Sovereign Base Areas Customs

Last updated
SBA Customs.jpg
HM Customs Ensign vector.svg
HM Revenue & Customs
Fiscal OfficerGillian Deane
Deputy Fiscal OfficerHuw Griffiths
AreaAkrotiri and Dhekalia
Size254 km²
Population15,000
HQSBAA, Episkopi Garrison
Officers49
Crossing Points2
Coastline46.5 km
SBA Customs Vehicle.jpg
SBA Customs Vehicle

Sovereign Base Areas Customs is a semi-autonomous branch of HM Revenue and Customs of the United Kingdom. It has jurisdiction over Akrotiri and Dhekelia, a British Overseas Territory on the island of Cyprus, administered as a Sovereign Base Area, and home to British Forces Cyprus. It is managed by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and around 3500 military personnel are posted there at any one time.

HM Revenue and Customs United Kingdom government non-ministerial department

Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs is a non-ministerial department of the UK Government responsible for the collection of taxes, the payment of some forms of state support and the administration of other regulatory regimes including the national minimum wage.

Akrotiri and Dhekelia British Overseas Territory

The Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia is a British Overseas Territory on the island of Cyprus. The areas, which include British military bases and installations, as well as other land, were retained by the British under the 1960 treaty of independence, signed by the United Kingdom, Greece, Turkey and representatives from the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities, which granted independence to the Crown colony of Cyprus. The territory serves an important role as a station for signals intelligence and provides a vital strategic part of the United Kingdom communications gathering and monitoring network in the Mediterranean and the Middle East.

Cyprus Island country in Mediterranean

Cyprus, officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the Eastern Mediterranean and the third largest and third most populous island in the Mediterranean, located south of Turkey, west of Syria and Lebanon, northwest of Israel, north of Egypt, and southeast of Greece.

Contents

In contrast with other customs forces the SBA Customs has a much wider role of responsibility, like most branches within the territory, administrating many areas including immigration, imports, exports, tax, births, marriages, divorces, and deaths.

Overview

The senior and local management officers are on loan from Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs in the UK, and assist with operational management and training and development of the locally employed officers of SBA Customs and Immigration service. SBACI officers monitor two crossing points at Pergamos and Strovilia in the Eastern Sovereign Base Area at the Green Line Border between the Republic of Cyprus and North Cyprus. Between the North and South areas of the island there are formal customs and immigration controls at these crossing points and the UN Buffer Zone remains along most part of the Green Line. SBA Customs are involved in preventing smuggling and illegal immigration into SBA territory. There are mobile patrols along the ESBA section of the Green line and training exercises and operations are accomplished with the cooperation of SBA Police and UK Military units based in Cyprus at the time.

United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus

The United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus is a demilitarized zone, patrolled by the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), that was established in 1964 and extended in 1974 after the cease fire of 16 August 1974, following the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, and the de facto partition of the island into the area controlled by the Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in the North. The zone, also known as the Green Line, stretches for 180 kilometres from Paralimni in the east to Kato Pyrgos in the west, where a separate section surrounds Kokkina. The zone cuts through the centre of Nicosia, separating the city into southern and northern sections. In total, it spans an area of 346 square kilometres (134 sq mi), varying in width from less than 20 metres to more than 7 kilometres.

Illegal immigration refers to the migration of people into a country in ways that violate the immigration laws of that country, or the remaining in a country of people who no longer have the legal right to remain.

Businesses based within territory must be licensed by the SBA Customs to conduct trade and there are guidelines and restrictions for various types of business. The administration produces birth, marriage and death certificates for UK Dependants based within the territory.

A dependent territory, dependent area or dependency is a territory that does not possess full political independence or sovereignty as a sovereign state yet remains politically outside the controlling state's integral area.

Working in unison with the Cyprus Joint Maritime Unit comprising the Royal Navy Cyprus Squadron and 417 Maritime of the RLC, the Sovereign Base Area Administration (SBAA) operate a combined maritime unit comprising joint working of SBA Police and SBA Customs to operate patrols within territorial waters and along the coastline within the territory to prevent illegal immigration, illegal fishing, and smuggling. Their enforcement has allowed for the fish reserve at Akrotiri to remain well stocked as due to extensive over-fishing much of the fish life in the waters in other areas of the island is low in numbers. SBA Customs liaise with UK military resources and the Republic of Cyprus Government Departments to combat pollution in SBA waters and along the coastline whilst controlling ports and fisheries. The Fiscal Officer is also designated the Queens harbourmaster of the mole in Akrotiri and Dhekelia.

Sovereign Base Areas Police

The Sovereign Base Areas Police is the local civilian police force for the British controlled Sovereign Base Areas (SBA) of Akrotiri and Dhekelia in Cyprus. Established in August 1960, the force has responsibility for all 15,000 residents of the SBAs, including military personnel. The Cyprus Joint Police Unit, has concurrent jurisdiction over military offences committed by Service personnel within the garrisons and stations and other retained military sites outside the SBAs. Both work in full cooperation with each other and any jurisdiction issues are managed through an agreed Memorandum of Understanding.

