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* Takes place simultaneously with another procedure.
Requirement Details
Procedure 1.
Obtain lot plan from Survey Department or Land Department
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
BND 15
Name of Agency:
Survey and Land Departments
Comment:
The lot plan for a particular property may be obtained from either the Survey Department or the Land Department, depending on the area where the property is located. Upon fee payment, the applicant receives a copy of the ordinance survey sheet. This over-the-counter procedure is completed in a few minutes; the clerk prints a copy, accepts payment, and issues a receipt.
Procedure 2.
Obtain preliminary approval from the Brunei Industrial Development Authority
Time to complete:
7 days
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Brunei Industrial Development Authority
Comment:
The project must receive preliminary approval from the Brunei Industrial Development Authority, a section of the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources. This state authority approves the project as a whole and does not review the project’s technical details. After it approves the project, the authority sends BuildCo a letter stating that it has no objections and that the company may apply for planning approval from the Town and Country Planning Department or the appropriate controlling authority.
After receiving the authority’s approval, the applicant’s architects prepare for the reviewing authorities the drawings and technical specifications of the project in sufficient detail (e.g., number of parking spaces, water drainage, natural daylight amounts, sprinkler systems, fire and safety systems).
Procedure 3.
Obtain building approval from the Town and Country Planning Department
Time to complete:
120 days
Cost to complete:
BND 436
Name of Agency:
Town and Country Planning Department
Comment:
To obtain building approval, BuildCo submits the drawings, lot plan, title deed, and proof of land tax payment in person to the Town and Country Planning Department, the Municipal Board of Bandar Seri Begawan (for construction in the capital’s central district), or the Land Department. (These three agencies have jurisdiction over land in different areas of the capital.) Up until July 2007, most applications fell under the jurisdiction of the Town and Country Planning Department. Beginning in August 2007, however, the jurisdiction of the Bandar Seri Begawan Municipal Board expanded from 12.87 sq. km. km² to over 100 sq. km.
On receipt of the submission, the controlling authority will give BuildCo a blank approval form to be used in the approval process. The fee for the new construction form is BND 16.
BuildCo also makes separate submissions with seven other agencies (see steps below), tailoring the submission to each agency’s requirements. Only after BuildCo has received an approval memorandum from each of the eight agencies, and has amended the submission according to the agencies’ comments, can the developer submit the drawings and documents for final approval.
If the Department has comments on the plan, it will contact BuildCo by letter. BuildCo must then amend and resubmit the plan and drawings, also by mail.
The relevant government agencies must issue an approval memorandum within 14 days. In practice, it takes much longer—partly because eight different agencies are involved—and after 14 days, applicants begin to follow up with each agency separately. It takes 3 to 5 months for BuildCo to obtain the approval memoranda for all eight agencies—6 to 7 months if no follow-up is made.
Once the Town and Country Planning Department issues the final approval, construction may proceed. As a professional courtesy, companies often notify the relevant municipal authority (Town and Country Planning Department, Municipal Board, or Land Department) when construction begins, but this is not required. No public notice of construction is required.
Procedure 4.
Obtain project clearance from the Land Department
Time to complete:
14 days
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Land Department
Comment:
BuildCo must submit only drawings and documents relevant to the Lands Department. If this authority has any comments on the plan, it will send BuildCo a letter by postal mail. BuildCo must then amend and resubmit the plan and drawings, by mail.
Procedure 5.
Obtain project clearance from the Public Health Departement
Time to complete:
14 days
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Public Health Department, Ministry of Health
Comment:
BuildCo must submit only drawings and documents relevant to the Public Health Department. If this authority has comments on the plan, it will send BuildCo a letter by postal mail. BuildCo must then amend and resubmit the plan and drawings, by mail.
Procedure 6.
Obtain project clearance from the Public Works Department (JKR)
Time to complete:
14 days
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Public Works Department (JKR)
Comment:
BuildCo must submit only drawings and documents relevant to the Public Works Department. If the authority has comments on the plan, it will send BuildCo a letter by postal mail. BuildCo must then amend and resubmit the plan and drawings, by mail.
The Public Works Department has four separate subdivisions with jurisdiction over roads, sewage, drains, and water. The department’s Development Control Unit coordinates the transmittal of applications to these subdivisions and gathers separate approvals from each subdivision before preparing a final approval memorandum.
Procedure 7.
Obtain project clearance from the Fire Services Department
Time to complete:
14 days
Cost to complete:
BND 5
Name of Agency:
Fire Services Department
Comment:
BuildCo must submit only drawings and documents relevant to the Fire Department. If this authority has comments on the plan, it will send BuildCo a letter by postal mail. BuildCo must then amend and resubmit the plan and drawings, by mail.
