ESTA for Bruneian citizens
Yes — if you hold a Brunei passport and you are flying or sailing to the United States for tourism, business or transit, you need an ESTA. Brunei joined the Visa Waiver Program in 1993.
- Government fee — you pay CBP directly
- $40.27
The $40.27 government fee is $4.00 processing plus $36.27 authorization. If your application is denied you pay only the $4.00 processing fee.
Specific to Brunei: Brunei is the only Southeast Asian member of the programme. Most routes to the US connect through Singapore, Hong Kong or Dubai — a connection outside the US does not affect your ESTA.
What Bruneian travellers need
- A Brunei passportIt must be biometric — an e-passport with a chip and the small camera symbol on the cover.
- Brunei citizenshipResidency is not enough. If you live in Brunei on another passport, check whether that country is in the programme.
- A qualifying tripTourism, business or transit, 90 days or fewer, arriving by air or sea.
- Clean travel historyTravel to Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria or Yemen since 2011 removes eligibility.
Cost for Bruneian applicants
The fee is $40.27, charged by CBP in US dollars. Your card issuer will convert from BND at its own rate and may add a foreign transaction charge, so the amount leaving your account will not match $40.27 exactly. If your application is refused you are charged only $4.00.
There is no Brunei discount and no family rate — every traveller pays the same, including infants.
Flying from Brunei
Most Bruneian travellers depart from Bandar Seri Begawan. Your departure airport makes no difference to the ESTA itself — what matters is your citizenship and that you arrive in the US by air or sea. Connecting through another country on the way does not change anything either.
Apply at least 72 hours before departure. Most approvals come back within minutes, but some go to manual review, and no airline will let you board without one.
If you are refused
A refusal is not a ban. It means applying for a B1/B2 visa at a US embassy or consulate instead, where a consular officer can consider your circumstances properly. See what to do after a refusal.
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