German Customs contributes to security in 2025

In 2025, German customs officials processed nearly 790 million goods items with a total value of approximately 1.4 trillion EUR. The increase compared to the previous year is primarily attributed to the growth of international online trade. Customs recorded an increase of around 192 million goods items in the area of imports of postal and courier shipments alone. To meet the demands of the growing e-commerce sector, customs is relying on a modern digital clearance system and a flexible personnel deployment concept that allows for mutual support among customs offices.

Federal Minister of Finance Lars Klingbeil and Dr. Armin Rolfink, President of the Federal Customs Authority, presented the annual report at Leipzig/Halle Airport, one of the largest air freight hubs in Europe. They emphasized the challenges faced by customs and the successes achieved.

Measures against cross-border crime

In 2025, customs initiated approximately 12,600 investigations nationwide in the area of cross-border drug crime. The sea route remains the central route for smuggling, particularly of cocaine. To enhance security in ports, customs is focusing on close cooperation with national and international partners. Overall, customs seized around 69 tons of drugs last year, including more than 54 tons of marijuana and about 6.5 tons of cocaine. Additionally, 256 million cigarettes, 4.6 million counterfeit products with an estimated value of nearly 450 million EUR, around 7,500 illegal weapons, and more than 56,600 protected animals and plants were confiscated.

Combating undeclared work and illegal employment

The Financial Control of Undeclared Work at customs also consistently pursued cases of undeclared work and illegal employment in 2025. Nationwide, more than 52,100 administrative offense proceedings and around 98,200 criminal proceedings were initiated. Checks on approximately 25,800 employers resulted in prison sentences totaling nearly 1,200 years. The identified damage amounted to around 675 million EUR, contributing to the stabilization of social security systems and securing tax revenues.

Financial revenues of customs

As the revenue authority of the federal government, customs collected around 157 billion EUR in 2025. These revenues consist of various sources, including about 6 billion EUR in customs duties for the European Union budget, around 74 billion EUR in import VAT, and 65 billion EUR in excise taxes.

Klingbeil emphasized the role of customs in ensuring fair competition and combating crime. He announced plans to strengthen customs with an additional 1,500 personnel and to provide new legal powers and technical tools to combat money laundering, arms smuggling, and drug trafficking. Dr. Armin Rolfink highlighted the close cooperation of customs with national and international authorities and emphasized the importance of customs for national security and fairness in economic transactions.

www.bundesfinanzministerium.de