Residency in Brunei

Obtaining permanent resident status in Brunei is an extremely complex and lengthy process. 

1. If you are married to a citizen of Brunei. You must be married and have lived in Brunei for at least 10 years before you can apply for permanent residence.
2. If you were born in the country but your parents do not have Brunei citizenship, you must also wait at least 10 years before applying for permanent residence.
3. If none of these points apply to you, you will need to work and reside in Brunei for at least 15 years before you are eligible to apply for permanent residence in the country.
4. Your chances may increase if you are a highly qualified professional, such as a doctor or engineer, or if you have invested (or run) a business in Brunei.

Citizenship, dual-prohibited

Obtaining citizenship is provided for in exceptional cases:

1) By Origin:

• from marriage to a Brunei – regardless of the place of birth;
• an illegitimate child of bruneika by an unidentified person or stateless person.

2) Naturalization:

• adoption;
• marriage: a woman can get after 10 years of permanent residence; a man can’t obtain a passport, but he is entitled to a permanent residence permit, but subject to the availability of means of subsistence and a fifteen-year period of residence in the country.