of Import Duty and Export Duty and Excise. The administration’s main objectives were to collectinvoer-rechten (import duty), uitvoer-rechten (export duty), andaccijnzen (excise).
During the colonialization period of Japan, the department’s functions of collecting import duty and export duty were eliminated, leaving only the function of collecting excise.
After Indonesia’s independence, specifically on 1 October 1946, a formal Customs and Excise administration called ‘Pejabatan Bea dan Cukai’ was established under the command of R.A. Kartadjoemena.
From 1948 to 1965, the name of the administration was changed into ‘Jawatan Bea dan Cukai’, after which the name Directorate General of Customs and Excise began to be used until present.