Act · 1984 Revised Edition
Land Code
Consolidating and amending the law relating to landIn plain English
Not legal adviceThe Land Code brings together and changes the law relating to land.
Summary · Drafted with AI, checked against the official text on 30 Sep 2026.
Official textFrom Attorney General's Chambers, unchanged
s 1
This Act may be cited as the Land Code.
The Land Code 1907 is hereby repealed, but without prejudice to anything lawfully done thereunder.
s 2His Majesty the Sultan and Y~ng Di-Pertuan in
Council may, by public notification, divide Brunei into districts.
s 3
His Majesty in Council may alienate Government land for such interest and in such manner as is authorised by this Code.
s 4
All forest, waste, unoccupied or uncultivated land shall be presumed, subject to the establishment of any claim thereto registered in accordance with the provisions of the
Land Code 1907 to be state land and all cultivated lands which have been abandoned or suffered to lie waste shall be deemed to be forest or waste land within the meaning of this section:
Provided that no land to which a claim has been filed in the manner prescribed by the Land Code 1907 shall be alienated by His Majesty in Council in pursuance of section 3 until such claim shall have been determined by competent authority.
1 of 1909 7 of 1948
(Cap. 40
of 1951)
13of 1954 4of 1955 15 of 1958
S.99/59
lOof 1983
Short title and repeal.
1 of 1907
Division of
Brunei into districts 3
Alienation of state land
s 5Classification of land
On the coming into force of this Code the officer in Influiry by charge of the Land Office shall proceed to inquire into and ~~a~~~f determine such claims as shall have been filed in accordance LanJ Office with the provisions of the Land Code 1907 and no claim
4
Issue of new titles to claimants
Register
Documents of title
Land Code which has not been so filed shall be deemed to entitle any person to receive a new title or compensation or damages in respect of anything lawfully done in accordance with the provisions of this Code or of the Land Code 1907.
s 6
Any title to land issued by the authority of the
Government of Brunei prior to the date of the Land Code 1907, the validity of which shall have been proved as pro-vided by section 5 shall be exchanged for a title under this
Code, and such title shall embody all the provisions of the previous title unless the holder of such title shall consent to their variation:
Provided that no such previous title shall be deemed to operate to the prejudice of any person claiming land under the provisions of subsection (2) of this section.
The occupier of any land who shall have proved, to the satisfaction of the officer in charge of the Land Office, that the land occupied by him has been under effective cul-tivation up to the date of the introduction of the Land Code 1907 shall be entitled as against any other claimant to re-ceive a title under this Code in respect of the land proved to have been so occupied and cultivated.
s 7
The officer in charge of the Land Office shall keep a
Register of all land alienated under the provisions of this
Code in the Form A in the Schedule with such variations as circumstances may requir.e. The Register shall contain an entry of the special conditions (if any) imposed in respect of any lands. The officer shall also keep a Journal in the
Form B in the Schedule of all transactions with regard to land entered in the Register.
s 8
All land shall be held by entry in the Register kept by the officer in charge of the Land Office in pursuance of this
Code and the document of title issued to the holder of land shall be an extract from such Register and shall be in the
Land Code
Form C in the Schedule with such variations as circumst-ances may require.
Every title by entry in the Register shall vest in the person named therein a surface right only to the land specified therein and such person shall have a permanent transmissible and transferable estate, interest and occupan-cy of his land subject to the provisions of this Act or such lesser estate as shall be specified in the entry.
There shall be implied in the absence of any ex-press provision to the contrary in every such title issued under section 3 or 6 of this Code the following reservations to the Government, that is to say-
the right to all minerals and mineral pro-ducts (including mineral oil) contained within lands alienated after the commencement of this
Code, and all necessary facilities for exercising such right, on payment of compensation of actual damage;
the right to resume for public purposes such portions of the land as His Majesty in Council may determine on payment of compensation;
the right to remove earth, clay, gravel, sand, stone or any other material which may at any time be required for the roads, public buildings or other public purposes of Brunei without compensation save for actual damage done to growing crops, fruit trees, or buildings;
the right to control all water courses for irrigation, navigation and mining or industrial pur-poses and for all purposes of general utility.
