Asean Travel News Travel News Agency in Delhi
The Government of Brunei Darussalam has introduced a special Frequent Commuters Pass (FCP) arrangement for commuters who cross the border on frequent basis. According to the new government guidelines issued on Wednesday (Sept 30), frequent travelers holding the Frequent Commuters Pass will get discount on entry and exit fees while crossing the border.
The guidelines, published on the official website of the Prime Minister Office (PMO), stated clearly that commuter pass holders who travel frequently for work through the Brunei-Sarawak border will pay B$ 50 a month. Students who hold FCP have to pay B$ 30 a month.
During a press conference on Sept 30, Second Finance and Economy Minister YB Dato Seri Setia Dr Hj Mohd Amin Liew Abdullah said “For those who travel frequently across the border, we are concerned about the impact on their finances. Hence, we have a special arrangement for them, whereby they have to apply for the FCP. This applies to Bruneians as well.”
“We have already indicated this to Malaysia and are waiting for them to talk to us, to see what kind of arrangement we can arrive at,” he added.
As per the Exit and Entry Charges Order 2020 started from October 1, all nationals, residents and foreigners who travel through the Brunei-Sarawak border checkpoints are required to pay a fee of B$ 3 per person for one-way journey and B$ 6 per person for the return journey.
Dr Hj Mohd Amin Liew Abdullah has said that the government has decided to introduce FCP because entry and exit fees would have a financial impact on those who regularly travel across the border. These passes are not applicable to transportation operators, businesses and runners.
Applications for applying FCP can be submitted on the official website of the Prime Minister’s Office. Applicants of FCP are required to show at least 15 travel history to and from Brunei in a month. Once approved, those holding FCP must register on the Royal Customs and Excise Department’s Entry and Exit System and can choose to pay charges monthly, quarterly or semi-annually.
The implementation of new entry and exit regulations were initially set to take effect on August 1, but Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Awang Tengah Ali Hasan wrote a letter to the Brunei Government in July requesting to postpone the implementation of new entry and exit fees at land border checkpoints.
Following the request and to allow further discussions with the government of Malaysia, Brunei had postponed the plan to introduce the entry and exit fees at land border checkpoints to October 1
