Getting from Brunei to Miri is not so easy at the moment The pre-Covid direct bus is NOT running at this time, so you have to take a little of a convoluted route to go from Brunei to Miri. Your options in June 2023 will include taxis to and from borders, buses, and walking a way too. Here are all the current details of how to go to Miri from Brunei.
Note that I’m updating this article with all comments from readers, so if you have an experience that will help another traveler, please drop me an email [email protected] or drop a note in the comments.
THIS POST MAY CONTAIN COMPENSATED AND AFFILIATE LINKS MORE INFORMATION IN OUR DISCLAIMER
Brunei to Miri in June 2023
The direct bus run by PHLS from Bandar Seri Begawan is NOT running again yet and it looks like that it won’t run again, so until another service starts up here’s how to go to Miri from Bandar Seri Begawan. If there’s a direct bus that starts up again, I’ll update this article. And, as ever, if you can help out a fellow traveler with your experiences, drop a note in the comments and I’ll include the details.
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UPDATE: APRIL 2023 – this from Pauline at FIND ME LOGISTICS – they are running a car service from Brunei to Miri to Brunei. They offer car shuttle services from Miri – Brunei via Brunei – Miri cost BND35/pax. Custom checkpoint open from 6am – 10pm daily. That may help for those who want to travel to Brunei/ Miri for now.
Anyone interested may contact us via Whatsapp at +6010-3773743 or Brunei Number +673-7336377
If you take Pauline up on this PLEASE let me know how the service is and I’ll keep everyone up to date!
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Back to the buses:
Primarily you’re going to be catching a series of buses, or taxis. START EARLY – don’t try and do this crossing late afternoon. Leave BSB in the morning.
Thanks to Noah, Andrew, Jake, Camila and Lukas for the updates on their successful border crossings during March 2023. Here’s how to do this border crossing in March 2023.
Get from BSB to Kuala Belait
Take a Minibus from the corner of Kianggeh Rd & Jln Pemancha (outside the Brunei Hotel) that heads to Seria.
The first bus goes at 6am and then every hour. Buses from BSB to Seria cost 6 BND per person.
It’s a local minibus and you’re going to want to go to the end of the line, to Seria. Go earlier than you need to as these buses stop everywhere and for everyone. Jake, Camila and Lukas left BSB at 7am and were in Miri by 11:30 in March 2023.
Alternatively, if you can find an express bus to Seria or even better Kuala Belait take that.
If you’ve taken the minibus from BSB to Seria, then you need to get on the bus to Kuala Belait. you get this bus from the same place that you get off the minbus from BSB.
The bus from Seria to Kuala Belait costs 1 BND per person.
Buses from Seria to Kuala Belait stop at around 4 pm. Go early to do this trip.
The bus to Kuala Belait finishes in a parking lot and across the road from that is a covered parking lot, you’ll recognize it by the fact that there’s a barbers shop there.
Going to Kuala Belait to the Border
From this parking lot, there’s a taxi that goes to Miri. Again you’ll need to go early, you’re unlikely to find the taxi here much beyond 4 pm.
If you don’t find a taxi there, then just ask at the barbers shop for a private car to go to the border. The going rate is $20 BND You can ask if someone will take you to Miri if you want to make it a lot easier.
Exiting Brunei at the Border
When you get to Customs and Immigration you’re going to stand in the line with all the cars. This isn’t a border that people normally walk over, so you’ll be something of a curiosity.
Make sure you’ve got all the required paperwork or electronic documentation to exit Brunei and enter Miri. There’s no WiFi here and if you have a Malaysian SIM card it isn’t covered here.
Walk Across No Man’s Land
Once you’ve exited Brunei you need to walk across no man’s land to Malaysia. Again START THIS JOURNEY EARLY. You don’t want to be walking across no man’s land in the dark. It’s not that it’s dangerous, it’s just that it’s dark!
Go Through the Malaysian Immigration
If it’s not obvious where to check in when you get to the Malaysian entry point, then someone will help. If you’re happy to grab a lift with someone to Miri, just look lost, and hopeful, and ask someone. Folks are generally pretty friendly here. Give them some money for the gas. In two recent reports travelers have had success just asking someone for a lift and giving them some cash.
Getting from the Border to Miri
Otherwise, if you can find a ride, then after customs and immigration you’ll want to head to the LEFT at the big roundabout. After about 1 kilometer there’s a toll booth here and you should be able to find a ride from there.
