LAWS OF BRUNEI
CHAPTER 66
SOCIETIES
11 of 1948
7 of 1949
15 of 1951
(Cap. 66 of 1951)
Amended by:
S 99/59
15 of 1972
S 35/84

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LAWS OF BRUNEI
CHAPTER 66
SOCIETIES
ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS
Section
1. Short title.
2. Interpretation.
3. Triad societies declared unlawful.
4. Information to be furnished by societies.
5. Appointment of officers.
6. Registration of societies.
7. Cessation of existence of a society.
8. Calling on any society to furnish particulars.
9. Power to declare society unlawful.
10. Affiliation outside Brunei Darussalam prohibited.
11 . Orders to registered societies to furnish constitution,
rules, etc.
12. Orders to registered societies to furnish additional
information.
13. Obligation on officers of registered societies to comply
with order.

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14. Registrar may call for accounts.
15. Publication of order of dissolution.
16. Penalty for managing unlawful society.
17. Penalty for participation of unlawful society.
18. Penalty for allowing use of premises for meeting society.
19. Presumption that association is a society.
20. Presumption as to membership and management of
societies.
21. Possession of books, seals, banners, etc., of Triad society.
22. Certain offences not bailable.
23. Power to enter and search meeting place or business
places.
24. Power to enter and search meeting place or depots of
unlawful society and make arrests and seizures.
25. Power of Registrar to summon witnesses. Photographs
and finger impressions.
26. Prosecutions.
27. Forfeiture.
28. Service of documents.
29. Consequences of order of dissolution.
30. Provisions applicable to registered societies.
31. Power to make rules.
32. Evidence.
33. Saving.
________________________

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SOCIETIES ACT
An Act to unify and amend the law relating to societies
Commencement: 4th October 1948
Short title. 1.This Act may be cited as the Societies Act.
Interpretation. 2.In this Act and in rules made thereunder unless there is
something repugnant in the subject or context —
“place” includes vessel;
“registered society” means any society for the time
being registered under this Act;
“Registrar” means the officer appointed as Registrar
of Societies under this Act and includes any Deputy
Registrar and in sections 23, 24 and 25 any Assistant
Registrar appointed under this Act;
“seal” includes stamp;
“society” includes any club, company, partnership
or association of 10 or more persons, whatever be its
nature or object, and every branch of such club,
company, partnership or association, except the
following —
(a)any company, association or partnership
registered under the law for the time being
relating to companies or formed and maintained
for the sole purpose of carrying on any lawful
business;
(b)any trade union registered under any
written law for the time being regulating trade
unions;

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(c)any Government school or school, or com-
mittee of management of a school, registered
under the law for the time being regulating
schools.
Triad
societies
declared
unlawful. 3.Every society which uses a Triad ritual or Triad emblems
or Triad titles or other Triad nomenclature shall be known as a
Triad Society and shall be an unlawful society.
Information to
be furnished
by societies. 4.(1) Every society shall within one month of its
formation, or, in the case of a society formed prior to the 1st
December, 1949, and not registered or deemed to be registered
under this Act, within one month of that date, notify the
Registrar of its existence and furnish to him the following
particulars —
(a)the name of the society;
(b)the objects of the society;
(c)the address of the society;
(d)the names and addresses of 2 members of the
governing body of the society.
(2) In the event of any change occurring at any time in
the particulars required by subsection (1) of this section such
change shall be notified to the Registrar within one month of the
occurrence thereof.
(3) Every society which fails to comply with the
provisions of this section shall be an unlawful society.
Appointment
of officers. 5.(1) His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan may
by public notification appoint by name or officer an officer to be
styled the Registrar of Societies and officers to be styled Deputy
Registrar of Societies.
(2) His Majesty may by public notification appoint
officers to be styled Assistant Registrars of Societies.
(3) His Majesty may from time to time give general or
special directions to the Registrar, Deputy Registrars and
Assistant Registrars as to the performance of their duties.

