According to top-mba-universities, Brunei (Brunei Darussalam) is a country in Asia that consists of two separate parts: West and East Brunei. Both western and eastern Brunei are located on the island of Borneo and are wholly surrounded by Malaysia. Brunei has been independent from the United Kingdom since 1984 . The capital of Brunei is Bandar Seri Begawan. A number of major cities in Brunei are: Seria, Tutong and Kuala Belait.
Brunei is known for its wealth. This is due to the oil and gas fields in the country. The wealth can be recognized by the large palaces and expensive cars. Brunei has no tax system, health care and education are free and food and housing are subsidized. Brunei has many beautiful nature reserves. There are still untouched pieces of tropical rainforest and there are national parks. One of the most famous parks is Bako National Park. You can also go to Brunei for diving. The country has a number of extensive beaches with many species of fish and coral reefs close to the coast. See securitypology for 5 fascinating big cities in Asia.
Where is Brunei located?
Travel information of Brunei
Official name: State of Brunei Darussalam
Continent: Asia
Area: 5,765 km²
Capital: Bandar Seri Begawan
Country code: BN, BRN
Population: 464,478 inhabitants (2020)
Form of government: Absolute monarchy
Highest point: 1,850 m (Bukit Pagon)
Distance (Amsterdam – Bandar Seri Begawan): 10,933 km
Flight time: approximately 13 hours and 30 minutes
Travel advice
Current status: No special security risks.
Current color code: Green.
Corona
Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19), (temporary) measures may apply in Brunei that you as a tourist may have to deal with. For the most up-to-date corona travel advice, please refer to our special coronavirus travel advice page. For the number of current corona infections, number of deaths and various corona-related graphs of Brunei, please visit Countryaah.
Travel offer
At the moment there are no travel organizations that offer travel to Brunei. If you want to put together your own trip or are looking for separate travel components such as hotels, airline tickets and a rental car, please visit our travel offer page.
Travel guides and maps
Are you looking for a travel guide, map, walking map, cycling map, book or DVD about Brunei?
Weather and climate
Brunei has a tropical climate. The temperatures are between 23 and 35 degrees throughout the year. precipitation falls about 16 days a month.
The current weather (weather forecast) and a weather forecast for Brunei can be found on our extensive weather page.
Detailed information about the climate of Brunei can be found at Climate info.
Best time to travel
February, March and April are the best months to travel to Brunei. In these months you have the least problems with tropical rain showers.
Language
Malay is the official language in Brunei. In addition, Chinese and English are spoken.
Would you like to translate from or into Malay for free? Use the Google translator for this.
Travel documents
You must have a passport that is valid for at least 6 months upon arrival in Brunei.
A visa is not required if you stay in Brunei for less than 30 days.
Embassies and consulates
Below is an overview of relevant diplomatic representations, including addresses and contact details.
Netherlands Embassy in Singapore (also for Brunei):
netherlandsworldwide.nl.
Dutch consulate in Brunei: netherlandsworldwide.nl.
Embassy of Brunei in Belgium (also for the Netherlands): bruneiembassy.be.
Vaccination (inoculation)
Before visiting Brunei, it is advisable to get one or more vaccinations.
For extensive vaccination advice and to make a vaccination appointment at home, please visit Thuisvaccinatie.nl. You can also see here whether your health insurance reimburses the vaccination(s).
Money and Currency
In Brunei, payment is made with the Brunei dollar (BND).
The current position of this currency (currency, currency) can be found on our exchange rate page.
An overview of all ATMs in Brunei can be found on our ATMs page.
Price level
Prices in Brunei are much lower than in the Netherlands. The price difference with the Netherlands is -30% on average. Some examples are: restaurants (57% cheaper), food (20% cheaper), imported beer in catering (53% more expensive), cigarettes (14% cheaper) and public transport (76% cheaper). Please note that the price difference in tourist areas, especially during high season, may vary.
Tipping
In Brunei it is not customary to tip. In some tourist areas, a service charge is automatically added to the bill.
Time difference
During our summer time it is 6 hours later in Brunei.
During our winter time it is 7 hours later in Brunei.
Brunei has no difference in winter time and summer time.
The local time, date and time zone for Brunei can be found on our time difference page.
Traffic and route
In Brunei you must drive on the left.
To drive and/or rent a motor vehicle in Brunei you must have an international driver’s license. The international driver’s license is available at an ANWB shop.
With the Google route planner you can compile a route description from, to or within Brunei.
Electricity
In Brunei you need a power plug adapter.
More information about common plugs and sockets in Brunei can be found on our electricity page.
Emergency services
If you need help from the police, fire brigade and/or ambulance in an emergency, you can use the emergency numbers below.
– Police: 993
– Fire: 995
– Ambulance: 991
Tap water
It is not recommended to drink water from the tap.
If you are unable to buy bottled water, use a water purifier to purify the water or boil the water for 5 minutes. After this you can safely use it as drinking water and for things like brushing teeth, cleaning lenses and washing vegetables and / or fruit. More information about drinking water and/or the purchase of water purification products can be found on our drinking water page.
News and newspapers
The latest news related to Brunei can be found on Google news.
An overview of the newspapers from Brunei can be found on Abyznewslinks.
Internet
Websites from Brunei end in.bn.
Brunei’s official website: bruneitourism.travel.
Telephony
The country code (international access code) to call someone in Brunei is 00673 or +673.
Do you want to call the Netherlands from Brunei? Then use the Dutch country code 0031 or +31.
(If using a country code, omit the leading 0 of the number to be called.)
Company details can be found in Brunei’s Yellow Pages.
Photos and videos
On Flickr you will find a nice collection of photos from Brunei.
On Youtube you will find a nice collection of videos from Brunei.
Holidays
An overview of all public holidays in Brunei can be found on Beleven.org.
Reviews and travel experiences
On Zoover and TripAdvisor you will find reviews from travelers about accommodations (eg hotel), restaurants and destinations in Brunei, supplemented with photos, videos and places of interest.
Travelogues
Are you looking for a travelogue about Brunei?
Here you will find travel reports and experiences of travelers who have previously visited Brunei. It is also possible to keep a free diary of your trip for family and/or friends.
Nature and world heritage
An overview of the protected nature areas (including national parks, reserves and wildlife parks) in Brunei can be found on Protected Planet.
Brunei is not on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Customs rules
Do you want to know how much you are allowed to import and export when traveling to Brunei? On the IATA website you will find an overview with the maximum quantities of cigarettes, alcohol, money and perfume, among other things. If you stick to these quantities, you don’t have to declare anything to customs. You will also find the laws and regulations regarding the entry of pets on this website.
Relevant legislation
Below you will find relevant legislation and regulations that you may encounter during your visit to Brunei.
– Alcohol: Buying and/or drinking prohibited.
– Tobacco: Buying and/or smoking from the age of 18.
– Smoking ban: In public places.
– Homosexuality: Not allowed. Death penalty by stoning.
Did you know that…
…Brunei only covers 1% of the island of Borneo?
…Education in Brunei is completely free?
…The sultan of Brunei is one of the richest people in the world?
…The sultan’s palace has 1,700 rooms and 257 bathrooms?
…About 250,000 tourists visit Brunei every year?