It’s likely to be 10 kilometers or so before you get internet access if you have a Malaysian SIM, and so you can arrange a Grab to pick you up and take you to Miri.
Alternatively, if anyone that you find at the border has Grab, or can “loan you some internet” ask them to order you a Grab (which might convince them to take you to Miri themselves and make a few dollars.
You will have a MUCH easier time doing this crossing earlier in the day.
Where to Stay in Miri
There are some great places to stay in Miri– here’s our pick of the luxury places to stay in Miri, mid-range places to stay in Miri, and budget accommodations in Miri.
Pullman Miri Waterfront, Miri: The Pullman Miri Waterfront is ideally located right in the center of Miri, conveniently surrounded by the main attractions of the city. Each sleek room at this luxury Miri hotel is equipped with a flat-screen TV, high-speed internet connection, a mini-bar, a mini-fridge, a private bathroom, a desk, a seating area, and a view of the bustling city. . The fitness center has a Jacuzzi, and steam and sauna rooms are also available. The Pullman Miri Waterfront is a luxury Miri hotel in Miri City. You can check room rates and availability here.
MCity Inn, Miri: The MCity Inn is situated in central Miri. Rooms at the MCity Inn have a flat-screen TV, a private bathroom with a shower and hairdryer, a view of the city, air-conditioning, and access to a WiFi connection. The mid-range Miri hotel has a coffee shop and room service. MCity Inn is a great place to stay when visiting Miri. Read more reviews and check rates and dates at this great Miri mid-range hotel option here.
Ajang Hotel, Miri: The Ajang Hotel is located in the Commercial Center in Miri. Each room at this budget hotel in Miri features air-conditioning, a flat-screen TV, a fridge, a private bathroom, an iron and ironing board, complimentary water, an in-room safe, a coffee/tea maker, and a complimentary WiFi connection. The budget Miri hotel has a coffee shop and room service. The Ajang Hotel is a popular place to stay in Miri. You can find out more about this in-demand accommodation in Miri and also check dates and rates here.
Final Words on Going from Brunei to Miri in 2023
Unfortunately, the PHLS direct bus is no longer running, and that made this border crossing super easy. Now you’ll have to either get yourself a taxi to the border, walk across the border and then get another taxi down to Miri, or you can take a bus to Kuala Belait and then grab a ride to the border. You *may* score a taxi from Kuala Belait to Miri – read the details, best of luck and let me know how you get on!
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44 thoughts on “How To Go from Brunei to Miri, Malaysia”
Hi, I’m planning to travel to BSB from Miri and looking forward to catching the bus from Miri. Do you have a suggestion of where I should wait for the bus? Is the Pujut Corner Express Bus Terminal my best option here?
I’m a little bit anxious because it’s really the only bus that I know of that connects Miri-BSB and so little information about it’s whole existence, it’s almost elusive or urban-legend-ish in a way. LOL. Even the official PHLS Express website doesn’t offer much information regarding the bus schedules or routes. I’ve emailed the contact person and I got no answer, yet.
I’m planning to catch the earliest departure which I’ve read is around 8 in the morning. And I only have one chance to do it because the next day I’m flying to Kota Kinabalu from BSB airport.
Please help me, my kind fellow wayfarer. Thank you very much.
Hallo there! Yes Pujut Corner is your best bet. Tell your taxi driver that you’re going for the PHLS bus to BSB from PC and he’ll take you to PC. It’s definitely not a myth, but like you we worried for a good while that the bus was actually real! I think it’s more that no one really writes about it! It was mainly Malaysians on the bus when we were there, only one other east of western tourists.. ( and we didn’t get a response from PHLS on email either, so don’t worry about that either..). You can also book your ticket online, there is a link in the blog. Good luck and hope you enjoy!
Useful tips. Thank you
May I know how’s the hotel in miri central. About the room rate, location and cleanliness. We are at work persons travelling. Thank you
We paid USD$20.94 a night for a private room with a private bathroom including breakfast. The room was superbly clean. Staff were friendly, wifi worked well. Location was also great, it was easy to walk to the market for food, although we needed a taxi from the bus station (there were no buses from there to the centre) and you also need a taxi – from everywhere to the airport.
Is the 1 PM bus from BSB to Miri still running? I can’t find the tickets for it on easy book. Thanks.