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Registration
of societies. 6.(1) No society shall be registered under this Act except
upon an order of the Registrar as hereinafter in this section
mentioned.
(2) The Registrar, upon application for registration by
any society, other than a society of the kind mentioned in
subsection (4) shall, subject to the provisions of sub-section (6),
order that such society be permitted to register under this Act
and thereupon such society may be registered under this Act in
manner prescribed.
(3) Every such registration which shall have effect
throughout Brunei Darussalam shall be publicly notified:
Provided that no such registration shall have effect or be
publicly notified until after due payment of the fee, if any,
prescribed in respect thereof.
(4) The Registrar shall refuse to register any society
where —
(a)it appears to him that such society is likely to
be used for unlawful purposes or for any purpose
prejudicial to or incompatible with peace, welfare or
good order in Brunei Darussalam; or
(b)he is satisfied that the application does not
comply with the provisions of this Act or any rules made
thereunder; or
(c)he is satisfied that the application does not
exist; or
(d)the name under which the society is to be
registered —
(i) is identical to that of any other existing
society; or
(ii) so nearly resembles the name of such
other society as, in the opinion of the

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Registrar, is likely to deceive the public or
members of any such society; or
(iii) is in the opinion of the Registrar,
undesirable.
(5) Any society aggrieved by such refusal of the
Registrar to order registration of such society, may, within one
month after such refusal, appeal in writing to His Majesty in
Council who shall give such order in the matter as he thinks
proper. The order of His Majesty in Council shall be final and
not subject to appeal to any court.
(6) When a dispute exists among the members of a
society applying for registration under this section as to the
persons who are to be office bearers or to hold or administer any
property of the society, the Registrar may refuse to register the
society until the dispute is decided by a court or by arbitration or
by agreement between the members or otherwise.
Cessation of
existence of
a society. 7.If the Registrar has reason to believe that any registered
society has ceased to exist he may issue a public notification
calling upon such society to furnish to him, within 3 months
from the date of such notification, proof of its existence and, if
at the expiration of such period the Registrar is satisfied that the
society has ceased to exist a public notification to that effect
shall be published and the society shall be deemed to have
ceased to exist from the date of such publication.
Calling on
any society
to furnish
particulars. 8.(1) Whenever it appears to the Registrar that there is
reasonable cause to suspect that any unregistered society —
(a)is being used, or is likely to be used, for
unlawful purposes or for purposes incompatible with the
peace, good order or welfare of Brunei Darussalam or of
any part thereof; or
(b)is being used for purposes at variance with its
professed aims or objects,
the Registrar may, by notice in writing under his hand, require
such society to furnish to him in writing, within a time to be

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specified in the notice, all or any particulars which the Registrar
is empowered by this Act to require to be furnished to him by a
registered society.
(2) If the society fails to furnish such particulars within
the time specified in the notice, the society shall be deemed to
be an unlawful society and the Registrar shall issue a public
notification to that effect.
Power to
declare
society
unlawful. 9.(1) It shall be lawful for the Minister of Home Affairs,
when he considers it to be essential in the public interest, by
public notification to declare to be unlawful any society which
in his opinion —
(a)is a Triad Society; or
(b)is being used or is likely to be used for
intimidation, extortion or any other unlawful purpose, or
for a purpose incompatible with the peace, good order or
welfare of Brunei Darussalam or of any part thereof; or
(c)is being used for purposes at variance with its
professed objects.
(2) A copy of every such notification shall, if
practicable, be affixed in a conspicuous manner on any building
occupied by such society and shall be posted at the police station
of the district in which such building may be.
(3) Every society which has been declared to be
unlawful under this section and whose governing body has not
lodged an appeal under subsection (4) or whose appeal has
failed, shall, if no such appeal has been lodged, on the expiration
of 7 days from the time of such declaration, or, if an appeal has
been lodged, from the time such declaration is confirmed by His
Majesty in Council, ipso facto be dissolved deemed to be an
unlawful society and the Registrar shall and thenceforth be an
unlawful society.
(4) The governing body of a society which has been
declared to be unlawful by the Minister of Home Affairs under
[S 35/84] [S 35/84]

