Your starting point in Brunei

Moving to Brunei: Your Arrival & Settling-In Guide

A successful move starts before your flight. Use this guide to organise your documents, avoid rushed commitments and build a practical routine during your first month.

Whether you are visiting, joining family or relocating for employment, start with the same priorities: confirm your immigration position, arrange your first accommodation, plan transport and keep enough money available for unexpected changes.

Your passport, nationality, reason for travel and intended length of stay determine which requirements apply. Someone else’s experience is not proof that the same arrangement will work for you.

Confirm these points with Brunei’s Immigration and National Registration Department or the Brunei diplomatic mission responsible for your location:

• Whether you need a visa before travelling.

• The passport validity and document requirements that apply to you.

• Your permitted activities and intended length of stay.

• Whether employment, study or joining family requires advance approval.

• What supporting evidence you should carry.

• Any conditions affecting extensions, departure or re-entry.

Planning to work? Ask your employer for a written explanation of the required approvals, who handles each application and when you may legally begin. Do not treat permission to visit as confirmation that you may work.

For remote work, freelancing or running a business, obtain advice about your specific arrangement rather than assuming overseas clients remove local obligations.

Your next action: Create a document recording your intended immigration route, outstanding requirements and the authority that confirmed the information.

Brunei operates an official E-Arrival Card system. The immigration department’s instructions direct travellers to register through the official portal and prepare passport, travel and accommodation information. Keep the resulting reference accessible. An arrival registration does not replace any visa you require.

Before departure:

• Complete the applicable arrival registration through the official portal.

• Check current health declaration and customs requirements.

• Save your accommodation address and contact number.

• Keep any required onward travel evidence available.

• Carry relevant visa, employment or sponsorship approvals.

• Save your insurance certificate and emergency assistance number.

Current UK government guidance also identifies a health declaration requirement. Check Brunei’s health authorities before travelling so you use the correct process.

Keep essential documents in your hand luggage. Store a protected digital backup separately from your phone, and avoid sharing passport scans in public groups or with unverified agents.

Your next action: Make one offline travel folder containing everything you might need at check-in or immigration.

Book initial accommodation that gives you time to inspect longer-term options. Confirm:

• The full address and map location.

• Check-in arrangements for your arrival time.

• How you will reach the property.

• A working contact number if plans change.

• Internet access and any additional charges.

• Cancellation and early-departure terms.

Arrange your arrival transport before departure where possible. Ask for the pickup location, contact details and total price.

If arriving by land or sea, check the opening hours of your specific border post. Brunei’s border posts are not all open around the clock.

Your next action: Write down a simple arrival sequence: border formalities → transport → accommodation → contact someone at home.

Keep your first day manageable. Focus on becoming reachable, finding essentials and confirming your immigration record.

• Check that your entry record is correct and establish your permitted departure date.

• Set reminders well before that date.

• Confirm that your phone, mobile data and important account logins work.

• Locate groceries, a pharmacy and suitable medical care.

• Save your accommodation address offline.

• Tell a trusted person that you have arrived.

Before purchasing a mobile plan, check identification requirements, coverage at your accommodation, data allowance, validity, tethering and renewal terms.

Test the connection where you will actually use it. For work, check video calls and uploads as well as browsing.

Your next action: Make sure you can navigate, communicate and access money without relying entirely on accommodation Wi-Fi.

An attractive property can still be a poor place to live if everyday journeys are expensive or inconvenient.

Compare each option against your actual needs:

Visit shortlisted properties in person where possible. Check air conditioning, water pressure, signs of damp, locks, appliances and mobile reception.

Before paying a deposit, obtain written terms covering:

• Rent, deposit and payment dates.

• Utilities, internet and other charges.

• Repairs and maintenance responsibilities.

• Minimum tenancy and notice period.

• Early termination and deposit deductions.

• An inventory and record of existing damage.

Verify that the person receiving payment is authorised to rent the property. Keep receipts and dated photographs.

Your next action: Compare at least three realistic options using the same checklist before committing.

Plan a normal weekday: leaving home, reaching work, buying groceries and returning in the evening.

Check journey times, availability and costs for the hours you need. A service that works for an afternoon outing may not suit an early shift or late finish.

Before renting or buying a vehicle, confirm:

• Whether your licence is accepted for your circumstances.

• Whether an international driving permit or local licence is required.

• Insurance cover and exclusions.

• Deposit, excess and accident procedures.

• Maintenance responsibilities.

• Restrictions on taking the vehicle across borders.

For family journeys, confirm suitable child restraints before booking transport.

Your next action: Complete a trial commute before signing a tenancy or vehicle agreement.

Avoid relying on a single “average monthly cost.” Your housing, transport, household size and benefits package will determine your real spending.

Separate your budget into three parts:

Keep an emergency reserve separate from your setup money. Include the cost of changing accommodation or leaving unexpectedly.

If relocating for employment, ask which benefits are included, when they begin and whether you must pay anything upfront.

Before relying on a bank account, obtain the bank’s current eligibility and document requirements. Maintain a backup payment method during setup.

Your next action: Replace estimates with written quotes before deciding what you can afford.

Identify a suitable clinic and emergency facility early. Ask your insurer or employer how treatment is paid for, which facilities are covered and whether approval is required.

Check your policy for:

• Emergency and routine treatment.

• Pre-existing conditions.

• Prescription medicines.

• Dental and specialist care.

• Medical evacuation.

• Exclusions for work or activities.

If you take medication, check its import requirements with the relevant Brunei authority before travelling. Keep it in original packaging with supporting prescription documents.

Your next action: Save your medical information, insurer details and preferred care location somewhere accessible offline.

Brunei’s legal and cultural environment deserves specific preparation.

Businesses generally close from 12 noon to 2pm on Fridays for prayers. Plan shopping, appointments and meals around this period.

Dress modestly, particularly when visiting government buildings or religious sites. During Ramadan, restrictions apply to eating, drinking and smoking in public during fasting hours.

Alcohol sales are prohibited. Limited import arrangements apply to eligible non-Muslim travellers, subject to declaration and conditions.

Drug offences carry severe penalties. Brunei also criminalises same-sex sexual activity and some forms of gender expression; LGBTQ+ travellers should review the detailed official advice before making travel decisions.

Check current rules before bringing restricted goods, medicines, alcohol or tobacco products into the country.

Your next action: Read the full laws and customs guidance before packing.

Choose activities you can attend repeatedly rather than expecting one networking event to create a support network.

Consider professional associations, sports, classes, volunteering or interest groups. Confirm meeting times, fees and participation requirements directly with organisers.

Seek perspectives from residents as well as other newcomers. Ask specific questions about everyday life: reliable services, practical journeys and what they wish they had checked earlier.

Treat community recommendations as leads to verify. Check providers independently before sending money or personal documents.

Your next action: Choose one professional connection and one social activity to pursue during your first fortnight.