The Entry Travel Pass is a document issued for inbound travellers of foreign nationalities arriving in Brunei. It may be issued for the following individuals: essential business travel, students, patients in need of medical treatment and other special circumstances such as parents, spouse or immediate family members of Brunei citizens and residents.
Applications for the Entry Travel Pass can be made through the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) portal at www.pmo.gov.bn/travelportal.
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. The length of stay permitted for Entry Travel Pass holders will be determined according to the visa being issued.
Travellers are required to have a negative COVID-19 (RT-PCR) swab test result taken no longer than 48 hours before departure. Upon check-in and arrival, travellers must show proof of vaccination issued by a recognised health jurisdiction (preferably digital vaccination record) or the WHO International Certificate of Vaccination (yellow book). Travellers may visit the PMO Website for further information on predeparture and post-arrival requirements.
Inbound travellers of foreign nationalities must apply for an Entry Travel Pass (ETP) to enter the country. Only essential travel may be considered for an ETP approval. Citizens and permanent residents as well as Entry Travel Pass holders are to submit an Arrival E-Health Declaration within 24 hours before departure to Brunei Darussalam for submission of pre-departure COVID-19 test results and other related health information. Application Forms and guidelines can be accessed via the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) travel application website at www.pmo.gov.bn/ travelportal.
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
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.
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.
Brunei imposed new laws pertaining to public smoking on March 1, 2012. Smoking is restricted in all enclosed public and workplaces, 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 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 grammes • Diamorphine (heroin): 15 grammes • Morphine: 15 grammes • Opium: 1,200 grammes • Cannabis: 500 grammes • Cocaine: 30 grammes
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.
Brunei time is eight hours ahead of Greenwich Meantime (GMT +8:00).
Brunei’s currency, the Brunei dollar (BND), came into being on 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 traveller cheques in dominations of major currencies can do so at any major international bank located in the capital.
Copyright 2019 Borneo Bulletin Yearbook 2019 All rights reserved.
