Living in Brunei as a French National: Stay, Local Laws, Safety and Daily Life

According to France Diplomatie, a French national does not need a visa for a stay of up to 90 days; beyond that, a visa is required and the Brunei embassy in Paris provides information. Every traveller, by air, land or sea, must register online on the INRS portal before arrival, no earlier than three days before departure, and keep the reference: without it, entry is delayed until registration. The import of alcohol is strictly regulated, and the rules can be consulted on the Ministry of Finance site.

The Immigration and National Registration Department manages the passes. Its site distinguishes work passes, applied for through an approved recruitment agency and subject to a medical fitness certificate, and long-stay passes: the long-term social visit pass for foreigners linked to a citizen or a permanent resident, the business visit pass for investors and executives, and the professional pass for specialists. A passport valid six months before its expiry is required for work pass applications. The duration, documents and financial conditions should be confirmed directly with the Department; the pages consulted give no detail of any financial criterion.

Social and institutional life is concentrated in Bandar Seri Begawan and in the Brunei-Muara district, where the French embassy (Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Complex, Jalan Pretty), the main public hospital and the health centres are located. The districts of Belait (Kuala Belait), Tutong and Temburong each have a public hospital. France has about 70 nationals in Brunei, mainly in Bandar Seri Begawan, according to the page of the Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs.

No official rent statistics were used for this page: housing is negotiated on recent listings, often through the employer. The Brunei dollar (BND) is pegged at par to the Singapore dollar under the interchangeability agreement of 12 June 1967: the two currencies are exchanged at par and free of charge in the banks of both countries, according to the Monetary Authority. The euro exchange rate and inflation appear in the “Economic indicators” block. The Ministry of Finance specifies that no tax is levied on individuals’ income from employment, self-employment, dividends or interest, nor on capital gains: the page working in Brunei details the consequences for a French national.

Islam is the state religion, and the Islamic penal code has been fully applied since 3 April 2019, according to France Diplomatie. Certain acts of private life (adultery, homosexuality, blasphemy, apostasy) can lead to corporal punishment where a Muslim is concerned. France Diplomatie advises respecting local customs and behaving discreetly in all circumstances. The following practical benchmarks appear on its page:

• Alcohol: drinking in public or trafficking in it is heavily penalised; it is recommended not to consume alcohol, even in private, in the presence of Muslim Bruneians, and never to offer it to them.
• Narcotics: their import or use is severely punished; the death penalty exists for trafficking, but it has not been applied for about twenty years and a moratorium has been in force since May 2019.
• Remarks: remarks deemed insulting towards Islam, the sultan or the royal family can constitute an offence.
• Ramadan: eating, drinking or smoking in public, or in front of people who are fasting, is prohibited.
• Tobacco and content: smoking is prohibited in public buildings, hospitals, public places and public transport; buying or importing cigarettes is prohibited, as is possessing pornographic material.
• Dress and conduct: favour loose, covering clothing, limit public displays of affection and do not kiss a person of the opposite sex in greeting, even on the cheek.

The France Diplomatie Safety page places the country at normal vigilance. An attack cannot be ruled out, though there is no precedent in the country. Walks in the forest or jungle in Borneo should be made only with an official guide. The French embassy specifies its limited means in the event of a crisis: each traveller is responsible for their own safety, checks their insurance and has funds to cover hospitalisation or evacuation. It can issue an emergency travel document, only for a journey to France; other consular procedures come under the French embassy in Singapore.

To reach the embassy in Bandar Seri Begawan, France Diplomatie gives +673 222 09 60 or 61 during office hours and +673 871 25 40 or +673 881 58 94 outside office hours. The Useful information page describes roads in good condition and fairly fluid traffic; in the event of an accident, the police number is 993. Registering on Ariane and with the consular services is recommended.

The pages of the French embassy and of the AEFE (Agency for French Education Abroad) consulted show no school of the French education network in Brunei; the AEFE directory (aefe.gouv.fr) confirms the current situation. Children’s schooling therefore goes through local international schools, the CNED (French distance-learning service) or a school in Singapore or Malaysia, depending on the family’s situation. The embassy relays Campus France presentations in a local international school, and the Alliance française of Bandar Seri Begawan, the only European cultural institute established in the country, provides French teaching and cultural activities.

A successful move is prepared by following a simple order, drawn from the France Diplomatie recommendations and the Immigration Department pages:

• register on the INRS portal no earlier than three days before departure and keep the reference;
• check the pass needed (work, long-term social visit, business visit or professional) with the employer or the Department;
• obtain, for an employee, the medical fitness certificate from the Ministry of Health before arrival;
• take out an assistance contract covering care, hospitalisation and medical repatriation;
• register on Ariane and report your presence to the consular services, attached to the French embassy in Singapore for administrative procedures;
• read up on local customs (alcohol, dress, Ramadan) and note the emergency numbers 991, 993 and 995 as well as that of the embassy.

For currency, opening an account in Brunei dollars simplifies local payments: the Singapore dollar is exchanged at par in the banks of both countries, according to the Monetary Authority.

France Diplomatie judges hygiene conditions acceptable, but states that serious cases requiring a specialised hospital may need a medical evacuation, organised by the local medical team and the insurer. An assistance contract covering all medical costs, surgery, hospitalisation and medical repatriation is presented as essential: the embassy does not pay these costs. How the healthcare system works is described on the page Brunei’s healthcare system, cover by status in healthcare reimbursement in Brunei and the general framework in the page health insurance in Brunei.