Guidance

Brunei: Knowledge Base profile

Published 1 May 2024

About: Brunei

This document contains useful information about Brunei which will assist HM Passport Office staff process passport applications.

Contacts

If you have any questions about the document and your line manager or senior caseworker cannot help you or you think that the document has factual errors then email the Guidance team.

If you notice any formatting errors in this document (broken links, spelling mistakes and so on) or have any comments about the layout or navigability of the document then you can email the Guidance team.

Publication

Below is information on when this version of the document was published:

• version 2.0
• published for Home Office staff on 18 April 2024

Changes from last version of this document

This document has been updated with minor formatting changes.

Brunei: names

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about names in Brunei.

Names in Brunei consist of:

• a forename
• bin (male) or binti (female)
• the father’s name

Change of name

Name changes are allowed when a person converts to Islam, and they want to use their Islamic name for all purposes.

Brunei: nationality

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about nationality in Brunei.

Dual nationality is not recognised in Brunei.

Brunei: legitimacy

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about legitimacy in Brunei.

Legitimacy

Brunei recognises a difference between legitimate and illegitimate births.

A child will be considered:

• legitimate:
  • if the parents were married at the time of the birth
  • if the parents believed themselves to be married at the time of conception (even if the marriage was invalid)
  • if the child is born within 4 years of their parents’ marriage ending
  • from the date of marriage if the parents marry after the date of birth and one of the parents was domiciled in Brunei on that date
• illegitimate:
  • if the parents never marry
  • if the parents marry after the date of birth and one of the parents was not domiciled in Brunei on that date

Brunei: adoption

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about adoption in Brunei.

Adoption is legal in Brunei. At least one of the adoptive parents must be a Brunei citizen for the adoption to take place.

Brunei: surrogacy

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about surrogacy in Brunei.

Surrogacy is not legal in Brunei.

Brunei: gender recognition

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about gender recognition in Brunei.

Transgender citizens are not recognised in Brunei.

Brunei: documents

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about documents in Brunei.

Birth certificates

A birth certificate is issued following the registration of birth in Brunei. If the child is born to unmarried parents, the father’s name is not included on the birth certificate.

Where a child is born in a hospital, the parents are issued with a birth report that must be presented to register the birth. Where a child is born at home, the local authorities will establish the child’s relationship to the birth parents. They will complete the birth registration and issue the birth certificate.

There is no set time limit for births to be registered, usually this is done when the birth report is received from the hospital. Late registrations are allowed.

A central register of births is held in Bandar Seri Begawan, where records are held from:

• 1932 onwards, for citizens who were registered in this area
• 1948 onwards, for citizens registered in other areas of Brunei

An original birth certificate will be issued on A3 sized paper, with further copies issued on A4 sized paper.

Where a mistake has been identified on a birth certificate:

• within one year of the registration, the birth certificate will be amended
• more than one year after the birth has been registered, the birth certificate will not be amended

Marriage certificates

Both civil and religious marriages are legal in Brunei. A Muslim couple can have a religious ceremony; all other couples can have a civil marriage.

Marriage certificates are issued following the registration marriage in Brunei. A central register of marriages is held in Bandar Seri Begawan.

A Brunei civil marriage certificate will be issued in bilingual format, using both Malaysian and English language.

Death certificates

Death certificates are issued following the registration death in Brunei. When the cause of death has been established by a pathologist, the death certificate can be issued.

A central register of deaths is held in Bandar Seri Begawan, where records are held from:

• 1941 onwards, for deaths registered in this area
• 1948 onwards, for deaths registered in other areas of Brunei

All deaths must be registered within 3 days. Late registrations are allowed.

An original death certificate will be issued on A3 sized paper, with further copies issued on A4 sized paper.

Identity documents

It is mandatory for all citizens and foreign national permanent residents over the age of 12 in Brunei to have an identity card.

The identity cards are issued at the local Immigration Office. The issuing authorities do not laminate these cards when they are issued.