Joint Press Statement on the Reciprocal Green Lane for Essential Travel between Brunei Darussalam and Singapore

Brunei Darussalam and Singapore have agreed to establish a Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL) to facilitate essential business and official travel for residents from both countries in September 2020.  Both sides have agreed on an arrangement to allow the safe resumption of cross-border movement of a limited number of people, with the necessary safeguards in place to ensure that public health concerns of both sides are addressed.

An overview of the key arrangements for travellers is at Annex.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, BRUNEI DARUSSALAM

1 SEPTEMBER 2020

Annex

RECIPROCAL GREEN LANE FOR ESSENTIAL TRAVEL BETWEEN BRUNEI DARUSSALAM AND SINGAPORE

(I) Applicants

1 The eligible applicants will be persons of all nationalities who are legally residents of Brunei Darussalam and Singapore who need to make essential travels for business and official purposes, between the two countries.

(II) Application

2 For applicants travelling from Brunei Darussalam to Singapore, the receiving enterprise or government agency in Singapore shall apply for a SafeTravel Pass on their behalf to enter Singapore using the Reciprocal Green Lane (RGL). Applications begin on 1 September 2020. When the SafeTravel Pass is approved, an approval letter will be issued. Following the successful application of a SafeTravel Pass, the receiving enterprise or government agency in Singapore should log onto the SafeTravel Pass portal within 72 hours before the traveller’s scheduled departure to submit the traveller’s negative COVID-19 test result and controlled itinerary in Singapore (for the first 14 days).

3 With the SafeTravel Pass approval letter, an approved applicant who is a visa-required passport holder can proceed to apply for a visa for travel to Singapore through the usual channels. If an approved applicant already has an existing valid visa, the visa suspension that was in place due to COVID-19 will be automatically lifted when the SafeTravel Pass is approved, and he or she need not apply for a new visa. 

4 For applicants travelling from Singapore to Brunei Darussalam, the receiving enterprise or government agency in Brunei Darussalam shall file an application for an Entry Travel Pass on behalf of the traveller for RGL travel. Applications begin on 1 September 2020. The receiving party will be required to submit the traveller’s controlled itinerary in Brunei Darussalam (for the first 14 days). When the Entry Travel Pass is approved, an approval letter will be issued.

5 With the Entry Travel Pass approval letter, an approved applicant who is a visa-required passport holder can proceed to apply for a visa for travel to Brunei Darussalam through the usual channels. If an approved applicant already has an existing valid visa, the visa suspension that was in place due to COVID-19 will be automatically lifted when the Entry Travel Pass is issued, and he or she need not apply for a new visa.

(III) Pre-Departure Health Measures

6 Approved applicants travelling from Singapore to Brunei Darussalam must have remained in Singapore for at least 14 days prior to departure. They must undertake a COVID-19 RT-PCR test at least once 72 hours before departure, and obtain a certificate of having tested negative for COVID-19 from the health authorities designated by the Singapore Government. They must also download the BruHealth Application prior to departure from Singapore, and ensure they are in good health before boarding the flight.

7 Approved applicants travelling from Singapore to Brunei Darussalam will be required to produce the approved Entry Travel Pass, negative results of a COVID-19 RT-PCR test taken within 72 hours before departure, a valid return air ticket, valid proof of payment for post-arrival swab test, show proof of installation of BruHealth app on their phone, submit a pre-trip health and travel history declaration, and have a valid visa (for visa-required passport holders) at check-in at the airport in Singapore. Otherwise, he/she may be refused boarding.

8 Approved applicants travelling from Brunei Darussalam to Singapore must have remained in Brunei for at least 14 days prior to departure. They must undertake a COVID-19 RT-PCR swab test at least once within 72 hours before departure, and obtain a certificate of having tested negative for COVID-19 from the authorities designated by the Government of Brunei Darussalam. They must also ensure that they are in good health before boarding the flight.