the right for the Government, its servants or agents, to make a road upon and over land alien-
5
Conditions on which land shall be held
6
Land Code ated after the 1st day of July 1955 and to cross and recross such lands on such road on foot or in car-riage with or without animals and with or without vehicles of any size or description whatsoever, and to construct and take under upon or over such lands pipelines and telegraph and telephone lines, posts and wires, and to do all things necessary for the carrying out of such making, construction or taking provided that in respect of any one title only one strip of land no more than 150 links wide at any point may be used, and provided further that reasonable compensation be paid by the Govern-ment to the registered owner for any damage done to crops or the surface of the land by any exercise of the said right; and
In the absence of any express provision to the contrary the person named in any such title shall have no right to remove beyond the boundaries of the land specified therein any of the articles enumerated in section 31 (iv) of the Code.
( 4) It shall be a condition in the absence of express provision to the contrary that all land held by entry in the
Register shall be used solely for agricultural purposes, and that the Government may on giving 2 months notice resume any land not so used for a period of one year or used for any period for any other purposes:
Provided that a condition that a minimum number of or quantity of certain crop or certain crops shall be grown shall not be such an express provision to the contrary.
Any title issued under section 3 or 6 of this Code may be issued subject to any special conditions which may be entered in the Register and in the case of default in any of such conditions the Land Office may, on behalf of His
Majesty, re-enter upon the land specified in the title and
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Land Code resume the whole or any portion thereof in respect of which default has been made:
Provided that no re-entry shall be made in respect of any default which may be capable of being made good unless reasonable notice shall have been given of such intention to re-enter and such default shall have continued during such reasonable period as may have been limited in such notice.
s 10
Any compensation to which any person may be enti-Compensa-
tled under this Code shall be assessed by the officer in ~~~;~~w charge of the Land Office subject to appeal to the duly constituted courts of Brunei.
s 11
An extract may be issued either after survey or after demarcation of boundaries. No extract shall be issued with-out survey where the land specified therein is 100 acres or more except with the special permission of the Minister.
s 12Survey or de-marcation
A belt of land 50 yards wide is reserved to the Gov-Reservation ernment along the banks of all navigable rivers, streams and ~~o~~e~~~!:c.
creeks and along the sea shore above high water marks:
Provided that nothing in this section shall affect the right of His Majesty in Council to alienate such land for such interest and in such manner and is authorised by this Code.
s 13
Applications for rand shall be in writing addressed to Applications the officer in charge of the Land Office and shall be accom-
~~~~nd, how
~
panied by a deposit of the fees prescribed by any rules made under this Code.
s 14
Premium, when charged, shall be such as His Majesty Premium in Council may from time to time either generally or special-ly direct.
8
Rent
Rent to be a first charge on land
Mode of recovery of rent
In the case of land held by entry in the Register in accordance with the provisions of section 6 of this Code the rent payable shall, in the absence of any previous agree-ment, be at the rate of 10 cents an acre.
In the case of land held by entry in the Register in accordance with the provisions of section 3 of this Code, the rent payable shall be
In respect of land held by entry in the Regis-ter where the area is less than 100 acres at the rate of 25 cents an acre or at such other rate as His
Majesty in Council may from time to time pre-scribe;
In respect of land held by entry in the Regis-ter where the area is 100 acres or more at such rate as may be directed by His Majesty in Council.
s 17
The rent payable in respect of any land shall be a first charge on the land and shall be due and payable at the Land
Office on the 1st day of January in each year in advance and without demand.
When any rent due to Government shall have become due and is unpaid it shall be deemed in arrear and the officer in charge of the Land Office may demand pay-ment of it by a notice in writing and if the same be not paid within 15 days thereafter he may issue an attachment and seize and sell by virtue thereof any n1ovable property of the defaulter and may also seize and sell any effects or any crops to whomsoever belonging which may be found upon the land in respect of which the arrear is due.
If the arrear cannot be recovered in the manner aforesaid the officer in charge of the Land Office may attach
Land Code and after due notice sell the land in respect of which the arrear is due.
