Buying a SIM Card or eSIM in Brunei

Brunei is a bit of an enigma. It’s a tiny enclave on the tropical Southeast Asian island of Borneo, yet is fabulously wealthy due to vast oil and gas reserves.

Ruled by one of the last remaining absolute monarchs, it’s a strict Islamic nation with sharia law and no alcohol or nightclubs for its citizens. Regardless, foreign workers flood in due to no income tax and a low cost of living.

Most travelers only come through for a night or two, basing themselves in the capital of Bandar Seri Bagawan, and perhaps taking a day trip out to the Ulu Temburong rainforest if they’ve got the time.

No matter how long you’re there for, though, you’ll find that staying connected is a simple, inexpensive affair. It’s easy to get set up with a local SIM card and even easier with a travel eSIM, and you won’t pay a lot either way. Here’s what you need to know.

There are three cell service providers in Brunei: DST, Progresif, and imagine. Since 2020 they all use the same physical infrastructure, which means you can expect the same coverage with each. 4G/LTE networks cover much of the country, with 5G rolling out in larger cities.

Imagine is a recent entrant to the market, and doesn’t seem to offer tourist-focused plans, which left the other two companies as viable options.

At the time I visited, Progressif’s pricing was better than DST. Since then, both companies have changed their tourist plans to be the same price. Progresif offers a bit more data and a few more minutes of calling time, but there isn’t an awful lot in it.

That said, most visitors to Brunei would be better off buying a travel eSIM from Nomad instead. You’ve got more options about how much data you buy, you’re ready to go as soon as you land, and it’s cheaper as well.

As with all travel eSIMs, the purchase and setup process is very easy. You can do it whenever you like, including at home before you travel.

Head to the Brunei page on the site, buy the data pack you want, and follow the on-screen instructions to install and activate the eSIM on your phone. Enable it when you arrive in Brunei, and you’ll be good to go within a couple of minutes.

Like most travel eSIMs, it’s data-only: you don’t get a local number. I use apps for everything from communication to transport these days, so the lack of a local number very rarely matters to me, but you might have different needs.

If you’re new to eSIMs, they offer big benefits to travelers in terms of how quickly, easily, and (often) cheaply you can get connected when you arrive in a new country. Most recent phones support them, and you can read all about them here.

Both companies have kiosks conveniently located in the small arrivals area of Brunei’s sole international airport. If you need to get money out of an ATM beforehand, there are several available on the second floor, up the escalator.

In general you may as well buy your SIM at the airport, since prices are the same as elsewhere. Because I was getting picked up by my guesthouse owner and had already made her wait due to a delayed flight, however, I decided to postpone my purchase until I got into the city.

Progresif

Both DST and Progresif have stores beside each other downtown near the waterfront, but I ended up going to the Progresif store at Gadong Mall since I was in the area anyway.

The process was extremely straightforward. Two tourist plans were prominently displayed, so I picked the one I wanted, and mentioned it to the staff member.

She took a copy of my passport, asked me to sign a form, installed and configured the SIM, and sent me on my way within five minutes.

Progresif was offering two tourist packages when I visited, but has now slimmed its offerings down to a single option. For 15 BND (~$11 USD), you get 30 minutes of local calls and 4GB of data, valid for a week.

You can renew the plan after it runs out each week, but the SIM card itself will expire and become inactive after four weeks.

If you choose to go with DST instead, expect to pay the same 15 BND for a tourist SIM with 3GB of data, valid for seven days. You’ll get 3 BND credit to use for domestic calls and texts.

The SIM card itself is valid for 30 days, so again you can top-up each week until the month is up.

Brunei is one of the few countries where tourist SIM packages are actually the best deal for travelers. Other plans include a mandatory 25 BND annual registration fee.

Nomad

Nomad has several different packages to choose from, making it easier to find something that fits how long you’ll be in the country for. It’s cheaper than physical SIMs for both shorter and longer stays, regardless of how much data you need.

You also have the option of buying a data pack that lasts for 45 days. Given that physical tourist SIMs expire after a month and can’t be re-used, that’s a useful option if you’re one of the few visitors staying in the country that long.

Nomad isn’t the only eSIM company out there of course, and while it’s usually the best option, prices can and do change. I’ve compared many of them in the past, and here’s how the best ones stack up price-wise in Brunei.

Topping Up

Progresif and DST

Top-ups are available at all Progresif and DST stores. Don’t forget, though, that because the tourist SIM expires and becomes unusable after four weeks, you won’t be able to top it up after that time if you’re one of the few visitors staying in Brunei that long.

Nomad

Topping up with Nomad (or any of the other travel eSIM companies) is done by logging into the website or app. You just select your Brunei eSIM, hit the top-up button, and buy the same package again.

The top-up packs have exactly the same pricing and duration as the original eSIMs: there’s little difference between topping up your current eSIM and buying a new one, other than not having to activate it.

Coverage with Progresif was solid in and around Bandar Seri Bagawan, and for most of the short bus journey from there to the (eastern) border with Malaysia. I also had signal while transiting the Temburong section of Brunei shortly afterwards, although didn’t seem to get data service there.

Because all providers, including eSIM companies like Nomad, use the same physical network, you can expect the same coverage with any of them.

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Check out our guides to SIM cards and eSIMs in 70+ other countries here.