Regulations and Enforcement Culture in Brunei Darussalam
Formal Rules and Regulations
On paper, the Department of Civil Aviation's (DCA) position on UAS operations is unambiguous. Non-Visual Line of Sight (non-VLOS) operations are prohibited, with violations carrying penalties of up to BND 50,000 and five years' imprisonment. Read literally, this rules out many industrial and enterprise scopes.
If the written rules were applied as written, the commercial UAS sector in Brunei would not function at the enterprise level. However, this is clearly not the case.
Ground Reality
Brunei operates, in broad terms, under a culture of strong but selectively enforced rules. This is not unique to UAS regulation, it is observable across multiple sectors and reflects a governance approach where regulatory discretion is exercised at the institutional level rather than through blanket enforcement.
On Paper: Non-VLOS operations prohibited
Civil Aviation Order 2006 and DCA guidance prohibit non-VLOS UAS operations and penalties are substantial, with the regulatory language stating no exceptions.
Ground Reality: EVLOS and BVLOS approved selectively
In practice, the DCA has approved non-VLOS operations across oil and gas, surveying, mapping, and other sectors. These approvals are discretionary, not standardised, and not publicly documented.
The critical distinction is that these approvals are not exceptions to a rule, they are exercises of regulatory discretion that the regulator holds but does not advertise. There is no public application framework, no published criteria, and no guarantee of consistency between cases. What gets approved for one operator in one context may not be approved for a different operator in an equivalent context.
Navigating the Gap
First and underlying principle, always plan as if the rules will be applied exactly as written and scrutinised at the highest level. The existence of regulatory discretion is not a reason to assume it will be extended to you. Every operation should be defensible on its own merits before any discretionary approval is sought.
Given that baseline, three approaches have proven effective in Brunei's UAS operating environment:
Low-Impact Pilots and Proof-of-Concepts
Before seeking approval for complex or extended-range operations, propose a clearly scoped, low-risk trial via Concept of Operations, HIRA and/or SORA submission. Short-range, geofenced, daytime, with detailed risk assessments and defined success criteria.
This serves two purposes. It demonstrates that the operator understands and respects the parameters of the operating environment, and it generates documented evidence of safety and control that strengthens the case for subsequent approvals. Regulators in discretionary systems respond to demonstrated competence more than to stated intent.
Comprehensive and Clear Documentation
Treat every authorisation as conditional, time-bound, and subject to review rather than as a standing permission. Maintain clear records of safety cases, risk assessments, community engagement where relevant, and lessons learned from each operation.
In a discretionary system, the paper trail is not bureaucratic overhead, it is the primary evidence base for the next approval. Organisations that document well are easier for a regulator to say yes to.
Local Partnerships
For foreign companies, an established in-country partner does more than share assets and local knowledge. A credible local partner carries existing relationships with regulators and signals that the operation has local, known accountability behind it. This matters in a discretionary environment where trust is a functional part of the approval process.
Brunei's regulatory environment for UAS is neither as restrictive as the written rules suggest nor as permissive as the ground reality might imply. The space between the two is safely navigable, but only by operators who understand that discretion must be earned through demonstrated competence, credible local presence, and consistent, transparent engagement with regulators.
Drone missions vary significantly in scope and risk profile; the approaches above are a foundation, not a complete playbook, and every operation warrants its own assessment.
About Us
Angkasa is a Brunei Darussalam-based Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) business, helping organisations with drones via research, documentation and advisory work. We do not sell drone ops or hardware, allowing us to provide objective, unbiased work to our clients and ensure they are able to grow in a way that’s best for their unique contexts.
To learn more, contact UAS Advisor, Alawi, at alawi@angkasaadvisory.com or (673) 8999 772.
__________
AI Policy: All content is authored and developed entirely by in-house. Artificial intelligence is strictly utilised for supporting tasks such as structuring, grammar refinement, and proofreading to ensure originality, quality and relevance.