The Fire Services Department is the only one of the eight agencies that charges a fee for either the plan submission or approval.
Procedure 8.
Obtain project clearance from the Department of Electrical Services (DES)
Time to complete:
14 days
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Department of Electrical Services (DES)
Comment:
BuildCo must submit only drawings and documents relevant to the Department of Electrical Services. If the authority has comments on the plan, it will send BuildCo a letter by postal mail. BuildCo must then amend and resubmit the plan and drawings, by mail
Procedure 9.
Obtain project clearance from TelBru (telecommunications)
Time to complete:
14 days
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Telekom Brunei Berhad (TelBru)
Comment:
BuildCo is required to submit only drawings and documents relevant to Telekom Brunei Berhad. If TelBru has comments on the plan, it will send BuildCo a letter and will request the plans to be picked up in person. BuildCo must then amend and resubmit the plan and drawings, by mail.
Procedure 10.
Obtain project clearance from Brunei Mauara District Office
Time to complete:
14 days
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Brunei Mauara District Office
Comment:
Buildco must submit only drawings and documents relevant to the Brunei Mauara District Office. If the District Office has comments on the plan, it will contact send BuildCo a letter, by mail. BuildCo must then amend and resubmit the plan and drawings, by mail.
Procedure 11.
Request and receive final inspection from the Town and Country Planning Department
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Town and Country Planning Department
Comment:
In practice, to time the inspection with the end of construction, this step is often taken 2–3 weeks before construction is complete.
Procedure 12.
Request and receive final inspection from the Land Department
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Land Department
Comment:
Procedure 13.
Request and receive final inspection from the Public Health Department
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Public Health Department
Comment:
Procedure 14.
Request and receive final inspection from the Public Works Department (JKR)
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Public Works Department (JKR)
Comment:
Procedure 15.
Request inspection from the Fire Services Department and pay fees
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
BND 750
Name of Agency:
Fire Services Department
Comment:
The Fire Services Department is the only agency that charges a fee for inspecting the completed warehouse.
Procedure 16.
Receive final inspection from the Fire Services Department
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Fire Services Department
Comment:
Procedure 17.
Request and receive final inspection from the Department of Electrical Services (DES)
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Department of Electrical Services (DES)
Comment:
Procedure 18.
Request and receive final inspection from TelBru
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Telekom Brunei Berhad (TelBru)
Comment:
Procedure 19.
Request and receive final inspection from the Brunei Mauara District Office
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Brunei Mauara District Office
Comment:
Procedure 20.
Obtain approval memorandum from the Town and Country Planning Department
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Town and Country Planning Department
Comment:
Procedure 21.
Obtain approval memorandum from the Land Department
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Land Department
Comment:
Procedure 22.
Obtain approval memorandum from the Public Health Departement
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Public Health Department
Comment:
Procedure 23.
Obtain approval memorandum from the Public Works Department (JKR)
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Public Works Department (JKR)
Comment:
Procedure 24.
Obtain approval memorandum from the Fire Services Department
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Fire Services Department
Comment:
Procedure 25.
Obtain approval memorandum from the Department of Electrical Services (DES)
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Department of Electrical Services (DES)
Comment:
Procedure 26.
Obtain approval memorandum from TelBru (telecommunications)
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Telekom Brunei Berhad (TelBru)
Comment:
Procedure 27.
Obtain approval memorandum from Brunei Mauara District Office
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Brunei Mauara District Office
Comment:
Procedure 28.
Submit all 8 approval memoranda to the Town and Country Planning Department along with 2 sets of as-built Drawings
Time to complete:
1 day
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Town and Country Planning Department
Comment:
Procedure 29.
Obtain occupancy permit
Time to complete:
14 days
Cost to complete:
no charge
Name of Agency:
Town and Country Planning Department
Comment:
Procedure 30.
Obtain telephone connection from TelBru
Time to complete:
3 days
Cost to complete:
BND 113
Name of Agency:
Telekom Brunei Berhad (TelBru)
Comment:
TelBru, as of January 2009, updated its fee schedule for connecting to fixed telephone line. The new installation fee is BND 50, Deposit BND 50, and Rental (1 month) –BND 13. Total is BDN 113.
New internal standards for customer satisfaction on new installation targets as follows: - within 3 days -70% - within 7 days- 90% - within 14 days- 100%
In locations where existing infrastructure allows proper connection without increasing the capacity, fixed line installation may take 3 days.
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