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this section may within 7 days of the publication of the
notification containing such declaration appeal to His Majesty in
Council who may, at his absolute discretion, confirm or reverse
the Minister’s decision.
(5) The decision of His Majesty in Council under this
section shall be final and not subject to appeal to any court.
Affiliation
outside Brunei
Darussalam
prohibited. 10.(1) No society shall be affiliated or connected with any
society outside Brunei Darussalam without the permission in
writing of the Registrar, and the Registrar may at any time make
a provisional order for the dissolution of any such society
affiliated or connected with any society outside Brunei
Darussalam without his permission.
(2) Any president or secretary or member of committee,
or, if such offices do not exist, then any person holding a
position analogous to that of president, secretary or member of
committee, or any person managing or assisting in the
management of any such society may, within one month from
the date of any such provisional order, appeal to His Majesty in
Council against such order and His Majesty in Council shall
give such order in the matter as he thinks proper. The order of
His Majesty in Council shall be final and not subject to appeal to
any court.
(3) Upon the expiration of one month from the date of
such provisional order, or where an appeal is pending upon the
dismissal thereof, the order shall become absolute and the
society shall be deemed to be an unlawful society.
Orders to
registered
societies
to furnish
constitution,
rules, etc. 11.The Registrar may at any time order any registered
society to furnish to him in writing —
(a)a true and complete copy of the constitution
and rules of the society in force at the date of such order;
(b)a true and complete list of the officers of the
society and a true statement of the number of its
members.

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Orders to
registered
societies
to furnish
additional
information. 12.The Registrar shall from time to time order any
registered society to furnish to him in writing such information
as may be prescribed by rule made under section 31 and may at
any time order any registered society to furnish to him such
information and to produce for his inspection such documents as
he may be authorised by rule made under the said section to
require.
Obligation
on officers
of registered
societies to
comply with
order. 13.(1) The president and secretary and all members of
committee, or if such offices do not exist, then all persons
holding positions analogous to those of president, secretary and
member of committee, and all persons managing or assisting in
the management of any registered society in respect of which
any order shall have been made under the provisions of section
11 or 12 shall be personally bound to secure due compliance
with such order.
(2) If any society shall fail to comply with any order
made under section 11 or 12, every person referred to in
subsection (1) of this section shall be guilty of an offence:
Penalty, a fine of $500.
Registrar
may call
for accounts. 14.(1) The Registrar may at any time, by writing under his
hand, require any registered society to furnish to him, within a
time to be stated in such order, duly audited accounts.
(2) For the purpose of this section “duly audited”
means audited by an auditor approved by the Registrar. Such
approval may be given either generally or for any particular
audit.
(3) The auditor shall make a report to the Registrar on
the accounts examined by him.
(4) In the case where duly audited accounts are not
furnished within the time stated in the order, or any extension
thereof allowed by the Registrar, the Registrar may make a
provisional order for the dissolution of the society.
(5) Any of the persons mentioned in section 13 may,
within one month from the date of any such provisional order
appeal to His Majesty in Council against such order and His

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Majesty in Council shall give such order in the matter as he
thinks proper. The order of His Majesty in Council shall be final
and not subject to appeal to any Court.
(6) Upon the expiration of one month from the date of
such provisional order, or where an appeal is pending upon the
dismissal thereof, the order shall become absolute and the
society shall be deemed to be an unlawful society.
Publication
of order of
dissolution. 15.When a provisional order for the dissolution of a society,
made under the provisions of section 10 or 14, has become
absolute, such order shall, if practicable, be affixed in a
conspicuous manner on any building occupied by such society
and shall be posted at the police station of the district in which
such building may be.
Penalty for
managing
unlawful
society. 16.Any person managing or assisting in the management of
an unlawful society shall be guilty of an offence: Penalty,
imprisonment for 3 years.
Penalty for
participation
of unlawful
society. 17.Any person acting as a member of an unlawful society or
attending a meeting of an unlawful society shall be guilty of an
offence: Penalty, a fine of $1,000 and imprisonment for 12
months.
Penalty for
allowing use
of premises
for meeting
society. 18.Any person knowingly allowing a meeting of an
unlawful society or of members of an unlawful society to be
held in any house, building or place belonging to or occupied by
him or over which he has control shall be guilty of an offence:
Penalty, a fine of $2,000 and imprisonment for 18 months.
Presumption
that
association
is a society. 19.(1) If in any prosecution for an offence against the
provisions of this Act it shall be proved that a club, company,
partnership or association exists and is not a registered society, it
shall be presumed, until the contrary be proved, that the club,
company, partnership or association is a society within the
meaning of this Act.

