Singapore and Brunei Establish Green Lane for Essential Travel

Posted by Written by Ayman Falak Medina Reading Time: 4 minutes
  • On September 1, 2020, Singapore and Brunei established a green lane for short-term business and official trips between the two countries.
  • Travelers must adhere to strict health protocols such as COVID-19 testing before departure and upon arrival.
  • In addition, travelers are to strictly abide by their business or work itineraries for at least the first 14 days of their stay.

Singapore and Brunei Darussalam established a reciprocal green lane (RGL) on September 1, 2020, for essential travel between the two countries.

The RGL aims to facilitate short-term business and official trips and is only available for non-stop flight routes between airports in Singapore and Brunei. Travelers will need to observe strict health protocols, such as presenting a negative COVID-19 PCR certificate to immigration officials and undertake another COVID-19 test upon arrival.

Singapore has already established travel corridors with Malaysia and China for essential business trips and for valid work visa holders. Travelers must also undertake similar health protocols as those set out in the Brunei travel corridor.

What are the perquisites to enter Singapore?

Travelers from Brunei seeking to enter Singapore via the RGL must be sponsored by a Singapore-based company or government agency, as they will apply on behalf of the traveler for the SafeTravel Pass.

Once the application is approved, the sponsor will receive an email notification containing an approval letter, which must be presented to immigration officials by the traveler. The approved traveler can now apply for a visa if required.

What are the pre-departure measures?

The traveler must take a COVID-19 PCR test at least 72 hours prior to departure, the certificate for which must be presented to immigration officials. The certificate must be issued by an authorized health center recognized by the Government of Brunei. The traveler must also not have exited Brunei within the last 14 days prior to departure.

In addition to a PCR test, the traveler must electronically submit their pre-trip health and travel history declarations via the SG Arrival Card. This can be downloaded from the Google Play Store and App Store free of charge.

Travelers are also reminded to present proof of a return ticket to depart Singapore as well as their controlled official itinerary.

Arrival in Singapore

Upon arrival in Singapore, the traveler must present their SafeTravel Pass, visa (if applicable), COVID-19 certificate, and itinerary.

The traveler will then undergo another COVID-19 PCR examination for which the traveler will bear the cost. Next, the sponsor company or government agency will transport the traveler to their self-declared accommodation (using private transport) wherein the traveler will stay until their COVID-19 test results are released.

If the subsequent result is negative, the traveler can proceed with their declared itinerary, abiding by all prevailing health protocols in the country. During their stay in Singapore, the traveler must subscribe to the contact tracing applications introduced by the government; TraceTogether and SafeEntry. If the traveler is positive for COVID-19 while in Singapore or after their departure, they must upload their TraceTogether data.

Travelers that do test positive for COVID-19 while in the country will undergo treatment at their own expense.

What are the perquisites to enter Brunei?

Only short-term business or official travel is allowed to enter Brunei from Singapore. As with entering Singapore, travelers must be sponsored by a Brunei-based company or government agency, who will apply for an Entry Travel Pass on behalf of the traveler.

In addition to an Entry Travel Pass, the receiving party must submit the traveler’s itinerary for the first 14 days in Brunei. The sponsoring company and traveler will be notified by email if the Entry Travel Pass request has been approved. Travelers are reminded that the Entry Travel Pass is not a visa and the sponsoring company must apply on behalf of the traveler should they require one.

A criterion for an Entry Travel Pass is that the traveler must have remained in Singapore for the last 14 days prior to departure to Brunei.

What are the pre-departure measures?

The traveler must take a COVID-19 PCR test 72-hours prior to departure at a Singapore government-designated medical center. A negative test result certificate must be presented to immigration officials in Brunei.

The sponsoring company must make a pre-payment for the traveler’s post-arrival COVID-19 test before the date of their arrival. This can be done at the Payment Unit of the Ministry of Health from Monday to Thursdays (8am-11am and 2pm-3pm) as well as Saturdays (8am-10am).

The sponsoring company should obtain a ‘Government of Brunei Darussalam’ payment receipt and a scanned copy must be sent to the traveler for them to show to immigration officials. The sponsoring company must ensure that the traveler’s name and passport number are on the receipt.

In addition to the COVID-19 certificate, payment of the COVID-19 test in Brunei, and Entry Travel Pass, the traveler will be required to present:

  • Details of accommodation in Brunei;
  • A valid visa (if applicable);
  • Proof of return ticket; and
  • Proof of installation of the BruHealth app for contact tracing purposes.

Arrival in Brunei

Travelers must present the aforementioned documents to immigration officials upon arrival, and they will then be directly transported to their declared accommodation.

Health officials will issue a COVID-19 test schedule for the traveler at the RIPAS Hospital, for which the traveler will bear the full costs. This will be done between one to five days after arrival.

If the test result is negative, the traveler can continue with their designated itinerary. If found positive, however, they will be awarded the necessary treatment, for which they will have to pay.

Travelers must also report their health conditions through the BruHealth app for the first 14 days of their stay. The app allows the user to scan for QR codes displayed in most public places.

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