Nature reserve protected area for flora, fauna or features of geological interest

A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research. Nature reserves may be designated by government institutions in some countries, or by private landowners, such as charities and research institutions, regardless of nationality. Nature reserves fall into different IUCN categories depending on the level of protection afforded by local laws. Normally it is more strictly protected than a nature park.

Port maritime commercial facility

A port is a maritime commercial facility which may comprise one or more wharves where ships may dock to load and discharge passengers and cargo. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, some ports, such as Hamburg, Manchester and Duluth, are many miles inland, with access from the sea via river or canal.

The Sovereign Base Areas are shown in red, and are where the SBA Customs operate. Cyprus SBAsInRed.png
The Sovereign Base Areas are shown in red, and are where the SBA Customs operate.

Personnel

SBA Customs and Immigration officers are a uniformed organisation and wear a uniform with the style of Royal Naval rank insignia but are distinguished by a cap badge which contains the portcullis underneath the Sovereign’s crown, enclosed within a pair of golden fronds. The ranks of SBA Customs are worn as follows: the fiscal officer wears the insignia of a RN commander whilst the deputy fiscal officer and officer in charge at Dhekelia wear the rank braid of RN lieutenant commander. Locally employed uniformed operational officers at RAF Akrotiri and the military station at Dhekelia and the ESBA crossing points wear badges of rank with one or two rings of braid according to their substantive grade.

Police officer warranted employee of a police force

A police officer, also known as an officer, policeman, policewoman, cop/copper, garda, police agent, or a police employee is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the rank "officer" is legally reserved for military personnel.

Portcullis heavy vertically-opening gate typically found in medieval fortifications

A portcullis is a heavy vertically-closing gate typically found in medieval fortifications, consisting of a latticed grille made of wood, metal, or a combination of the two, which slides down grooves inset within each jamb of the gateway.

Responsibilities

SBA Customs control tax-free imports at the airports and the crossing points within the territory by regulating the value and amount of goods such as cigarettes or alcohol that can be carried through the control and entry points without declaration. The main airport is RAF Akrotiri which has regular flights to and from the UK and the Middle East. The SBAs in Cyprus also provide the opportunity for a stop off point for 36 hours for soldiers that have recently experienced combat to participate in decompression activity before returning home. In April 2004 over 100,000 cigarettes were seized and the largest isolated attempt to smuggle cigarettes involved a Turkish Cypriot man from Lapithos, who tried to smuggle a total of 29,200 across the Pergamos checkpoint near Larnaca.

RAF Akrotiri Royal Air Force station, on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus

Royal Air Force Akrotiri or more simply RAF Akrotiri is a large Royal Air Force station, on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. It is located in the Western Sovereign Base Area, one of two areas which comprise Akrotiri and Dhekelia, a British Overseas Territory, administered as a Sovereign Base Area.

Middle East region that encompasses Western Asia and Egypt

The Middle East is a transcontinental region centered on Western Asia, Turkey, and Egypt. Saudi Arabia is geographically the largest Middle Eastern nation while Bahrain is the smallest. The corresponding adjective is Middle Eastern and the derived noun is Middle Easterner. The term has come into wider usage as a replacement of the term Near East beginning in the early 20th century.

Lapithos Place in Kyrenia District, Cyprus

Lapithos or Lapethos is a town in Cyprus. De facto, it is under the control of Northern Cyprus.

SBA Customs regulate the sale of goods with limited imported stocks at Ermes stores on the island which supply the British residents with products all tax-free to entitled persons serving in the SBAs. SBACI also control the messes and clubs. All mail posted to BFPO [ clarification needed ] addresses on the island is subject to inspection by the SBA Customs and they can, for example, question the legitimacy of parcels marked as "gifts" and charge duties and tax as appropriate.

Ranks

Ranks of the SBA Customs
Generic-Navy-O5.svg Generic-Navy-O1.svg
Commander
The Fiscal Officer		 Lieutenant-Commander
Deputy Fiscal Officer
Officer in Charge of Dhekalia		 Grade 1 Officer/ Team Leader Grade 2 Officer

Operating procedure

The territory of Akrotiri and Dhekelia was formed in 1960 as a military base to be administered as a British Sovereign Base Area rather than an ordinary colonial territory. In a declaration by Her Majesty's Government in 'Appendix O' to the 1960 treaty with Cyprus, the Sovereign Base Areas Administration have to follow specific rules of governance to which the SBA Customs enforces and adheres to including:

The bases have their own legal system, distinct from the UK and Cyprus. This consists of the laws of the Colony of Cyprus as at August 1960, amended as necessary. The laws of Akrotiri and Dhekelia are kept, as far as possible, the same as the laws of Cyprus. The Court of the Sovereign Base Areas is concerned with non-military offences committed by any person within Akrotiri and Dhekelia, and law and order is maintained by the Sovereign Base Areas Police, while military law is upheld by the Cyprus Joint Police Unit.