The purchaser at a sale held under subsection (2)
shall be deemed to have acquired the right offered for sale free from all encumbrances created over it and from all subordinate interests derived from it except such as are ex-pressly reserved by the Land Officer at the time of sale, and shall be entitled to have such right Tegistered free of cost.
( 4) The proceeds of any sale under this section shall be applied in the first place in satisfaction of the arrear and costs and in the event of there being any surplus remaining the Land Officer shall pay such surplus tq.any person estab-lishing a claim thereto.
If at any such sale there shall be no bid sufficient to cover the amount due for arrears and costs, the land shall revert to and vest in His Majesty.
s 19
The registered owner of any land shall be responsible Maintenance for the maintenance of all boundary marks and lines of the ~~~~ndary land.
s 20
Any Land Officer, surveyor or demarcator may at any reasonable time enter upon any land for the purpose of fixing any mark or taking any measurement and may dig up any land or cut down any tree or other growth provided that as little damage as possible be done and may issue a notice calling upon any land owner to assist in demarcation by clearing lines and by providing labour. If it is necessary to employ hired labour for such purposes such Land Officer may assess and recover the cost of the same from the owner as though it were an arrear in rent.
Land Officer to have right of entry
s 21If the owner of any land comprised in any entry in the Partitioning land
Register is desirous of partitioning or sub-dividing such land
-
the extract shall first be surrendered to Government and the
Land Officer on payment of all survey or demarcation fees
10
Resumption of land
Transfer, charges or leases
Land Code and all other costs and expenses incidental to such partition shall cause the said land to be sub-divided in parcels, and shall make an entry in the Register and issue an extract in respect of each parcel, provided that all Government dues shall have first been paid and that the rent reserved on each parcel shall not be less than 25 cents.
s 22
In case the Government shall under the provisions of subsection (4) of section 9 resume any land the original extract shall be cancelled and a new extract shall be issued for the cultivated portion subject to payment of the fees prescribed by any rules made under this Code.
Any person wishing to transfer, charge, lease or sub-lease his land shall deliver to the Land Officer an instru-ment in one of the Forms D, E or F of the Schedule with such variations as approved by the Land Officer as circumst-ances may require or such other forms as His Majesty in
Council may from time to time by rule prescribe together with the extract under which he claims, and the Land
Officer, if satisfied as to the transaction, shall register each transfer, charge, lease or sub-lease. Such instrument shall be witnessed by a Land Officer or magistrate or in a terri-tory outside Brun~i by a duly appointed magistrate, justice of the peace other equivalent judicial officer of such terri-tory and shall be authenticated by his seal of office unless no such seal attaches to such office:
Provided that a transfer, charge, lease or sub-lease of land to any person shall be. null and void and shall not be registered except with the prior approval in writing of His
Majesty in Council.
The proviso to subsection (1) shall not apply in the case of a lease or sub-lease of land granted for a term not exceeding or liable on the future exercise of any right or the future occurrence of any other event to exceed 7 years to a person who has not previously been entitled to any interest in such land or any part thereof, whether solely or jointly or in common with another person or other persons.
Land Code
His Majesty in Council may, to such extent and subject to such restrictions and conditions as he may think proper, delegate his powers under the proviso to subsection
to a committee of the Council of Ministers or to any public officer or body of public officers and reference in that proviso to His Majesty be construed accordingly.
11 24.
On production of sufficient evidence of the satisfac-Satisfaction tion of any charge the Land Officer shall record the same in of charge the Register.
If any Land Officer is satisfied that default has been made in the payment of any sum whether principal or interest secured by any charge and tha~ 2 months notice demanding payment has been given by the chargee, he may order the sale of the land charged, provided that no such sale shall be carried out until reasonable notice has been given to all persons who would be affected by such sale.
Such sale shall take place either at the Land
Office of the district in which the land to be sold is situated or at such place as may be notified either generally or specially by the Minister and the chargee may bid at such sale.
s 26
Any person claiming any land, charge or lease by virtue of any form of succession or under any order of a
Court or act of law relating thereto may have such land charge or lease registered on production to a Land Officer of sufficient proof that he is so entitled.
s 27
No claim to or interest in any land shall be valid unless it has been registered in the Land Office.
