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VISITOR INFORMATION
Formalities
To enter the country, visitors must have a valid
passport or proof of sufficient funds to sustain
themselves during their stay in Brunei Darussalam.
Travellers of all nationalities excluding Israeli
passport holders may obtain a 72-hour transit visa
upon arrival.
Other visitors needing to stay in Brunei for a short
(Short/Social Visit Visa) or extended (Professional
Visa or Business Visit Visa) periodmust obtain a visa
from the Brunei Darussalam diplomatic missions
abroad if applicable. For further information
regarding visa and entry procedures, please visit
www.mfa.gov.bn.
Customs
Visitors aged 17 and above are allowed to carry the
following items no more than the stated amount:
• Perfume: 60 millilitres
• Aromatic Water: 250 millilitres
Alcoholic Beverages
Non-Muslim visitors aged 17 and above are
allowed to carry the following beverages for
personal consumption:
• 2 bottles of alcoholic beverages (liquor)
• 12 cans of beer
It is compulsory for owners to declare imported
drinks (liquor) to customs officers on duty at the
points where drinks are imported.
Cigarette and Tobacco
Under the Customs Import Duties (Amendment)
Order 2010 and Excise Duties (Amendment)
Order 2010, cigarette/tobacco was excluded from
Passenger’s Concession (Personal Effect). The new
law was effective as of November 1, 2010.
Owners are required to declare any cigarette
brought into the country, with duty to be paid at
BND0.50 per stick. This is equivalent to BND10 per
pack of 20 sticks of cigarettes, and BND100 for one
carton of 10 packs.
Smoking
Brunei imposed new laws pertaining to public
smoking on March 1, 2012. Smoking is restricted
in all enclosed public and work places, as well as
sidewalks near business premises, areas within
a six-metre radius of smoke-free buildings, public
staircases, hospitals and clinics and within public
transportations. This law applies to vaping or the
inhaling and expelling of vapour from e-cigarettes
as it falls under the definition of smoking according
to the Tobacco Order 2005.
Drugs
Drugs are strictly prohibited in Brunei. The Misuse
of Drugs Act (MDA) – the main legislation for
drug offences in Brunei Darussalam, covering a
range of controlled drugs including narcotics and
psychotropic substances – stipulates that all drug
offences are seizable and sentenceable offences.
Those caught in possession of certain drugs higher
than the amount stated below face a mandatory
death penalty:
• Methylamphetamine: 50 g
• Diamorphine (heroin): 15 g
• Morphine: 15 g
• Opium: 1,200 g
• Cannabis: 500 g
• Cocaine: 30 g
Inoculation
Passengers aged one year and above arriving from
affected countries are required to attain yellow
fever inoculations. As Brunei is free from malaria,
cholera and smallpox, inoculations for these
diseases are not required.
Local Time
Brunei time is eight hours ahead of Greenwich
Meantime (GMT +8:00).
Currency Exchange
Brunei’s currency, the Brunei Dollar (BND),
came into being on Monday, June 12, 1967 as
issued by the Brunei Currency Board. The Board
circulated notes in denominations of BND1,
BND5, BND10, BND50 and BND100 to banks and
the public, while withdrawing currency notes
of the Board of Commissioners of Currency,
reconstituted under the Malaya British Borneo
Currency Agreement in 1960.
On the same day, Brunei and Singapore signed
the Currency Interchangeability Agreement,
which resulted in the BND being on par with
the Singapore Dollar (SGD). The agreement
continues to serve both countries in facilitating
trade and economic relations and is still in effect
to this day.
The agreement results in both countries being
able to integrate each other’s currency into
their own respective economies. Deposits from
the general public – including retailers – using
either currency are accepted at banks. Thus, the
Singapore currency is widely accepted across
businesses in Brunei.
Currency exchange services are available
throughout Brunei at banks, hotels, licensed
money changers and the Brunei International
Airport. Visitors who wish to cash or exchange
travellers cheques in dominations of major
currencies can do so at any major international
bank located in the capital.