BY Azlan Othman

Government agencies have made the necessary preparations to ensure travellers will cross the country’s land and sea borders smoothly when they re-open on August 1.

The Immigration and National Registration Department (INRD) and the Royal Customs and Excise Department (RCED) outlined some of the measures taken in a joint statement.

The INRD said it has upgraded the border control system in March, and testing was carried out to ensure the system ran without problems.

The RCED said their officers can provide assistance to the public who are not familiar with the new BND3 service charge for border crossing, and have also set up exit-and-entry (EES) kiosks at each control post.

The RCED said every individual, including pedestrians are required to obtain an EES QR Code, confirming payment of the service charge, before arriving at the control post.

The code can be obtained from the EES website (http://login.bdnsw.gov.bn/ees).

For bus passengers, it is the responsibility of the bus operator and bus driver to register and ensure all passengers have paid for the service charge.

Land and sea control posts will open from 6am to 6pm daily. At the Kuala Lurah and Sungai Tujoh control posts, the last entry for foreign commercial vehicles is 3pm.

At the Labu and Ujong Jalan checkpoints in Temburong District, the last entry time for foreign commercial vehicles is at 4pm.

At the Sungai Tujoh Control Post, the INRD said, there are 14 immigration checkpoints for exit and entry for normal vehicles, commercial vehicles, buses and pedestrians.

Meanwhile, the RCED said a minimum of two normal vehicle inspection counters will be opened at the entry section and two at the exit.

However, the INRD and RCED will be ready to open additional inspection counters subject to current needs and circumstances.

The INRD reminded individuals who will be travelling in and out of the country to ensure that their passports or travel documents are in good condition and have a validity period of at least six months before expiry and enough blank pages to avoid any difficulties when making travel arrangements.

The public are also advised to give full cooperation to the officers and staff of the RCED on duty during further inspections carried out on their goods.

The RCED said tax payments for goods brought in by passengers or pedestrians can be made at any control post branch either using cash or credit/debit card.

The department also reminded the public that some items require permission from the controlling agencies even if it is for personal or private use. This includes food products under the control of the Brunei Darussalam Food Authority; rice, sugar and salt under the Treasury Department; plants and fruits under the Department of Agriculture and Agrifood; telecommunications equipment under Authority for Info-communications Technology Industry; and medicines and cosmetics under the Department of Pharmaceautical Services.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health reminded the public that those planning to cross the borders must meet the vaccination requirements and be able to provide valid documentation, such as up-to-date vaccination records and a COVID-19 insurance.

-- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin