Brunei: country facts, travel advice and health

01Free

The 30-second card

CapitalBandar Seri BegawanSource: Wikidata · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

LanguageBritish English, MalaySource: Wikidata · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

CurrencyBrunei Dollar · $ · BNDSource: Unicode CLDR · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

TimeUTC+8Source: IANA Time Zone Database · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

PlugsG, 240 VSource: Wikidata · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

DrivingOn the leftSource: Wikidata · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Emergency · tap to call

993Police 991Ambulance 995Fire

Source: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Visa · United Kingdom passport

No visa needed · up to 90 daysSource: GOV.UK · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Visa · United States passport

No visa needed · up to 90 daysSource: U.S. Department of State · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

SIM and eSIM

Three networks: state-run DST, Progresif with the strongest 5G, and Imagine (4G LTE only, weakest coverage).Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Apps locals use

Dart: the main ride-hailing app for booking rides, as Grab and Gojek are not available.Customs.BN: file your customs declaration before reaching the airport counter.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Money in Brunei

Brunei Dollar · $ · BND

Singapore dollars are legal tender at par, so no need to change them when arriving from Singapore.

Bring clean Singapore notes; shops often refuse ones with even tiny tears, marks or stains.

Arrive with some cash: the airport's cash machines are only on the departures side.

Eat at local places rather than hotel restaurants to keep costs down.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Collect Brunei Dollar in CointryOur sister app for coin and banknote collectors · cointry.appOpen

Public holidays in the next 12 months

Mon, 8 Feb 2027–8 Mar · Ramadan (expected date)

Tue, 9 Mar 2027 · Eid al-Fitr (expected date)

Sun, 16 May 2027 · Eid al-Adha (expected date)

Source: Umm al-Qura calendar (computed with ICU) · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

02Free

Safety today

Germany, the US and the UK publish their travel advice openly. Here is what those that cover Brunei say, side by side, checked daily.

German Foreign Office says

No travel warning

Calm ●

Caution

Serious

Don’t go

Source: Auswärtiges Amt
Updated 13 Oct 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

U.S. Department of State says

Exercise normal precautions

Calm ●

Caution

Serious

Don’t go

Level 1 of 4

Source: travel.state.gov
Updated 13 May 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

UK Foreign Office says

No advice against travel

Source: GOV.UK
Updated 19 Mar 2026 · Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

Countrywise is a summary. The official page is authoritative.

03Free

Health

Routine shots, plus hepatitis A and B; others by trip type. Yellow fever proof if coming from a risk country.

Vaccinations

Have your routine shots up to date before the trip. Hepatitis B is advised for anyone not yet vaccinated and hepatitis A for most visitors; typhoid, Japanese encephalitis and rabies shots depend on the kind of trip. Proof of yellow fever vaccination is needed if you arrive from a country with yellow fever transmission.

Talk to a travel clinic 4–8 weeks before you go.

Source: CDC
Checked 24 Oct 2026Official page

Summarised from the CDC’s Travelers’ Health pages. Using them does not mean the CDC endorses Countrywise.

04Travel layer

In the app: the travel layer

The travel layer

Read a country like someone who’s been there.

What’s different from home, and what’s the lawMust-see places, free entry and World Heritage sites20 words to remember, with pronunciationStrange and surprising factsThe anthem and national symbolsSaved for offline use

€4.99once · all countries

Pay once. No subscription. All countries, yours forever.

Must-see · 1Bandar Seri Begawan

The capital, called Bandar or BSB: mosques, palace, museums.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

Strange & surprising · #1

Brunei issues a banknote worth 10,000 dollars.

Source: Wikivoyage · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

National anthem: Allah Peliharakan Sultan. The lyrics, translated, and the story are in the app. Source: Wikidata · Checked 24 Oct 2026 ↗

05Free

Deep facts

Economy
GDP	≈ $15 billionSource: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Per person	≈ $32,235Source: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Top exports	refined petroleum, natural gas, crude petroleum, hydrocarbons, fertilizers (2023)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Population
Population	466,330Source: World Bank · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Median age	32.6 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2025 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Life expectancy	78.9 yearsSource: The World Factbook (archive) · 2024 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Religions	Muslim (official) 82.1%, Christian 6.7%, Buddhist 6.3%, other 4.9% (2021 est.)Source: The World Factbook (archive) · 2021 figures · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Geography
Area	5,765 km²Source: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Climate	tropical; hot, humid, rainySource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Terrain	flat coastal plain rises to mountains in east; hilly lowland in westSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Government
Type of government	absolute monarchy or sultanateSource: The World Factbook (archive) · as of 2025/26 · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗
Calling code	+673Source: libphonenumber · Checked 23 Oct 2026 ↗

About the data

Written from the sources we link, and checked against them before each release. Countrywise summarises public sources. We are not an official source. For safety and entry rules, always follow the official page we link to.

From your foreign ministry when it publishes its advice openly (Germany, the US, the UK). Otherwise we show those three side by side. Checked daily, with the date next to every entry.

CDC · 24 Oct 2026 ↗GOV.UK · 24 Oct 2026 ↗IANA Time Zone Database · 23 Oct 2026 ↗libphonenumber · 23 Oct 2026 ↗The World Factbook (archive) · 23 Oct 2026 ↗U.S. Department of State · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Umm al-Qura calendar (computed with ICU) · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Unicode CLDR · 23 Oct 2026 ↗Wikidata · 24 Oct 2026 ↗Wikivoyage · 24 Oct 2026 ↗World Bank · 23 Oct 2026 ↗

Flag artwork from flag-icons (MIT licence).