Brunei or People's Republic of China
Two countries side by side across the same rows as the full comparison. A dash means the value is missing: fields are not filled with guesses. about the data
| Brunei | People's Republic of China | |
|---|---|---|
| Salary in IT | — | — |
| Citizenship | 20 years | — |
| Partner can work | no | — |
| Parents | — | doable |
| Pets | no trouble | difficult |
| Pet limit | no limit | 1 |
| Quarantine | no | no |
| Residence permit fee | — | — |
| Rent, 2 bedrooms | $ 946 · estimate | $ 1 118 · estimate |
| Basket | $ 31,6 | $ 26,7 |
| Life expectancy | 75.5 | 78.02 |
| Homicides/100k | 0.49 | 0.5 |
| Natural hazards, 0–10 | 2.8 | 7.8 |
How the two sets of routes differ
Long-stay routes in this reference: Brunei — 19, People's Republic of China — 24. Types present in both: work, family, talent and repatriation. Brunei adds: investment. People's Republic of China adds: study and startup.
Fees, thresholds and deadlines
Brunei: the fee is 50 BND wherever it is published. People's Republic of China: the fee is 1,500 CNY wherever it is published. Routes with a published decision deadline: 6; the shortest is 15 days.
Beyond the first permit
Permanent status: People's Republic of China after 4 years; the other country publishes no term. Citizenship: Brunei after 20 years; the other country publishes no term. Neither recognises a second citizenship.
Brunei in brief
Brunei is an oil-and-gas monarchy on the island of Borneo with one of the most closed long-term entry regimes in the world. The grounds for working residence are the Employment Pass, rigidly tied to a specific employer and requiring the employer to hold a Foreign Workers Licence from the Department of Labour, the Professional Visit Pass for select categories of experts, the Dependant's Pass for family members, and the Student's Pass. For none of these categories does the immigration service's official website publish processing times. There is no separate permanent residence status with a published number of years: the closest analogue, the Entry Permit, is granted at the discretion of the Controller of Immigration without an objective criterion. Naturalisation is governed by the Brunei Nationality Act (Cap. 15): 20 years of residence in the country out of the preceding 25 years, an oral exam in Malay before the Language Board, and a decision made entirely at the Sultan's discretion; time spent in the country on temporary passes (including work passes) does not count toward this period unless the Sultan directs otherwise. Dual citizenship is not permitted. There is no personal income tax — the Income Tax Act taxes only the income of legal entities. The country's economy rests on the extraction and export of oil and natural gas. Since 2014 the Syariah Penal Code Order, 2013 has been phased in and is in force; under the code's direct provision (s. 3(1)) it applies to both Muslims and non-Muslims unless expressly stated otherwise, and it includes hudud and qisas categories of offences. The sale of alcohol is banned throughout the country (Excise Order, 2006, s. 73).
People's Republic of China in brief
The PRC builds entry around qualifications: besides the ordinary Z work visa there is an R visa for occupations in acute demand and, introduced on 1 October 2025, a K visa for young scientists and technologists. The constraint is the longer-term outlook: dual citizenship is not allowed, and official sources do not disclose the conditions for naturalisation.
Other comparisons
Brunei or… Taiwan · South Korea · Japan · Thailand · Kazakhstan · Lebanon · Uzbekistan · Malaysia
People's Republic of China or… Azerbaijan · Philippines · Bangladesh · Kuwait · Iraq · Mongolia · Oman · Sri Lanka
More on each: Brunei · People's Republic of China. Build your own comparison — up to four countries
This material is for reference and is not legal, tax or immigration advice. Visa rules, tax thresholds and prices change. Before deciding anything, check the official sources and consult a licensed professional in the relevant country.