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Brunei

Last updated : January 20, 2026

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Digital ID Overview

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As of January 2026, Brunei’s digital identity system is the Brunei Identiti Digital (BruneiID ) which was launched by the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications.[14] BruneiID is being introduced in a phased manner to access government digital services, starting with PSC Recruitment (a web-based platform for public and government servants), the Business Reporting Portal, TransportBN, BruHealth, E-Undi (web-based system used for casting votes) and TD123 (a 24/7 national call center for non-emergency services), with other services to be integrated gradually.[15] BruneiID is expected to become the primary gateway for accessing a wide range of public services online.[16]

According to the Strategic Plan for the Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications 2025 (MTIC 2025), the government aimed to have all systems connected to Digital ID by 2024.[17] This was first implemented through the e-Darussalam Account. BruneiID is intended to replace e-Darussalam and user data is expected to be migrated to the new system.[18] There is limited information on the manner in which e-Darussalam will be phased out and fully replaced by BruneiID.[19]

The digital ID system in Brunei functions as both a foundational and functional ID.[20] The e-Darussalam Account previously acted as both a means of identity verification and as a central digital authentication key for accessing a range of government services online, including: government job applications, land application and registration, electric bill payments, vehicle and driving license renewal, education, health care, and employment, among others.[21] Information available indicates that government services will be progressively migrated to BruneiID, however there is limited information on the timeline for the same.[22] As a foundational ID, it serves as a primary means of identity verification for citizens and residents, integrating various forms of legal identification, such as the Smart Identity Card.[23] In Brunei, the possession of a digital identity credential is essential as it is required to access certain public services.[24] This was previously under the e-Darussalam Account, and with the launch of BruneiID the government has begun to require BruneiID for authentication on selected services as of January 2026, with more services to be progressively incorporated in the system.[25]

Although the digital ID is a part of Brunei’s legal identity framework it is only administered to individuals with national identity cards (yellow, purple, or green).[26] The digital ID system is thus accessible to citizens, permanent residents, and foreign citizens, including stateless persons with permanent resident status.[27] Stateless persons without permanent residence in Brunei could not acquire the e-Darussalam Account, and are therefore barred from access to the public services that required it.[28] This is continued under BruneiID, which also requires government issued Smart Identity Cards for registration.[29] Notably, since non-citizens in Brunei can also access digital ID, it does not serve as a marker of citizenship.[30]

Law

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Domestic Law and Policy

Brunei’s Digital Economy Masterplan 2025 includes the intention to develop policies and regulations.[31] To that effect, in November 2025, Brunei has enacted the Personal Data Protection Order (PDPO). This is a general data-protection regulation for private-sector organizations and non-governmental organizations. As such, there is no definition provided for digital ID in Brunei’s legislation. However, there are plans to amend the National Registration Act (2002) to accommodate digital ID.[32] Presently, there is no publicly available information regarding laws and regulations around the BruneiID digital system.  

Data Protection

Brunei’s digital identity and data-sharing initiatives are framed as operating within a broader national approach to cyber-security and data protection, which now includes the Personal Data Protection Order 2025 for private-sector organizations and a set of government data-sharing policies and security laws for the public sector.[33] The sharing of personal data between government agencies is governed by existing legislation. The government has planned to develop this legislative and policy framework further.[34] Existing legislation applicable to government use and  protection of personal data includes the Internal Security Act (1983), the Official Secrets Act (1940), the Computer Misuse Act (2000), the Electronic Transactions Act (2001), the PDPO, Brunei’s Data Protection Policy, as well as sectoral laws on personal data management.[35] Under the Personal Data Sharing Agreement, data between government agencies does not require an application form whereas sharing data with entities outside of government does.[36] Similarly, under the Personal Data Sharing Guideline, data can be shared to the private sector through an orderly process and according to set procedures, e.g. data sharing request forms and contractual agreements.’[37] Personal data may be shared by the government without consent in circumstances demanded by legal obligation, national security, public health, public order, public safety, public task, research purposes, to protect a person’s life, and when there is a disclosure in line with government policies.[38] With national security reasons allowing for the use of users’ data without consent,[39] it should be noted that migrants are at higher risk of being portrayed as a threat to national security.[40] Stateless persons tend to be at greater risk of violation of their right to privacy as their data can be obtained for national security concerns, a result of national security reasons allowing for the use of users’ data without consent. 

