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A dry country with a strict drinks rule, a dollar that shares Singapore's value, and an arrival card before you fly
Brunei is calm, orderly and easy to travel once you know its particulars. It is a dry country, so nothing is sold with alcohol, though non-Muslims can bring a small declared allowance in for private use. Its dollar is worth exactly a Singapore dollar and the two notes pass at par, which quietly simplifies the money. And like several of its neighbours, it now wants an arrival card filed online before you land. Sort those three and a visit to the water village, the gold-domed mosques and the rainforest is a gentle one. This guide covers the entry card, the visa, the money, the drinks rule, and why data is worth having from the airport.
Kampong Ayer and the grand mosques
Kampong Ayer, the water village of stilt houses strung along the river in the capital, is Brunei's signature sight, a centuries-old community reached by water taxi that the tourism board sets alongside the gold-domed Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque. The mosques are working places of worship, so dress modestly with shoulders and knees covered, visit outside prayer times, and follow the rule at each, since some ask non-Muslim visitors to wear a provided robe and sign in.4
Our take: take a water taxi across to Kampong Ayer and, if you can, accept an invitation into a home for the view of a way of life rather than just the houses from the river. Photograph the Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque from across its lagoon at dusk, when the dome catches the last light, and check prayer times before you plan to go inside.
You will want a car or a ride-hailing app
Brunei is built around the car, and public transport is thin, so getting between the capital, the mosques and the airport usually means a taxi or a ride-hailing app rather than a bus you can rely on. Taxis are few and not always easy to hail on the street, which is why a booking app tends to be the simpler way to move around, and some visitors hire a car for the freedom to reach sights spread out beyond the centre.
Our take: line up a ride-hailing app before you arrive rather than counting on flagging a taxi, and consider a hire car if you want to reach the rainforest or the coast under your own steam. Distances are short and the roads are good, so a little planning covers most of a trip without much cost.
The Brunei dollar shares its value with Singapore's
Prices are in Brunei dollars (BND), and the currency runs on a board arrangement tied to Singapore under a long-standing interchangeability agreement, so a Brunei dollar and a Singapore dollar are worth the same and each passes at par in the other country. Singapore notes circulate in Brunei as customary tender, though a shop is within its rights to decline them, so keep some Brunei dollars for everyday spending and small stalls.3
File the E-Arrival Card before you travel
Every foreign visitor now registers an E-Arrival Card online with the immigration department before arriving by air, land or sea, and the window is short, within a few days before you travel. It is free and done on the official immigration site, so treat it as the one pre-trip task, and carry the confirmation along with proof of onward travel and accommodation in case you are asked.1
Many nationalities enter visa-free
Citizens of a long list of countries can visit Brunei without a visa for stays of up to 90, 30 or 14 days depending on passport, and others arrange a visa in advance. Your passport should be valid for at least six months beyond your stay, and the arrival card is required regardless of whether you need a visa, so check the immigration department's list for your nationality before you go.1
It is a dry country, with a strict allowance for non-Muslims
No alcohol is sold in Brunei, and it is not served in restaurants or bars. A non-Muslim visitor over 17 may bring in a personal allowance, set by customs at up to two bottles of liquor, around two litres, and twelve cans of beer, which must be declared to customs on arrival, kept for private use only, and not brought in again within 48 hours of the last time. Exceeding or failing to declare it risks confiscation and a penalty.2
Dress modestly, and mind the fasting month
Brunei is a conservative Muslim country, so dress on the modest side in public, cover up at religious sites, and during Ramadan avoid eating, drinking or smoking in public in daylight out of respect for those fasting. The emergency numbers are 993 for police and 991 for an ambulance, reachable from any phone, and English is widely spoken, which makes getting help straightforward.
Brunei sits outside every regional free-roaming zone, so a home plan roams here at a charge whatever your country, and a local eSIM keeps data at a predictable price on a good, modern network. Coverage is strong across the capital and the populated coastal strip where most trips spend their time, and it thins in the forested interior and the Temburong district, where a downloaded map helps. You will use data from the planning stage: the E-Arrival Card is filed online before you fly, and once you are in, ride-hailing, maps and translation all run through your phone in a place where taxis are scarce and public transport is thin. Because moving around leans on an app and the arrival card is done on a screen, a connection that works from the moment you land keeps the first day simple. Set up your data before you arrive rather than hunting for a SIM counter after a long flight.
Brunei is a dry country: no alcohol is sold, and it is not served in restaurants or bars. A non-Muslim visitor over 17 may bring in a personal allowance, set by customs at up to two bottles of liquor, around two litres, plus twelve cans of beer, which must be declared to customs on arrival, kept for private use only, and not re-imported within 48 hours. Exceeding or not declaring it risks confiscation and a penalty.2
Many nationalities enter visa-free for up to 90, 30 or 14 days depending on passport, while others arrange a visa in advance. Separately, every foreign visitor must register an E-Arrival Card online with the immigration department in the days before arriving, free of charge and on the official site. The card is required whether or not you need a visa, so check the immigration list for your nationality.1
Yes, in practice. The Brunei dollar and the Singapore dollar are worth the same under a long-standing interchangeability agreement, and each passes at par in the other country, so Singapore notes circulate in Brunei as customary tender. A shop can still decline them, though, so carry some Brunei dollars for everyday spending, markets and small stalls.3
Usually not. Brunei is outside every regional free-roaming arrangement, so roaming on a home plan is billed whatever country you come from. A local eSIM keeps data at a predictable price, which matters because the arrival card, ride-hailing and maps all run through your phone, and getting around leans on an app in a place where taxis are scarce.
Every price, date and rule above is taken from the operator, museum, city or ministry that sets it, and was checked against that source on September 5, 2026. Lines marked "Our take" are our own recommendation, not a sourced fact. Fares, fees and opening hours change — confirm anything your trip depends on before you book.