A Custom House or Customs House was a building housing the offices for the government officials who processed the paperwork for the import and export of goods into and out of a country.

Customs officials also collected customs duty on imported goods. The Customs House was typically located in a seaport or in a city on a major river with access to the ocean. These cities acted as a port of entry into a country and the government was interested in locating a customs house in those cities in order to collect taxes and regulate commerce.

Due to advances in electronic information systems, the increased volume of international trade and the introduction of air travel, the Customs House is now often a historical oddity. There are many examples of buildings around the world whose former use was as a Custom House but have since been converted for other use.

Custom House is a global payments company based in Victoria, BC, . Operating more than 80 offices in 7 countries, Custom House has grown to become North America ’s largest independent foreign exchange dealer, handling more than $15 billion in transactions each year for more than 50,000 clients worldwide. Custom House provides a variety of foreign exchange services for businesses and individuals, including wire transfers, foreign currency drafts, and forward exchange contracts. Custom House was a founding member of the Canadian Foreign Exchange Dealers Association (CFEDA) in 1997⁴, and is the official foreign exchange provider of the PGA Tour.

Customs brokerage is a profession that involves the 'clearing' of goods through customs barriers for importers and exporters (usually businesses). This involves the preparation of documents and/or electronic submissions, the calculation (and usually the payment) on behalf of the client of taxes, duties and excises, and facilitating communication between the importer/exporter and governmental authorities.

Customs brokers in the will often prepare and submit documentation to notify or obtain the clearance from other government agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), the Fish and Wildlife Service, and many others. Customs brokers need to be familiar with the Tariff Schedule, a listing of duty rates for imported items, and the regulations governing importations found in the Code of Federal Regulations vol 19, known as 19 CFR.

For example, a customs broker may need to advise an importer regarding country of origin marking requirements or the precise paperwork requirements for a clothing shipment subject to quota/visa requirements. Knowing the requirements of each type of import can avoid costly delays or seizure of the merchandise. Many customs brokers specialize in certain types of transactions, such as wearing apparel, perishables, or clearing the crew and manifest of large cargo vessels.

Customs brokers can be located at inland "ports" to clear merchandise sent "in bond" but most are located at major airports and harbors with international traffic. Customs brokers normally arrange the transshipment or local delivery of cleared merchandise through relationships with trucking companies and others.

Customs brokers must pass an examination and background check to become licensed. Customs brokers are not government employees and should not be confused with Customs agents, although in some countries the term customs agent may mean customs broker.