The Guntur Collectorate (now Guntur Commissionerate) was formed in the year 1972 and the Visakhapatnam Collectorate (now Visakhapatnam Commissionerate) in 1990. All the Commissionerates of erstwhile Hyderabad, Guntur and Vishakhapatnam Commissionerates were under a single Zone. Consequent to cadre restructuring in 2002, two Zones were formed (i) Hyderabad Zone covering all the districts of Telangana region (ii) Visakhapatnam Zone covering remaining districts of Rayalaseema and Coastal districts of erstwhile Andhra Pradesh.

Again, CBEC has reviewed the requirement of manpower and restructured the cadres in the year 2014 (incidentally the State of Andhra Pradesh was divided into two States viz., Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in the same year) by creating the separate Commissionerates of Customs, Central Excise, Appeals and Audit in Visakhaptanam Zone.

Consequent upon restructuring of Central Excise and Customs Department, Customs (Preventive) Commissionerate, Vijayawada, under Visakhapatnam Zone, came into existence w.e.f. 15.10.2014, vide Notification No.78/2014-Cus-NT, dated 16-09-2014 by the Government of India. The jurisdiction of the Commissionerate has been defined by the Chief Commissioner of Customs & Central Tax vide Public Notice No.1/2014/General No.2/2014, dated 07.10.2014. It has been formed out of Guntur Central Excise & Customs Commissioner, Guntur.

Customs Commissionerate [Preventive], Vijayawada is an hinter land Customs Commissionerate, having mainly preventive and anti-smuggling functions in addition to normal Customs functions. The Commissionerate is having vast jurisdiction, spread over all districts of entire Andhra Pradesh except Greater Visakhapatnam city. The total coastline is about 950 Kms long.