Yes. It’s running, I checked just now. You need to select the start point as “Waterfont Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam, Brunei ” – as it goes from the Waterfront, not the main bus station. (its my pet hate with Easybook, that you can’t just put in BSB!, but star typing Bandar seri and it will come up with the options, and its Waterfront that you need.
I will be trying out the Brunei to Miri direct bus for the first time, and already, Easybook.com made the critical mistake of “refreshing” my page at payment and changing my departure date to a wrong one. Anyway, hope the trip itself will be smooth and pleasant. It sure sounds OK from the article in this blog. 🙂
Ah oh dear, I’m sorry you had that experience with them – I hope the trip goes well, we found it very smooth and an easy trip to make. Good luck!
Hi,
Great info. I’ve been researching this topic for an upcoming trip as well. In the easybook.com website, there is also an option to take the bus from Miri to BSB at the E-mart, which departs later and is a shorter trip. My guess is that this is just the same bus from PC, but the 2.5 hour travel time seems quite attractive. The only problem is that I have no idea where the EMart location is! Easybook doesn’t give the map location. Any ideas?
Thanks!
Hi, thanks! There are two emarts in Miri, one that you’ll find by searching for emart riam (which is further on from Miri, towards the airport) and emart Tudan, which is the road to Brunei. I truly don;t know which one it is. I can’t see how the time to travel could be reduced by 2.5 hours, as the distance between emart tudan and pujut corner isn;t that great and the time in travel can’t really be cut down. We saw no evidence, when we were in either Miri or BSB that there were 2 buses. Sorry I can’t help, but do let me know if you find anymore info! Sarah
Hi Sarah,
Planning to visit Miri from Brunei on July 1, 2019.
I wanted to experience culture and diversity.
Now, having said that is there any requirements except passport passing all the boarders? I am a Philippine passport holder.
Regards,
Ricky
Just a quick note to say that the bus NO longer exists. The Easybook site does not return any buses and I can tell you, from standing on the corner in BSB from where the bus was meant to depart from, the afternoon bus, that it does not exist. Also mention “the bus to Miri” to the locals and there is much shaking of heads and comments such as “no bus”, “no more” or “company gone, they broke”.
What I did was as follows:
1) Minibus from the corner of Kianggeh Rd & Jln Pemancha that heads to Seria. Just ask, it is pronounced as the country, Syria, and seem to turn up about every 30 min. Go to the end of the line. This is a locals public transport sort of bus so not the fastest. There may be express buses to Seria or Kuala Belait but I didn’t see them.
2) From the spot where 1) terminates, grab the next bus to Kuala Belait. I was lucky and got the last bus of the day at about 4pm. This would be the slowest bus I have ever been on but passes through an intriguing area, firstly through the British Army base, then the Shell oil area, both operations and where the staff live. This bus terminates in a parking lot. Over the road is another parking lot that is covered and has a barbershop. Supposedly a Miri taxi departs from here. I was there at about 5pm and the taxi had just left.
3) Ask around and you may be lucky to find someone to drive you to the border – I was, a lovely retired gentleman, gave him $20. For some reason I brain faded at the time and didn’t think to ask about a taxi just to the border, just to Miri, which had left. I then walked up to the Customs/Immigration and stood in the queue with all the cars around me – this is not a checkpoint like Singapore/JB, people normally don’t walk it.
4) At the checkpoint don’t get involved in a stray dog fight and make sure you have the electronic entry/exit thingy, a pdf. If you came in via ferry from Labuan, which I did, you won’t. The officials were really good and created one for me as I didn’t have Brunei net access and Malaysian net does not reach.
5) Check out of Brunei and start the walk across no man’s land to Malaysia. Best not to do this at 6:30pm as it will be dark although the sky at sunset is beautiful. If it is Friday night, you could score a lift with the locals pouring down to Miri to party so you don’t have to walk.
6) At the Malaysian side, just look lost and an official will direct you where to go to check into Malaysia. Once again, you may score a lift into Miri otherwise start the walk. When you come out of the Customs area, there is a large roundabout, veer to the left. About 1km down, there is a toll booth. You can get net access by now so I was lucky, a nice bloke by the name of Quan, gave me a lift to his place, which was about 12km from the border, from where I got a Grab into town, about another 15km. I suppose during the day you could get a Grab to come out and get you.