When any land, charge or lease shall have been transferred or transmitted by virtue of any form of succes-sion or under any order of Court or act of law a record thereof shall be made in the Register and on the extract.
Realisation of charge
Succession, etc.
Unregistered claim invalid
Transfers and transmissions to be recorded
12
Rectification of Register
Land Code
No record shall be made in the Register unless the extract shall have been delivered to the officer in charge of the Land Office except with the permission of the
Minister.
Every entry in the Register shall be taken as con-clusive evidence that the person named therein as owner of the land is the absolute and indefeasible owner thereof for the estate specified therein subject to the conditions upon which the original entry was made and the title of such proprietor shall not be subject to challenge except on the ground of fraud or misrepresentation to which he is proved to be a party.
s 29
Any person claiming that he is entitled to be reg-istered in respect of any land may apply to the High Court for an order that any Register, book or journal kept at the
Land Office shall be rectified or that any entry may be made or interpolated in any such Register, book or journal or that any entry therein may be cancelled, and the High Court after giving such notices to the persons in occupation of or interested in such land as it may think fit may refuse the application, or if satisfied as to the justice of the case may make such order _jn reference thereto as it may think just and the officer in charge of the Land Office shall rectify the
Register and the extract of title in accordance with such order.
s 30Township
It shall be lawful for His Majesty in Council by public notification to declare any area to be a township. Such area shall forthwith be demarcated or surveyed. If any proprietor of land within such township is desirous of using his land for the erection of houses for trading purposes, he shall surren-der his extract to the officer in charge of the Land Office for cancellation and the Land Officer shall make a fresh entry in the Register and issue a fresh extract subject to such rent as may be prescribed by His Majesty in Council in respect of every 2,400 square feet or less so utilised.
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s 31Land Code
It shall be lawful for His Majesty in Council from time to time to make and publish rules not inconsistent with the general purposes of this Code.
Such rules may provide among other things for-
the fees to be paid in respect of demarcation, survey, sub-division, transfer, registration of title, or other proceedings provided for in this
Code;
the appointment of officers under this Code and the definition of their functions;
the sale by auction of state Jand;
licensing or farming the right to take timber or firewood, nipah, getah, rotan, damar or other jungle produce and of licensing persons tore-move gravel, stone, coral, shell, rock, guano, sand or loam and of prescribing the payments to be made in respect thereof;
the establishment of reserves and the like;
the maintenance and control of townships in the interests of general convenience and sanitation and the collection of rates and taxes for such purposes;
the fixing of penalties for breaches of any rules made;
the occupation and cultivation of state land by natives of Brunei under temporary licences;
the prescribing of anything required to be prescribed under this Act;
( x) all other purposes whether similar or not to the above.
13
Power to make rules
14
Unlawful occupation, etc., of state land
Appointment of officers
s 32Land Code
Any person who, without lawful authority
occupies, or erects any building on, any state land;
clears enclosure or cultivate any such land or part thereof; or
cuts any timbers or produces on any such land;.
Shall be guilty of an offence: Penalty, on first conviction
$2,000 and for a second or subsequent conviction $3,000 or imprisonment for one year or both, and the magistrate may issue a warrant to any police officer requiring him to dispos-sess and remove such person from the land:
Provided that this section shall not be construed as in-terfering with the right of natives of Brunei to remove tim-ber from state land other than reserved forests, for personal or domestic use and not for purposes of trade. Any person removing timber from state land shall deemed to remove it for purposes of trade until the contrary is proved.
Any person who abets the commission of an off-ence in subsection (1) of this section shall be deemed to have committed the offence and shall be liable on conviction to be punished with the punishment provided for under subsection (1) of this section.
s 33
His Majesty may from time to time appoint and when appointed remove such and so many Land Officers, Settle-ment Officers, surveyors, foresters, qualified witnesses and such other officers as he may consider necessary for carrying out the purposes of this Code, and may if he thinks fit define the boundaries within which they shall exercise the powers and perform the duties assigned to them by this Code.
