In 1986, the foundations of the National Museum of Customs and Excise were laid down in the Regional Directorate Antwerp, at the time located in an office building near the Kattendijkdok in Antwerp. Our main focus is on the Customs & Excise activities since 1831, the creation of the Kingdom of Belgium.

We contribute to the internal and external communication of the General Administration of Customs & Excise. We do this by e.g. organizing specific guided tours in our museum or by setting up temporary exhibitions. We also support other organisations and initiatives taken outside the museum, namely by lending out objects and by providing information for research projects, publications, documentaries, etc. The C&E-Museum thus plays a part in the communication strategy of the Belgian Customs & Excise and its recruiting and educational programs.

Our mission is to start a vivid dialogue with colleagues and the broader public on the place that the General Administration of Customs and Excise is taking up in society, both now and in the past. By means of the museum and the documentation centre, we want to contribute to a correct image of this administration and want to emphasize its unique role in protecting society and safeguarding welfare.

Since 1994, the C&E-Museum is supported in its activities by a non-profit association, which amongst others things allows us to integrate retired customs officers as guides in the museum or as volunteers for the work behind the scenes. In 2010, an important change took place. The site at Kattendijkdok was closed and the C&E-Museum was moved to a new location in the Finance Centre "Noordster" located at Ellermanstraat in Antwerp.