Brunei runs a heavily subsidised, tax-funded public system that is effectively free for citizens and stateless residents, but since July 2025 foreign nationals pay full non-citizen charges at government facilities and are separately required by law to hold private medical insurance as a condition of their immigration pass. Here is what that actually means for an American or Briton living in Brunei: what the public system gives you, what it does not, and where private cover fits.
Can you use the public system?
- Working for a local employer: Only in limited cases
- Self-employed: Only in limited cases
- Retired or not working: No
From 1 July 2025 the fee exemption for foreign residents was revoked: foreign nationals now pay a BND5 registration fee (BND3 for purple-IC holders) plus full charges for services and specialist referrals at government facilities, while citizens and stateless residents pay BND1 and are exempt. In parallel, a phased mandatory private health insurance/takaful regime applies to immigration pass holders: Phase 1 (July 2025) covers visit, professional and PR passes (BND10,000 to 100,000 minimum cover) and Phase 2 (January 2026) extends to private-sector employment, dependant and student passes (BND5,000 to 100,000 minimum), typically employer-paid for workers. There is no reciprocal healthcare arrangement with the UK or US.
If you are retiring here
Brunei has no formal retirement visa; a non-working retiree would need a long-term pass route (e.g. the Long-Term Social/Business/Professional Visit Passes introduced December 2024, generally requiring family, investment, or professional ties). As a foreigner they would face full non-citizen fees at government facilities plus the mandatory private insurance requirement, so in practice they depend entirely on private or international insurance.
What public cover will not give you
- complex/tertiary care often referred overseas (Singapore, sometimes Thailand), so medevac and repatriation cover matters
- full non-citizen charges at government facilities
- dependants lost free-care exemptions and need private cover too
- limited rural/outer-district access
So do you need private health insurance?
Legally required: since the July 2025 and January 2026 phases, private medical insurance or takaful is a mandatory condition of holding most immigration passes (work, dependant, visit, student), with proof required at entry or only a limited two-week permit is issued. Proof of health insurance is also a condition of the main residence routes here, so most expats need a policy in place before they apply.
Loading the insurance checker…
Compare expat health insurance for Brunei · Read the full Brunei guide
General information, not insurance, immigration or medical advice. Rules change and individual situations differ; check the official position before you commit. Researched from official sources, July 2026.