Assessing Risk: Regulations and Enforcement Culture in Brunei Darussalam
Formal Rules and Regulations
For new or foreign organisations entering Brunei's UAS market, regulatory navigation is not usually the technical challenge, it is the cultural one. 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 any realistic industrial or enterprise scope: offshore inspections almost always require Extended Visual Line of Sight (EVLOS) at minimum, and practical night surveillance or long-range mapping demands Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) capability entirely.
If the written rules were applied as written, the commercial UAS sector in Brunei would not function at the enterprise level. It does function, which means something else is happening.
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. Penalties are substantial. The regulatory language admits 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 DCA 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.
This matters most for foreign organisations, which tend to approach regulatory frameworks as fixed systems with clear inputs and predictable outputs. In Brunei's context, the relationship with the regulator is itself part of the operational infrastructure.
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:
Local Partnerships
An established in-country partner does more than share assets and local knowledge. A credible local partner carries existing relationships with the DCA and signals to the regulator 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. The relationship with the DCA itself, with clear, proactive communication on operational scope and intent, is equally important and should be treated as a standing investment.
Low-Impact Pilots and Proof-of-Concepts
Before seeking approval for complex or extended-range operations, propose a clearly scoped, low-risk trial: short-range, geofenced, daytime, with detailed risk assessments and defined success criteria. This serves two purposes. It demonstrates to the DCA 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 DCA 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.
The bottom line: 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 navigable, but only by operators who understand that discretion must be earned through demonstrated competence, credible local presence, and consistent, transparent engagement with the regulator. Drone missions vary significantly in scope and risk profile; the approaches above are a foundation, not a complete playbook. Every operation warrants its own assessment.
About Us
Angkasa is a Brunei Darussalam-based Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) advisory dedicated to delivering objective, cost-effective, and use-case-specific expertise for businesses integrating drones.
To learn more, visit angkasa-uas.com or contact UAS Advisor, Alawi, at alawi@angkasa.com or (673) 899 9772.
