If members of the public have any complaints/comments on the services provided by this Department, he/she can make it on the spot to the officer-in-charge of the Customs office. He/ she can also contact our Complaints Investigation Group to arrange for an interview.

He / She can also lodge his / her complaint by:

Mail

Customs and Excise Department
Complaints Investigation Group
Departmental Complaints Officer
3/F, Customs Headquarters Building
222 Java Road, North Point
Hong Kong

Phone

Fax

(852) 2854 3962

E-mail

customsenquiry@customs.gov.hk

In lodging a complaint, you will be requested to:

• provide your personal information and consent to our collection of your personal data or other relevant and necessary information kept by other parties or organizations; and
• acknowledge the contents of the complaint by signing on a complaint form.

The Head of the Complaints Investigation Group (CIG) is the Departmental Complaints Officer (DCO). He is responsible to monitor the investigation of complaints on the service provided by this Department. Upon completion of the investigation of a complaint, the DCO will put forward the results and recommendations to the Complaints Investigation and Assessment Panel (CIAP).

The CIAP is chaired by the Assistant Commissioner (Administration and Human Resource Development) or the Head of Trade Controls where appropriate. It is responsible for:

• ensuring that each and every complaint is investigated in a thorough, impartial, fair and efficient manner; and
• endorsing and reviewing the findings and recommendations of investigations on all complaints.

A written reply will be sent to the complainant to notify him / her of the investigation results.

If a complainant is not satisfied with the investigation results, he / she may lodge an appeal to the Complaint Appeals Committee (CAC).

The CAC is chaired by the Deputy Commissioner and is responsible for examining grounds of appeal and reviewing investigation results and recommendations endorsed by the Complaints Investigation and Assessment Panel. Its decision is final.

A complainant should:

• be honest, transparent and courteous in all their dealings with the complaints handling staff of the Department;
• provide all the necessary and accurate details for investigation and resolution of the complaint;
• understand that some complaints need a thorough investigation which can take time. There may be cases where the response cannot be as quick as the Government and complainant would like;
• appreciate that the Department has to make decisions to safeguard public resources. It will not always be able to pursue an issue to the extent that a complainant would ideally like;
• not offer complaints handling staff any inducement to give his / her complaint special consideration. This may constitute an offence of bribery; and
• not direct how his / her complaint be handled, and / or by whom.