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Land Code
s 34CAP. 40 15
No action shall be brought against any person for Protection of h.
d b fid .
d d b d
.
h officers anyt mg one or ona e tnten e to e one m t e exer-cise or supposed exercise of the powers given by this Act, or by any rules made thereunder -
without giving to such person one month's previous notice in writing of the intended action, and of the cause thereof;
after the expiration of 3 months from the date of the accrual of the cause of action;
after tender of sufficient amends.
If, at the trial of the action the plaintiff shall fail to prove that the defendant acted either maliciously or negligently and without reasonable or probable cause, judg-ment shall be given for the defendant.
Though judgment shall be given for the plaintiff in any such action, such plaintiff shall not have costs against the defendant unless the Court, before whom the action is tried, shall certify its approbation of the action.
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Land Code
FORMC
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I hereby certify that the above is a true copy of the entry in the District Register.
Land Office
Date
Officer in charge of the Land Office
FORMD
Memorandum of Transfer
Register No.
annual rent of hereon):
being registered as the owner of the land described by entry in the and registered in the Land Office at
(subject to the and to such charges as are notified by memorandum indorsed
In consideration of the sum of paid to me by hereby acknowledge receipt do hereby transfer to the said title and interest in the said land.
In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this
Transferor
I hereby accept this transfer on the terms herein stated.
Signed by the abovenamed in the presence of
Signed by the abovenamed in the presence of
Entered in the Register Volume
Transferee
Folio of which sum I all my right day
, 19
(Transferor)
(Transferee)
Land Officer 17
CCl
\to
18
Register No.
annual rent of hereon):
Land Code
FORME
Memorandum of Charge being registered as the owner of the land described by entry in the and registered in the Land Office at
(subject to the and to such charges as are notified by memorandum indorsed
In consideration of the sum of lent to me by of
(hereinafter called the chargee) the receipt of which sum I hereby acknowledge do hereby bind myself to pay to him interest on the said sum of at the rate of per cent per annum by equal annual payments on the 1st day of January in every year and will repay to him the said sum of on
In default of payment of the interest or of any part thereof or of the principal sum hereby secured It shall be lawful for the said charge after the expiration of months' notice served upon me or at my usual or last known place of abode within Brunei to obtain an order from the Land Officer for the sale of the said land.
If any default be made in payment of the interest due upon this charge the said principal sum shall immediately thereon become due and payable on demand being made by the said chargee by notice served as a abovementioned.
And for the better securing the repayment of the said principal sum and interest I hereby charge the land above described with such principal sum and interest.
In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this day of 19
Signed by the abovenamed in the presence of
Entered in the Register Volume
Folio
FORMF
Lease
(lessee)
Land Officer being registered as the owner of the land described by entry in the
Register No.
and registered in the Land Office at subject to the annual rent of and to such charges as are notified by memorandum indorsed hereon do hereby Lease the land comprised in the said Entry [or describe the land adding
"part of the land comprised in the said Entry"] to of for the term of years from the .date of this lease subject to the monthly rent of $
and subject to the covenants and conditions following that is to say (here set out condi-tions).
In case the rent shall be in arrear for one month or there shall be a breach of any of the covenants and conditions on the part of the lessee then I shall be entitled to re-enter upon the said land and this Lease shall be at an end.
In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this day 19
Lessor
I accept this Lease on the terms herein stated
Lessee
Signed by the abovenamed in the presence of
Signed by the abovenamed in the presence of
Entered in the Register Volume
Folio of
(Owner)
(lessee)
Land Officer
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Land Code
SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION
Rules under section 23 and 31
LAND CODE (FORM OF MEMORANDUM OF CHARGE)
RULES
Commencement: 12th December 1957
s 1
These Rules may be cited as the Land Code (Form of Memoran-dum of Charge) Rules.
19
[Subsidiary]
S.l20/57 2.
In addition to, and not in substitution for, Form E in the Sche-Additional dule to the Land Code, the form of memorandum of charge set out in
~!~~~ndum the Schedule to these rules may, where it is appropriate, be used by a of charge person wishing to charge his land.
.•