Permanent Residence (discretionary, long-term)

Overview

Permanent residence is Brunei's settled status for foreigners, granting a long-term right to live in the country. Honesty box - please read: this is a slow and discretionary status. Brunei has no golden visa and no investment-based permanent residence, and there is no automatic pathway from holding a work pass. Official guidelines effective 31 December 2024 set out the application categories, which are based on family ties to a Brunei citizen or permanent resident, stateless status, or proven Brunei descent - with qualifying periods that vary by category, such as fifteen years' residence for a person of proven Brunei descent born abroad (ten if born in Brunei) or marriages of ten to twenty years for spouses. It is granted at the authorities' discretion rather than as a right. Good to know: applications run through the immigration department's Entry Permit division. Treat any timing as indicative and confirm the current position on the official Immigration and National Registration Department page.

Additional sources

• Primary source

  Immigration and National Registration Department of Brunei - guidelines and eligibility requirements for permanent resident status categories (effective 31 December 2024) ↗ · Immigration and National Registration Department, Ministry of Home Affairs (Brunei Darussalam)

  Link last verified: 30 July 2026

Eligibility

Application pathway

1. 01

   Check the route fit

   Confirm you fall within the limited circumstances and have the long-standing ties expected.

2. 02

   Build the evidence pack

   Assemble your passport and detailed evidence of your residence and ties.

3. 03

   Submit through the official channel

   Apply through the official Entry Permit division channel.

4. 04

   After approval

   After approval, hold permanent resident status and keep your re-entry permits valid.

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Related routes

• Entry Permit (route toward permanent resident status)

  For you if you are working toward settling in Brunei: the Entry Permit is the document the immigration department processes for permanent resident status, so this is the formal route toward becoming a permanent resident.

• Long-Term Pass (social, business or professional)

  For you if you want a multi-year basis to stay in Brunei: the Long-Term Pass is a newer route with social, business and professional sub-categories - but please read the dated note, because it only took effect at the end of 2024.

• Work Pass (employer-sponsored employment)

  For you if a Brunei employer has offered you a job: the Work Pass is the standard, employer-sponsored route into paid employment, handled by the immigration department's Foreign Work Pass division alongside a valid visa.