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(2) In any prosecution under this Act, it shall not be
necessary to prove the name of the unlawful society, or to prove
that it has any name.
Presumption
as to
membership
and
management
of societies. 20.(1) When any books, accounts, writings, seals, banners
or insignia of or relating to any society are found in the
possession of any person, it shall be deemed sufficient evidence,
unless the contrary be proved, that such person is a member of
such society.
(2) When any books, accounts, lists of members or
seals of or relating to any society are found in the possession of
any persons, it shall be deemed sufficient evidence, unless the
contrary be proved, that such person exists in the management
of such society.
Possession of
books, seals,
banners, etc.,
of Triad
society. 21.Any person found in possession of, or having the custody
or control of, any books, accounts, writings, seals, banners or
insignia of or relating to any Triad society or branch of a Triad
society whether such society be established in Brunei
Darussalam or not, shall be guilty of an offence: Penalty, a fine
of $2,000 and imprisonment for 12 months.
Certain
offences not
bailable. 22.Every offence against the provisions of section 16, 17,
18 and 21 shall be deemed to be a non-bailable offence and a
seizable offence within the meaning of the Criminal Procedure
Code.
Power to
enter and
search
meeting
place or
business
places. 23.It shall be lawful for the Registrar or a magistrate or a
police officer not below the rank of sergeant who has reason to
believe that any society whether registered or not is being used
or has been used for purposes prejudicial to the peace, good
order or welfare of Brunei Darussalam or of any part thereof or
that any registered society is being used or has been used for
purposes at variance with the registered rules or objects of such
society to enter, with or without assistance and using force for
that purpose if necessary, into any place which he has reason to
believe is used as the place of meeting or place of business of
such society and to search such place and any person found
therein or escaping therefrom for evidence that such society is
being used for such purposes as aforesaid.
Cap. 7.

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Power to enter
and search
meeting place
or depots of
unlawful
society and
make arrests
and seizures. 24.(1) It shall be lawful for the Registrar or a magistrate or
a police officer not below the rank of sergeant to enter, with or
without assistance and using force if necessary, into any
dwelling-house or other building or into any place in which he
may have reasonable ground to believe that a meeting of an
unlawful society or of persons who are members of an unlawful
society is being held or that books, accounts, writings, banners
or insignia belonging to an unlawful society are concealed or
kept or deposited and to arrest or cause to be arrested all persons
found in or escaping from such house, building or place and to
search such house, building or place and seize or cause to be
seized all books, accounts, writings, banners, documents, flags,
insignia, arms and other articles which he may have reasonable
cause to believe to belong to any unlawful society or to be in
any way connected therewith.
(2) All persons so arrested and all articles so seized
may be detained in custody till they can be brought in due
course before a magistrate to be dealt with according to law.
Power of
Registrar to
summon
witnesses.
Photographs
and finger
impressions. 25.(1) The Registrar may summon before him any person
whom he has reason to believe to be able to give any
information as to the existence of operations of any unlawful
society or of any club, company, partnership or association
suspected of being an unlawful society or as to the operations of
any registered society, and the person so summoned shall be
legally bound to attend at the hour and place in the summons
specified and to produce all documents in his custody,
possession or power relating to such society, club, company,
partnership or association and to answer truthfully all questions
which the Registrar may put to him, and if any such person shall
fail to attend on such summons or shall fail to answer truthfully
he shall be guilty of an offence: Penalty, a fine of $2,000 and
imprisonment for 12 months.
(2) The Registrar shall be deemed to be a public servant
within the meaning of the Penal Code and may administer oaths
or affirmations to, and examine on oath or affirmation, any
person summoned before him under the provisions of this Act.
Cap. 22.

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(3) If any person summoned by the Registrar under this
section without lawful excuse fails to comply with any
obligation imposed upon him by subsection (1) or gives
information which the Registrar believes to be false, the Register
may, if he considers it advisable to provide for the future
identification of such person, order that a photograph and
impressions of the finger-prints of such person be taken at such
time and in such place and manner as the Registrar may think fit
and, if such person without lawful excuse fails to comply with or
obstructs the execution of any such order, he shall be guilty of
an offence: Penalty, a fine of $1,000.
(4) No statement made by a person summoned before
the Registrar under the provisions of this section shall subject
him to any arrest or criminal prosecution, or be proved against
him in any criminal proceeding, except a prosecution for failing
to answer truthfully under this section.
Prosecutions. 26.(1) Except in the case of persons arrested under the
provisions of section 24, no person shall be charged with an
offence under this Act or under any rule made thereunder except
with the written sanction of the Registrar.
(2) All prosecutions under this Act may be conducted
by the Registrar or by some person authorised in writing by him
to appear on his behalf.
(3) In all prosecutions, whether conducted by the
Registrar or by some other person, a certificate sealed with the
seal of the Registrar and purporting to be signed by the Registrar
that any society is or is not a registered society or, having been
registered, has been dissolved shall be admitted as conclusive
evidence of the facts stated in such certificate.
Forfeiture. 27.All books, accounts, writings, banners, insignia and all
other property belonging to any unlawful society shall be
forfeited and handed over to the Registrar, who may after a
period of 6 months destroy the same.
Service of
documents. 28.All process, notices and other documents issued under
this Act or under the rule made thereunder shall be deemed to
have been validly and effectually served if served on or left with