9 Approved applicants travelling from Brunei Darussalam to Singapore will also be required to submit pre-trip health and travel history declarations to the Singapore Immigration and Checkpoints Authority via the SG Arrival Card prior to arriving in Singapore. The applicant is also required to produce a valid SafeTravel Pass, negative results of a COVID-19 RT-PCR test taken within 72 hours before departure, a valid return air ticket or proof of other transportation arrangements to return to Brunei Darussalam, and a valid visa (for visa-required passport holders) to the airline staff at check-in at the airport in Brunei Darussalam. Otherwise, he/she may be refused boarding.

10 Users of the RGL between Brunei Darussalam and Singapore will bear the cost of their respective pre-departure COVID-19 RT-PCR test(s).

(IV) Post-Arrival Health Measures

11 For travellers arriving in Brunei Darussalam from Singapore, they must produce a valid Entry Travel Pass, negative results of a COVID-19 RT-PCR test taken within 72 hours before departure and a valid visa (for visa-required passport holders) for immigration checks. Otherwise, the traveller may be refused entry. They are required to undertake a COVID-19 RT-PCR test whilst in isolation at the pre-declared accommodation. They must remain within their declared accommodation (i.e. a hotel or serviced apartment) in isolation until they receive the test results. Transportation from the airport to declared accommodation locations will have to be provided by the receiving enterprise or government agency subject to prevailing health measures. Travellers will bear the costs of the post-arrival COVID-19 test(s) in Brunei and stay in the declared locations.

12 If the test result indicates that the traveller has tested negative for COVID-19, the receiving enterprise or government agency will transport the traveller directly from the declared accommodation to their workplaces or residences. The travellers are required to self-report their health condition on a daily basis on the BruHealth App for a period of 14 days from arrival or throughout their stay in Brunei Darussalam, if stay is less than 14 days, even when they have left isolation. The traveller must also scan in their locations at all times on the BruHealth App using the QR codes displayed at all premises. If the test result indicates that the traveller has tested positive, he or she will be promptly accorded the necessary medical treatment by the Government of Brunei Darussalam. The traveller will bear the cost of medical treatment in Brunei Darussalam.

13 For travellers arriving in Singapore from Brunei Darussalam, they must produce a valid SafeTravel Pass, negative results of a COVID-19 RT-PCR test taken within 72 hours before departure and a valid visa (for visa-required passport holders) for immigration checks. Otherwise, the traveller may be refused entry. They must undertake a COVID-19 RT-PCR test upon arrival, and have to remain in isolation in the declared self-sourced non-residential accommodation for 1 to 2 days until they receive their test results. Transportation from the airport to declared self-sourced non-residential accommodation will have to be provided by the receiving enterprise or government agency subject to prevailing health measures. Travellers will bear the costs of the post-arrival COVID-19 RT-PCR test(s) in Singapore and stay in the declared locations.

14 If the test result indicates that the traveller has tested negative for COVID-19, the receiving enterprise or government agency will ensure that the traveller is transported directly from declared self-sourced non-residential accommodation to the locations as indicated in their controlled itinerary. Travellers in Singapore must subscribe to the relevant contact tracing mobile applications and technology solutions, including the TraceTogether application, that are in place at the time of travel for the duration of their stay in Singapore. If the test result indicates that the traveller has tested positive, he or she will be promptly accorded the necessary medical treatment by the Singapore Government. The traveller will bear the cost of medical treatment in Singapore.

(V) Controlled Itinerary

15 The traveller should abide by the requirements on COVID-19 prevention and control and prevailing public health regulations of the authorities of the receiving country, and adhere to a controlled itinerary that is supervised by the receiving enterprise or government agency for the duration of or the first 14 days of the visit, whichever is shorter. The relevant enterprise or government agency which is supporting the traveller’s visit is responsible for ensuring that they abide by the relevant regulations/requirements of the receiving country, and for their local transportation to and from the airport, declared accommodation locations, and workplaces.

16 Returning Singapore-based travellers will be subject to the prevailing health measures for RGL travellers in Singapore, while returning Brunei Darussalam-based travellers will also be subject to the prevailing health measures for RGL travellers in Brunei Darussalam.

17 More details on the application process and requirements of the RGL can be found at https://safetravel.ica.gov.sg/brunei/rgl/faq and http://www.pmo.gov.bn/travelportal/Home.aspx.

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