Overall it was “an experience”. I had to get through all this as I flew out of Miri the next morning. My flaw was waiting around to see if the bus did turn up and in turn just missed a Seria bus that cost me another 30 minutes. Get off the ferry, a taxi into town, a bus down south and you should be good.
thanks for the update Andrew. I’ll update the post.
Currently, the bus from Miri to Brunei doesn’t seem to be running anymore (checked dates for March 2023). Which exactly leaves no option to travel between the two overland. Or do you know alternative ways?
Els – check the comment from Andrew just a few days ago.
Hi I just did this trip yesterday, there is no longer a bus that runs across the boarder, if you want to cross the boarder you have to take a taxi to the boarder then cross on foot and try and find a ride on the other side
Gracias, teniamos pensado viajar a Brunei desde Miri, pero me parece que no podra ser.
Lo siento, es muy difícil en este momento. ¡Espero que el autobús directo se reinicie pronto!
We are planning to make the crossing from Miri into BSB on March 23 2023. Do you think it will be possible to do it this way around? For now all the info online seems to be misleading or dead ends generally so we will try our luck and give ourselves a couple of days to complete the crossing in case things went south. We will let you know what our experience is like once we get into BSB.
Thanks for posting the updates!
F&S
Hi Federica – you’ll need to take a Grab to as close as they will take you to the border – my guess is that if you’re paying they’ll take you as far as they can. (its about 28 km from downtown Miri). From the other side of the border, I’d ask around for a lift, or to pay someone to take your Kuala Belait, and then you can take a bus into BSB from there. Best of luck and thanks in advance for letting us all know how it goes! Sarah
Hi! It appears we will be doing the same on 23rd after two days in Brunei. It’s three of us, it might be easier/cheaper if try to cross together? Feel free to drop us a message
Jake, Camilla and Lukas
Hi Jakr, thanks for this, I’ve dropped an email to you and Federica with your contact details, so as to remove your WhatsApp from public view. Sarha
Thanks so much for the update. I planned to go from Miri to Brunei in June and wanted to take the bus. I will let you know if there are any changes/updates in summer.
Thanks Mary, I’ll also update if and when I get more information! Sarah
Hello Sarah, do you have any news from Frederica and Jakr who said that they would travel on the 23rd of march ? I intend to go from Miri to BSB in April.
Have a nice week-end
Louis
Hi Louis – yes! All went well. Jake (Jakr was my misspelling) and three others traveled on the 23rd. I’ve incorporated their updates into the article, but in essence, take the bus from the Brunei Hotel to Seria, then another bus to Kuala Belait. Then ask at the barbers shop for a taxi (20BND) to the border. Then find a friendly local on the other side to take you into Miri. Start early (7am bus is a good option from BSB) and you’ll be in Miri before lunch! Good luck and let me know how you get on!
Thanks for the update Sarah ! I’ll keep you informed about my experience.
Louis
Hi Sarah! I will go to Miri from BSB on 14-May to catch my flight going to KUL. Are the buses from Brunei Hotel going to Seria has intervals? Let say the first trip is 7am when is the next bus schedule? Also any updates for the direct bus from BSB to Miri? Thanks!
Hi Leo – there’s still no direct bus, and there’s no news on whether there will be one (PHLS doesn’t run anymore), the bus from the Brunei Hotel to Seria runs every hour. However, you can now also contact a car shuttle service run by Find me Runner Services (see Pauline’s comment) and also
Miri – Brunei via Brunei – Miri cost BND35/pax. Custom check point open from 6am – 10pm daily. That may help for those who want to travel to Brunei/ Miri for now.
Anyone interested may contact us via Whatsapp at +6010-3773743 or Brunei Number +673-7336377
Hi Sarah, I’m Pauline, we do offer car shuttle services from Miri – Brunei via Brunei – Miri cost BND35/pax. Custom check point open from 6am – 10pm daily. That may help for those who want to travel to Brunei/ Miri for now.
Anyone interested may contact us via Whatsapp at +6010-3773743 or Brunei Number +673-7336377
Thanks Pauline, that’s fabulous to hear! There are lots of folks wanting this service!