Brunei has recently enacted the Personal Data Protection Order (PDPO) as well as a Data Protection Policy.[41] The PDPO has been enacted to govern the collection, use and disclosure of personal data by private organizations. It provides a framework that balances the private sector’s need to collect and use personal data with individuals’ right to protect their personal information.[42] The Data Protection Policy aims to protect information collected on individuals and to facilitate data sharing within the Government.[43] Together, the PDPO and Data Protection Policy establish a dual framework in Brunei, safeguarding personal data in the private sector while enabling secure government data sharing, in line with the Personal Data Protection Order 2025’s phased implementation.[44]

International Commitments

Brunei has ratified several major human rights treaties such as CEDAW, CRC and CPRD. Under the CRC, Brunei is also obligated to uphold the right to education for children.[45] Moreover, General Comment No. 25 by the Committee on the Rights of the Child states that digital ID systems should be created to enable all children to safely access essential digital public services and educational services without discrimination.[46] Exclusion of stateless children without permanent residence from accessing the health and education services tied to legal identity violates this obligation.[47] The exclusion of certain stateless children from legal identity raises concerns regarding the full realization of the principle of non-discrimination, protected under Article 7 of the UDHR.[48]

Regionally, the ASEAN Framework on Personal Data Protection and Framework on Digital Data Governance set out non-binding principles to facilitate coordination and raise standards on data protection, privacy, and secure digital economies. These principles encourage member states to adopt national data protection laws and support mutual recognition. However, they do not establish binding commitments or specific requirements for digital ID systems, nor do they include provisions addressing the protection of stateless persons.[49]

Designed to Include?

The Impact of Digital ID and Legal Identity on Citizenship and Nationality Rights

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Neither the e-Darussalam Account nor BruneiID certify citizenship. Brunei’s digital ID systems do not, therefore, affect the scale of statelessness in the country.[50] However, the functional nature of the digital ID means that without it people, particularly stateless persons without permanent residence, cannot access public services.[51] Under e-Darussalam, these services include: government job applications, land application and registration, electric bill payments, vehicle and driving license renewal, education, health care, and employment services, among others.[52] There is limited information on the extent to which BruneiID impacts access to services presently. There is, nonetheless,  social stigma attached to the color of one’s identity card, particularly those that are not yellow.[53]

As the BruneiID system is rolled out to replace the e-Darusslam Account before it, it may be timely for Brunei to consider expediting amendments to the National Registration Act (2002) to provide a clear legal basis for the introduction of a digital ID. In addition, to enhance the inclusivity of the system, Brunei could explore measures to ensure that stateless persons without permanent residence are able to obtain a form of national identity, enabling them to access an e‑Darussalam account and the services linked to it.

References
1.^

 HM Passport Office UK, ‘Brunei: Knowledge Base Profile’ (GOV.UK) <https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/brunei-knowledge-base-profile/brunei-knowledge-base-profile> accessed 19 January 2026; Immigration and National Registration Department, ‘Kad Pengenalan Pintar’ <https://www.immigration.gov.bn/en/kad-pengenalan-pintar/> accessed 19 January 2026.

2.^

 National Registration Act 2002 ss 5, 9.

3.^

 Immigration and National Registration Department (n 1).

4.^

ibid

5.^

ibid

6.^

ibid

7.^

 Brunei Nationality Act 1962 s 8(1); Immigration and National Registration Department (n 1).

8.^

 ‘Brunei’s Stateless Left in a State of Confusion’ (New Mandala, 8 April 2016) <https://www.newmandala.org/bruneis-stateless-left-in-a-state-of-confusion/> accessed 19 January 2026.

9.^

ibid

10.^

 National Registration Act s 2; Kim Suan Lim, ‘Multiplicity of Membership in Brunei: The Ethnic Chinese as a Collective of Denizens’ [2020] Journal of the Graduate School of Asia-Pacific Studies 23, 27.

11.^

 The Statelessness Network Asia Pacific and others, ‘33rd Session of the Universal Periodic Review: Brunei Darussalam - Nationality For All’ <https://nationalityforall.org/resource/gcenr-upr-submission-brunei-darussalam/> accessed 19 January 2026.

12.^

 Passports Regulation 2005 s 10; Immigration and National Registration Department, ‘Dokumen Perjalanan Pasport’ <https://www.immigration.gov.bn/en/dokumen-perjalanan-pasport/> accessed 19 January 2026.

13.^

 The Statelessness Network Asia Pacific and others (n 11).

14.^

 ‘Brunei Rolls out National Digital ID, Registration Opens 3 January’ The Bruneian (2 January 2026) <https://thebruneian.news/2026/01/02/brunei-rolls-out-national-digital-id-registration-opens-3-january/> accessed 6 January 2026; ‘Brunei Identiti Digital’ <https://www.brunei-id.gov.bn/faq> accessed 6 January 2026.

