Singapore and Brunei have agreed to establish a reciprocal green lane (RGL) to facilitate essential business and official travel between both countries.

This comes after Singapore announced last month that it would ease border restrictions to allow general travel to and from Brunei and New Zealand from September 1.

Singapore is the first country that Brunei has reopened its borders to, since the sultanate imposed a travel ban in March to curb Covid-19 spread.

Applications are now open. Under the RGL arrangement, traveller will have to adhere to a set of safety guidelines including contact tracing, controlled itineraries, and mandatory Covid-19 swab tests.

For applicants travelling from Singapore to Brunei, and vice versa, the receiving enterprise or government agency in either country need to apply for a travel pass – SafeTravel Pass for Singapore, and Entry Travel Pass for Brunei – on their behalf to obtain an approval letter to enter their host country.

The receiving party will be required to submit the traveller’s controlled itinerary in either Singapore or Brunei for the first 14 days.

In addition, for those travelling to Brunei, the receiving enterprise or government agency in Singapore will have to log onto the SafeTravel Pass portal within 72 hours before the traveller’s scheduled departure to submit his or her negative Covid-19 test result.

Approved applicants travelling from either country who are visa-required passport holders can proceed to apply for a visa for travel to their host country through the usual channels. Those with an existing valid visa need not apply for a new visa as the visa suspension that was in place due to Covid-19 will be automatically lifted when their SafeTravel Pass or Entry Travel Pass is approved.

Eligible travellers must have remained in either Singapore or Brunei for at least 14 days prior to departure. They must undertake a Covid-19 swab test at least once within 72 hours before departure, and obtain a negative Covid-19 certificate from the relevant health authorities. They must also ensure that they are in good health before boarding the flight.

Prior to boarding, travellers from either Singapore or Brunei will be required to produce the approved travel pass (SafeTravel Pass for Singapore, and Entry Travel Pass for Brunei), negative results of a Covid-19 swab test taken within 72 hours before departure, and a valid return air ticket.

They are also required to submit pre-trip health and travel history declarations and have a valid visa (for visa-required passport holders) at check-in at the airport in either Singapore or Brunei. Additionally, travellers from Singapore to Brunei will also need to show valid proof of payment for the post-arrival swab test.

Those who do not meet the requirements may be refused to board. Users of the RGL between Singapore and Brunei will bear the cost of their respective pre-departure Covid-19 swab tests.

Upon arrival in either Singapore or Brunei, travellers must produce a valid travel pass, negative results of a Covid-19 swab 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 also required to undertake a Covid-19 swab test, and remain in isolation at the pre-declared accommodation until they receive their test results. Transportation from the airport to declared 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 tests in either Singapore or Brunei and stay in the declared locations.

If the test result indicates that the traveller from either Singapore or Brunei 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.

Travellers are also required to download and use their respective host country’s contact tracing apps – TraceTogether in Singapore, and BruHealth in Brunei – for the duration of their stay.

If the test result indicates that the traveller has tested positive for Covid-19, he or she will be promptly accorded the necessary medical treatment by either the Singapore or Brunei government, with costs to be borne by the traveller.

Travellers must 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. Returning travellers will be subject to the prevailing health measures for RGL travellers in either country.