Brunei

Government advisories

• ☐ United States: level 1/4 — Level 1: Exercise Normal Precautions
• ☐ United Kingdom: level 1/4
• ☐ Canada: level 1/4 — Exercise normal security precautions

Health notices

• ☐ Global Measles (level 1)

Entry requirements

☐ Visitors to Brunei must obtain a visa from one of the Bruneian diplomatic missions unless they are citizens of one of the visa-exempt countries or citizens who are eligible to obtain a visa on arrival. All visitors must have a passport valid for at least 6 months.

☐ Passport valid 6+ months beyond your stay

Practical

• ☐ Plug type G, 240V — bring an adapter if yours differs
• ☐ Drives on the left
• ☐ Emergency (police): 993
• ☐ Emergency (ambulance): 991
• ☐ Emergency (fire): 995
• ☐ SIM: The international code for Brunei is 673. The telephone numbers in Brunei consist of 7 digits with no local codes, although the first digit of the number indicates the area such as 3 for the Belait District and 2 for Bandar Seri Begawan.
• ☐ Money: The local currency is the Brunei dollar, denoted by the symbol "$" or "B$" (ISO code: BND). You might hear ringgit used to refer to the dollar but be sure that the speaker is not talking about the Malaysian Ringgit (MYR) which is valued at less than a third of a Brunei dollar. All prices in this guide are in Brunei dollars unless otherwise noted.

Laws that could get a tourist arrested

• ☐ Drug trafficking — Drug trafficking carries a mandatory death sentence. Offenders should expect life imprisonment or a long prison term due to an informal moratorium on capital punishment.
• ☐ Capital crimes — Murder, kidnapping, and unauthorized possession of firearms are punishable by death. These laws apply to foreigners.
• ☐ Corporal punishment — Males face caning for crimes including robbery, corruption, vandalism, and illegal entry. Overstaying a visa for over 90 days also results in caning.
• ☐ Homosexuality and adultery — Homosexuality and adultery are illegal and can result in being stoned to death. Homosexuality specifically carries a penalty of 40 strokes of the cane and up to 10 years in jail.
• ☐ Theft — The punishment for theft that exceeds a certain amount is amputation.
• ☐ Religious proselytization — Persuading or encouraging Muslim children under 18 to accept religions other than Islam results in a fine or jail time.
• ☐ Public eating during Ramadhan — Consuming food or beverages in public during the Islamic month of Ramadhan results in a fine in the thousands.

Before you go

General trip-prep, not specific to Brunei — the same short list applies anywhere.

• ☐ Register with your embassy's traveler program if one exists
• ☐ Check your passport's validity and blank-page requirements on your destination's official entry-rules page
• ☐ Photograph/screenshot your passport, visa, and travel insurance documents
• ☐ Download offline maps for your destination
• ☐ Confirm your bank/card issuer knows you're traveling
• ☐ Check whether your phone plan needs a travel add-on or a local SIM