The FCA was established in 2003 by virtue of decree law No. (1) of 2003, issued by the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, then the president of the state on the establishment of the FCA. On 21 July 2015, the FCA has shifted to another stage of the customs work upon the issuance of the decree law No. 8 of 2015 as the said law granted the FCA additional powers contributing to protect the community security, facilitate trade, develop and support customs work and promote the UAE competitiveness in this area.