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213 VISITOR INFORMATION
Formalities
Effective September 15, 2020, foreign travellers
who meet certain requirements may enter Brunei
Darussalam. Conditions include of cial duties and
essential travel; foreign students studying in the
Sultanateundergovernmentorprivatescholarships;
foreigners undergoing medical treatment in Brunei;
and any special consideration given in a case-by-
case basis subject to governmental evaluation.
The Entry Travel Pass is a document issued for
inbound travellers of foreign nationalities arriving
in Brunei. Applications for Entry Travel Pass can be
made through the Prime Minister’s Of ce portal on
The Entry Travel Pass is not a visa. The sponsoring
agency or sponsoring family member is required
to apply for entry visa on behalf of the travellers,
should they require one.
Those permitted entry are required to have a
negative COVID-19 (RT-PCR) swab test result
before entering Brunei. The length of stay permitted
for Entry Travel Pass holders will be determined
according to the visa being issued.
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 of cers 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 de nition of smoking according
to the Tobacco Order 2005.
Drugs
Drugs are strictly prohibited in Brunei. The
Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA) – themain 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.