See also

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British Overseas Territories territory under the jurisdiction and sovereignty of the United Kingdom but not part of it

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British Forces Cyprus British Armed Forces stationed in the UK Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia

British Forces Cyprus (BFC) is the name given to the British Armed Forces stationed in the UK Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia on the island of Cyprus and at a number of related 'retained sites' in the Republic of Cyprus. The United Kingdom retains a military presence on the island in order to keep a strategic location at the eastern end of the Mediterranean, for use as a staging point for forces sent to locations in the Middle East and Asia. BFC is a tri-service command, with all three services based on the island reporting to it. At present, there are approximately 3,500 personnel serving in Cyprus.

Xylotymbou Place in Larnaca District, Cyprus

Xylotymbou is a small town in Larnaca District in south-eastern Cyprus. It is one of the four enclaves surrounded by the Eastern Sovereign Base Area of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, a British Overseas Territory, administered as a Sovereign Base Area. The others are the village of Ormidhia and Dhekelia Power Station. It is administered by the internationally recognized government of Cyprus, the Republic of Cyprus.

Limassol Salt Lake lake in Akrotiri and Dhekelia

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Flag of Akrotiri and Dhekelia

Akrotiri and Dhekelia has no official flag of its own and as a result is represented by the flag of the United Kingdom, the Union Jack. Akrotiri and Dhekelia, officially the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, is a British Overseas Territory on the island of Cyprus that comprises two military bases and their hinterland.

Episkopi Cantonment capital of Akrotiri and Dhekelia

Episkopi Cantonment is the capital of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, a British Overseas Territory on the island of Cyprus, administered as a base. It is located in the middle of the Western Sovereign Base Area, one of the two areas which comprise the territory. Although it is not the largest of the British military bases on the island, it is home to both the civilian and military administration headquarters of the Sovereign Base Areas. Episkopi is the current command centre of British Forces Cyprus.

Pergamos, Cyprus Place in Larnaca District, Cyprus

Pergamos is a Turkish Cypriot village in Larnaca District, Cyprus, 4 km north of Pyla, almost surrounded by the British Sovereign Base Area (SBA) at Dhekelia. Pergamos is under the de facto control of Northern Cyprus.

Ayios Nikolaos, SBA Military garrison in Akrotiri and Dhekelia

Ayios Nikolaos is a former village and present British garrison located in the British Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia in the Dhekelia Cantonment on Cyprus. It is the site of a Green Line crossing point controlled on the one side by Sovereign Base Areas Police and by the police of the de facto state of Northern Cyprus on the other side.

Outline of Akrotiri and Dhekelia

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Akrotiri and Dhekelia:

The Royal Navy Cyprus Squadron (RNCS) was a Royal Naval Squadron based on the Mediterranean island of Cyprus from February 2003 until April 2010.

This page lists topics related to Akrotiri and Dhekelia, two British Overseas Territories on the island of Cyprus.

Paramali village in Limassol District, Cyprus

Paramali is a village on the south coast of the island of Cyprus, in the Limassol District 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) east of Avdimou. Its district covers an area stretching north from the south coast of Cyprus, with roughly equal parts falling in the British Overseas Territory of Akrotiri and Dhekelia to the south, and in the Republic of Cyprus to the north.

Postal codes in Cyprus

Four digit post codes were introduced in Cyprus on 1 October 1994. The system is organised around the six administrative districts for local government on the island, with each district allocated a numerical range. Most of the four digit numbers are allocated to small geographic areas, such as streets, urban communes or villages, although some are reserved for government use.

ESBA may refer to:

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Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons in the British Overseas Territory of Akrotiri and Dhekelia enjoy most of the same rights as non-LGBT people.

Dhekelia Cantonment area of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, a British Overseas Territory on the island of Cyprus

Dhekelia Cantonment is an area of Akrotiri and Dhekelia, a British Overseas Territory on the island of Cyprus, administered as a Sovereign Base Area. It is located in the Eastern Sovereign Base Area, one of the two areas which comprise the territory. It is the larger of the British military bases on the island, and it is also the location of Alexander Barracks, which is home to 2nd Battalion, The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment. In Autumn 2017 the 2nd Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment deployed to Dhekelia replacing 2nd Battalion, The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment.

Same-sex marriage in Akrotiri and Dhekelia

Same-sex marriage has been legal in the British Overseas Territory of Akrotiri and Dhekelia since 3 June 2014. An ordinance to legalise such marriages was approved by the Queen's Most Excellent Majesty in Council on 28 April 2014 and came into effect on 3 June. However, for a same-sex couple to marry in the territory, at least one partner has to serve in the British Armed Forces and their marriage application has to be approved by the base commander. The first same-sex couple to marry in the territory was Sergeant Alastair Smith and Aaron Weston, who married on the British military base on Dhekelia on 10 September 2016.

Borders of Akrotiri and Dhekelia international border

The borders of Akrotiri and Dhekelia refer to the international boundary between the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia and the republic of Cyprus.

References

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