Brunei Employment Work Pass and Foreign Worker Licence

Ordinary foreign employment in Brunei is employer-led. The employer's Labour Department approvals and the worker's Immigration visa/work-pass process are linked but not identical.

Labour approval

The Department of Labour's Work Pass Recommendation process assesses factors including:

  • whether the foreign worker has qualifications or experience relevant to the position;
  • whether the position can be filled by a local worker;
  • opportunities to transfer skills to local workers; and
  • the employer's available foreign-worker quota/licence.

The current BUR500/BUR555 process is handled through the employer or licensed employment agency.

Immigration work-pass documents

The Immigration Work Pass Division publishes a checklist that includes:

  • employer/sponsor application letter;
  • visa form where required by nationality;
  • passport valid for at least six months;
  • Form 23 and photographs;
  • Foreign Worker Licence / Labour approval;
  • Work Pass Recommendation;
  • job order; and
  • medical documentation for endorsement.

The exact document set differs by nationality and employment category.

Approval and endorsement

Immigration's process describes the employment agency submitting the visa/work-pass application first. After approval, the worker completes the required visa/work-pass endorsement process with passport and medical documents.

A Labour licence or quota is not the same as the worker's final Immigration permission.

Local-worker priority

The Labour Department states that the foreign-worker application should support positions that cannot be filled locally and should contribute to skills transfer/localisation.

This is why Brunei does not operate a general self-sponsored Employment Pass for any foreign applicant who finds a job.

Remote workers and founders

Someone employed abroad with no Brunei sponsor should not assume the ordinary Work Pass applies. See remote work and digital nomad rules.

A foreign owner/investor should compare the Long-Term Business Visit Pass.

Permanent residence

A Work Pass is temporary employment permission. Current Brunei permanent-residence guidance is category-based and does not state that ordinary work-pass holders automatically become PR after a fixed number of years.

Return to the Brunei immigration hub, browse visa types, explore Asia, review our research methodology, and read the legal disclaimer.

Official and supporting sources

Related routes in Brunei Darussalam