Not everyone has had the opportunity to get into a car and hop across a border. Since India is such a huge country, the concept is still quite novel to us. That being said, driving across the border from Brunei to Miri in Malaysia invariably raised a lot of questions. What should we do to prepare for it? Is it easy or does it take a lot of leg work? Is it worth it?
So we asked around and it turned out that a lot of people used their weekends to drive across from Brunei to Miri. Needless to say, we soon joined their ranks. Since we managed to find out an adequate amount of information, I thought I would put it together in a post so that anyone else searching for it wouldn’t have to look far.
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Table of Contents
How do you get from Brunei To Miri, Sarawak?
Let’s deal with the logistics of travel from Brunei to Miri Sarawak aka the Borneo part of Malaysia. You can choose one of two options. If you live close to or in Bandar then you could choose a flight but this is expensive!
Or you could choose to go by road which is what most of the locals do. Since Brunei is such a small country, it is easy to pop across the border in a day.
As a tourist if you choose to go by road you would have to hire a driver or catch a bus. Note that the buses are infrequent so you would have to plan in advance. We had our own rental since we were staying in Brunei for an extended duration. This article talks about how you can take your car or rental across the border from Brunei to Miri.
Can You Drive Across The Brunei-Malaysia Border?
Yes! You can! The only thing is that you do need to have a few documents ready before you do. One you do it for the first time and have everything in order, the subsequent trips become easier and easier.
In fact, the route is so simple that from the second time around, you probably won’t require to use maps for directions. Note that the documents that are required to cross the border between Brunei to Miri are the same that are required at other check posts along Brunei border with Malaysia.
Documents To Keep Ready
Like I mentioned before, there are a couple of documents that you will need to have ready when you cross the border. Remember that this is just like crossing customs in an international terminal of an airport. Only here, you drive through which I have to admit is really cool! Let’s take a look at the documents that you need to have.
Passport And Visas
Crossing the border from Brunei to Miri means that you are exiting the country and you need to carry your passport with you. The visa really depends on the country that you are from because each Malaysia has different visa rules for every country. As Indians we had to apply for a visa in advance.
We chose to get the e-visa which came in a couple of days and did not require us heading to an embassy and submitting our passports. Check and see which option is the best for you. The same goes for people who are crossing over from Malaysia to Brunei via the border. In this case, it is the visa to Brunei that you will have to look at.
Documents For The Car
Ordinarily crossing into a country means just looking at your own documents. In this case however you need to register your car because you are taking it across the border. Luckily it isn’t expensive. In fact, it is free!
All you need to do is head to the official website and enter the details. Print the final form and carry it with you. If you are travelling in a rental car, make sure that you carry the rental agreement in addition to your car insurance copy.
Best Time To Cross The Brunei-Malaysia Border
One of the things that you really have to keep in mind is what time you are crossing the Brunei-Malaysia border when heading to Miri. This is because at certain times the rush at the border crossing can be insane and you can take as long as 3 hours to cross. In fact, despite everything, we got stuck for an hour and a half on our way back.
Friday evenings apparently are really busy and so are Sunday evenings. We chose to head across early morning on a Saturday and we didn’t have to wait too long to get across. In fact, a lot of people say that Saturday is the best day to choose.
One very important reason to keep the border crossing in mind is if you are thinking of catching a flight out of the Miri airport. I know it sounds strange but many flights are cheaper from Miri and people who stay in Kuala Belait and Seria often choose to use that airport.
The border timings are from 6 am to 12 am which is something else that you may want to keep in mind.
Crossing From Brunei To Miri: The Process At The Border
Crossing the border from Brunei to Miri is remarkably simple. As you reach the check post in Brunei, you will find that the cars queue. If they don’t consider yourself extremely lucky. A toll booth is your first sign that you are close to the border. Every car pas B$3 to cross over.
Register The Car Crossing Out Of Brunei
The first booth is to scan the printed receipt you got for your car. You don’t even have to get out of the car. Don’t laminate it because the plastic doesn’t allow the paper to scan properly.
Brunei Customs
With that done you then head to the customs counter. Here, your passport is stamped as you exit the country. Again, you don’t need to step out of the car. Just hand over the passports of everyone in the car. It is stamped and handed back.
Once the customs at Brunei is done, there is a small section where you can catch a bite to eat or visit the restrooms if required.
Register The Car Entering Malaysia
Here Shawn had to get down, fill a form and was given a printed receipt for the car. The receipt is valid for 3 months and you just get it stamped every time you cross. Note that this receipt is linked to your passport and if you drive a rental car, you should not hand it over to the rental company.
Malaysia Customs
The last part of the process is clearing the Malaysian customs. All you need to do is produce your visa and passport, get your entrance stamped and you are done.
That is how easy it is to cross from Brunei to Miri, Malaysia via car. In fact, I would say that the only stressful thing of the entire experience is if you get stuck in peak hour queues. It took us an hour and a half when getting back on Sunday evening, but I have heard that it can get even worse so plan accordingly.
Miri To Brunei By Tour
You can do the whole thing in reverse. If you aren’t confident about driving across the border and exploring Brunei then think about taking a tour from Miri to Brunei. This way you can explore Brunei in a day. Yes! A whole new country!
Brunei is pretty small. Sure it has some really cool natural forests. If you really want to hit the highlights then all you have to do is visit Bandar! That can easily be done in a day trip. You’ll also get to visit the Empire Country Club which is the most luxurious spot in Brunei!
Let’s not forget about Kampong Ayer and Omar Ali Saifuddien Mosque!
Have you driven across from Brunei to Miri in Malaysia? What was your experience like? Let us know in the comments below.
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