Customs Surveillance Service

Customs Surveillance Service
Servicio de Vigilancia Aduanera
Badge of the Spanish Customs Service
Common nameAduanas (Customs)
AbbreviationSVA or DAVA
MottoPor tierra, mar y aire
Through land, sea and air
Agency overview
FormedSince the 16th century; reorganized on February 12, 1982
Preceding agencies
  • Servicio Especial de Vigilancia Fiscal
  • Servicio Especial de Vigilancia Marítima y Terrestre de Tabacalera S.A.
Employees2,276 (2025)
Jurisdictional structure
National agencySpain
Operations jurisdictionSpain
Governing bodyGovernment of Spain
Constituting instruments
  • Decreto Real 319/1982
  • Ley Orgánica 12/1995
Specialist jurisdictions
Operational structure
Overseen byDepartment of Customs and Special Taxes
HeadquartersMadrid, Spain
Minister responsible
Agency executives
  • Jesús Gascón Catalán, Agency's President
  • Soledad Fernández Doctor, Agency's Director-General
Parent agencyAgencia Tributaria
Website
Web site

The Customs Surveillance Service (Spanish: Servicio de Vigilancia Aduanera, SVA), officially Deputy Directorate for Customs Surveillance (Spanish: Dirección Adjunta de Vigilancia Aduanera, DAVA), is a law enforcement agency of the Spanish Ministry of Finance, integrated in the Spanish Tax Agency. Its responsibilities include the investigation and prosecution of cases involving smuggling, illegal drug trade, and related crimes, such us money laundering and tax evasion.

Its activities can be compared with United States agencies like the Drug Enforcement Administration, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, or some of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, as well as UK's Border Force.