Brunei · Legislation
Legislation and primary sources
Where to find the authoritative text of the law in Brunei, and how to confirm it is still in force.
Sources of law, ranked
- The Constitution of 1959
- As amended; Article 84B shields the Sultan's acts from judicial question.
- Orders of the Sultan
- Made under the continuing 1962 emergency; the main vehicle for major legislation.
- Acts of the Legislative Council
- The Council is largely appointed and meets briefly each year.
- English common law
- Received under the Application of Laws Act so far as circumstances permit.
- Syariah law
- Applied by the Syariah courts, including the Syariah Penal Code Order 2013.
The legislative process
In form, bills are introduced in the Legislative Council and assented to by the Sultan. In practice the significant instruments are Orders made by the Sultan under the emergency proclamation, which take effect on publication in the Government Gazette without Council passage. The Syariah Penal Code Order 2013 was enacted this way.
Found something out of date on Brunei · Legislation?
Corrections are reviewed against the primary source before anything changes.