Thanks a lot Sarah 🙂
Hi Sarah, I contacted FM Logistics on the WhatsApp number you gave to organise travel from Miri to BSB. Pauline was fantastic – saved me A LOT of trouble. I asked for a shared car if available on my date but would do private charter if not. Not a problem. Pauline got in touch the day before, as promised, saying other passengers wanted to go, so we could all share. I paid in Malaysian Ringitt – RM120 for one way, door to door from my hotel in Miri to my hostel in BSB. A private charter would have been RM267. Way cheaper than taxis. Moreover, Pauline helped us through the border including with the Brunei E-declaration forms and gave us a free car tour of some Brunei towns en route to BSB. I genuinely think I would have been stuck on the Brunei side of the border if I just got a taxi from Miri to the Malaysian side. There were no taxis, no buses, the local town 20km away and no signal on my phone (Malaysian SIM). I wouldn’t have fancied hitchhiking, the only option that seemed available. Huge thanks to Pauline for the excellent service and to you for pointing me in her direction!
Yay! Glad to head it was useful and that you had a great trip! Thanks Paul!
Hi Sarah
Thanks for consolidating all the comments. I’m wondering whether it’s worth to consider a day-trip to Brunei while staying in Miri over the weekend. I will be flying from Sg to Miri. Is there any tour agency that offers day-trip to major attractions in Brunei?
Hi Adrian – Pauline of Findme Logistics might be able to help with that – Whatsapp at +6010-3773743 or Brunei Number +673-7336377 – or if you get over the border, then you could join this tour – I found that the stilt villages and the water ways were fascinating in BSB.
Thank you so much for this! I’ve contacted Pauline to set up transport from Brunei to miri. Honestly was very stressed when I discovered the bus wasn’t running until I discovered your updated article! I really appreciate the effort you put into this, so helpful!
Hi Robin! May I know if you are solo trip going to Miri? And how much did you pay for the fare? I will also going to Miri from Kuala Belait. Hoping for your response.
Hi Leo – Pauline’s charges are in the article “They offer car shuttle services from Miri – Brunei via Brunei – Miri cost BND35/pax. ” – I suggest you contact her she’ll give you a price. Robin was going from Bruni to Miri, the other direction to you. Sarah
Hi, I’m Paul from Singapore, and recently I have use Pauline’s service to travel from Miri to Brunei.
I am a single traveler, Pauline charge me around Brunei $70 to get from the airport straight to BSB.
My flight was delayed about an hour and I have reached the terminal late, Pauline was very kind enough to wait for me. Was greeted by her outside the airport, direction given was clear and there is only one super red vehicle waiting for me outside.
She was using a very new, clean, spacious 7 seater car to fetch me. Overall the vehicle is extremely comfortable and wide window for me to view the outside as I’m traveling.
She is a good communicator as well, sharing many information around MIRI as well as Brunei. We stopped a few places of interest along the way before reaching to my final destination.
I feel that it is more than just a vehicle that bring me from point A to point B, but it feels like I am having a tour along the way.
The total journey from Miri airport to BSB Gadong took about 4hours including immigration time.
I really enjoyed myself and I am very fortunate to meet Pauline during my trip.
I highly recommend those who are exploring or looking for a mode of transport to find her and/or company.
Many thanks to Pauline on making my trip a memorable one.
Paul, thank you SO much for the update! And so glad that you had a great experience with Pauline! Sarah
Just to drop a comment about our trip from BSB to Miri today (May, 13th, 2023). We followed exactly the itinerrary written here, public bus to Seria from “bus terminal” (B$6), then to K.B. (B$1). We already used public buses in BSB, so we knew about that bus. The ride to Seria took around 1.5h. A guy approached us already in Seria and then wait for us at K.B. He asked B$50 to get to the border which we rejected (although he said there is no one else doing this taxi). We then asked the guy in barber shop and he found a guy which dropped us there for B$25. It’s Saturday, after lunch. (Anyway, very good Indian restaurant with good prices next to the bus stop in K.B.). We then walked with cars to the Brunei control, got a stamp and then walked through the “land of nobody” and approached the Malaysian side, again went with the cars and got a stamp. We were trying to call a Grab afterwards but was not succcessful. An older Bruneian couple stopped and picked us to Miri. We had a nice talk and they dropped us in the city center (they went to one of the shopping mall).
Hi Sara.
I have recently used Pauline’s services to go from Miri to BSB and three days later from BSB to KK. I can only say that the service is extraordinary.
A great professional.
Thank you Pauline for your good work.