15.^

 ‘Brunei Identiti Digital’ (n 14).

16.^

ibid

17.^

 ‘MTIC Strategic Plan (MTIC 2025)’ (Brunei BEBC, 7 November 2022) <https://bruneibebc.com/mtic-strategic-plan-mtic-2025> accessed 6 January 2026.

18.^

 ‘Brunei Identiti Digital’ (n 14).

19.^

 ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ (GOV.BN Portal) <https://www.gov.bn/SitePages/faqs.aspx> accessed 19 January 2026.

20.^

ibid

21.^

 The Statelessness Network Asia Pacific and others (n 11).

22.^

 ‘Brunei Identiti Digital’ (n 14).

23.^

 ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ (n 19).

24.^

 Abigail Opiah, ‘Brunei Unveils Plan to Evolve Digital Identity by 2025’ (Biometric Update, 31 July 2024) <https://www.biometricupdate.com/202407/brunei-unveils-plan-to-evolve-digital-identity-by-2025> accessed 17 December 2025.

25.^

 ‘Brunei Identiti Digital’ (n 14).

26.^

 ‘Digital Identity’ (GOV.BN Portal) <https://www.gov.bn/SitePages/Digital%20Identity.aspx> accessed 19 January 2026.

27.^

 ibid; Immigration and National Registration Department (n 1); Kim Suan Lim (n 10).

28.^

 ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ (n 19); The Statelessness Network Asia Pacific and others (n 11).

29.^

 ‘Brunei Identiti Digital’ (n 14).

30.^

 ‘Digital Identity’ (n 26); Immigration and National Registration Department (n 1); Kim Suan Lim (n 10).

31.^

 Digital Economy Council, Brunei Darussalam, ‘Digital Economy Masterplan 2025’ <https://www.mtic.gov.bn/DE2025/documents/Digital%20Economy%20Masterplan%202025.pdf>.

32.^

 Koh Chun Hock, ‘National Digital Policies and Projects in the New Normal Era’ <https://cicc.or.jp/english/wp-content/uploads/230209-2Brunei.pdf>.

33.^

 Ammar Rosli, ‘Digital Strategies in Brunei’ (E-Government National Centre) <https://cicc.or.jp/japanese/wp-content/uploads/231213Brunei.pdf>.

34.^

ibid

35.^

ibid

36.^

ibid

37.^

ibid

38.^

ibid

39.^

ibid

40.^

 Kevin Socquet-Clerc and others, ‘Protecting Migrants through Good Security Sector Governance in Southeast Asia’ <https://www.dcaf.ch/sites/default/files/publications/documents/Protecting_Migrants_through_Good_SSG_in_Southeast_Asia.pdf>.

41.^

 Personal Data Protection Order 2025; Rasidah Hj Abu Bakar, ‘Brunei Enacts New Law Giving Citizens Control over Personal Data’ (The Scoop, 7 March 2025) <https://thescoop.co/2025/03/08/brunei-enacts-new-law-giving-citizens-control-over-personal-data/> accessed 11 November 2025.

42.^

 Ammar Rosli (n 33).

43.^

ibid

44.^

 Bakar (n 41).

45.^

 ‘Convention on the Rights of the Child’ (OHCHR) arts 3, 24 <https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/convention-rights-child> accessed 17 October 2025.

46.^

 ‘General Comment No. 25 (2021) on Children’s Rights in Relation to the Digital Environment’ <https://www.unicef.org/bulgaria/en/media/10596/file>.

47.^

 The Statelessness Network Asia Pacific and others (n 11).

48.^

 United Nations, ‘Universal Declaration of Human Rights’ (United Nations, 19 July 2024) art 6 <https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights> accessed 20 July 2024.

49.^

 ASEAN TELMIN, ‘Framework on Personal Data Protection’ (2016) <https://cil.nus.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/2016-Frmwk-PDP.pdf>; ASEAN TELMIN, ‘Framework on Digital Data Governance’ (2018) <https://cil.nus.edu.sg/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/2018-Framework-Digital-Data-Governance.pdf>.

50.^

 ‘Digital Identity’ (n 15); ‘Identity Card’ (n 3); Kim Suan Lim (n 10).

51.^

 ‘FAQs’ (n 21); ‘Joint Submission to the Human Rights Council at the 33rd Session of the Universal Periodic Review: Brunei Darussalam’ (n 11).

52.^

 ‘FAQs’ (n 21); ‘Joint Submission to the Human Rights Council at the 33rd Session of the Universal Periodic Review: Brunei Darussalam’ (n 11).

53.^

Tolman (n 8).

See Statelessness Overview
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