Can an American Drive in Brunei? — IDP Recommended, Drive Left, Zero Alcohol

Brunei is an easy, orderly place to drive by regional standards — good roads, light traffic, clear signage around Bandar Seri Begawan. The two things that genuinely catch American visitors out are not difficulty but difference: which side you drive on, and an alcohol rule that is far stricter than anything at home.

The verdict for American licence holders

You can drive in Brunei on your US licence, with an International Driving Permit carried alongside it and your passport. Rental companies expect the IDP, so sort it at home before departure. With the paperwork done, the driving itself is straightforward — the adjustments are behavioural, not bureaucratic.

The zero-alcohol rule is the one to internalise

Brunei’s drink-drive limit is an absolute 0.0. There is no “one beer” allowance, no margin, nothing. This sits inside a country where alcohol is heavily restricted in general, so the simplest and safest mental model is to keep driving and any drink entirely separate for the whole trip. For Americans used to a 0.08 limit at home, this is the single biggest legal shift to absorb — and it is non-negotiable.

You also drive on the left

The US drives on the right; Brunei drives on the left. The risky window is your first hour — leaving the rental lot, joining a roundabout that now flows the other way, or a reflex glance in the wrong direction at a junction. Spend that first stretch on quieter roads rather than central traffic until left-hand driving stops feeling backwards. Where limits are posted, expect about 50 km/h in towns, 80 km/h on rural roads and up to 100 km/h on the main highways; the network is generally well-surfaced, so these are realistic targets rather than aspirations. The emergency number is 112.

Confirm your paperwork with the Driving Permit Checker, check the wider rules on our Brunei driving guide, and if you want to see how the limits compare across the map, the Speed Limit Map lays them out.