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the person intended to be served or, in case he cannot be found,
if left at his last known place of business or abode by any person
authorised in that behalf by the Registrar or if addressed to a
society; may be sent by registered post to the last known address
of such society.
Consequences
of order of
dissolution. 29.(1) Upon the making of an order of dissolution by the
Registrar against any society, the following consequences shall
ensue —
(a)The property of the society shall forthwith vest
in the officer who is, by the terms of the order of
dissolution, appointed by the Registrar for the purpose of
winding-up the affairs of the society;
(b)The officer appointed as aforesaid shall wind-
up the affairs of the society and, after satisfying and
providing for all debts and liabilities of the society and
the costs of the winding-up, shall divide the surplus
assets (if any) of the society amongst the members of the
society according to the rules of such society (if any) or,
if there are no such rules applicable to such case, then
equally, but, if by reason of the great number of
members or the difficulty of ascertaining the persons
entitled to such assets or from any other cause such a
division as aforesaid, is, in the opinion of such officer
appointed as aforesaid impracticable, such officer shall
prepare and submit to the High Court for its approval a
scheme for the application of such surplus assets to
purposes likely to benefit that portion of the public to
which the members of the society more particularly
belonged or the public generally;
(c)Such scheme when submitted for approval may
be amended by the Court in such a way as it shall think
proper;
(d)The approval of the High Court to such scheme
or amended scheme shall be denoted by the indorsement
thereon of a memorandum of such approval signed by a
Judge or Registrar and by the same being sealed with the

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seal of the Court and, thereupon the surplus assets the
subject of such scheme shall be held and applied in
accordance with such scheme.
(2) The Registrar may, for the purpose of enabling a
society to wind-up its own affairs, suspend the operation of this
section to such extend and for such period as he may think
expedient.
Provisions
applicable
to registered
societies. 30.The following provisions shall apply to registered
societies —
(a)The movable property of such society, if not
vested in trustees, shall be deemed to be vested for the
time being in the governing body of such society and in
all proceedings civil and criminal may be described as
the property of the governing body of such society by
their proper title if known;
(b)Every such society may sue or be sued in the
name of such one of its members as shall be declared to
the Registrar and registered by him as the public officer
of the society for this purpose and, if no such person
shall be registered, it shall be competent for any person
having a claim or demand against the society to sue the
society in the name of any person registered as an officer
of the society;
(c)No suit or proceeding by or against a registered
society in any civil court shall abate or discontinue by
reason of the person by or against whom such suit or
proceeding shall have been brought or continued drying
or ceasing to fill the character in the name whereof he
shall have sued or been sued, but the same suit or
proceeding shall be continued in the name of or against
the successor of such person;
(d)No judgment in any such suit shall be put into
force against the person or property of the person sued
but against the property of the society. The application
for execution shall set forth the judgment, the fact of the

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party against whom it shall have been recovered having
sued or having been sued, as the case may be, on behalf
of the society and shall require to have the judgment
enforced against the property of the society;
(e)Any member who fails to pay a subscription
which, according to the rules of the society to which he
belongs, he is bound to pay, or who owes money to such
society, or who takes possession of, or detains any
property of such society contrary to the rules thereof or
injuries or destroys any such property, may be sued in
the manner hereinbefore provided for such subscription
or for the damage accruing from such wrongful
possession, detention, injury or destruction of property.
But, if the defendant is successful in any such suit and is
awarded costs, he may elect to recover the same from the
officer in whose name the suit was brought or from the
society and, in the latter case, may have execution
against the property of the society;
(f)Any member of a registered society who
commit theft of, or dishonestly misappropriates or
converts to his own use, any money or other property, or
wilfully and maliciously destroys or injures any property
of such society or forges any deed, bond, security for
money, receipt or other instrument whereby the funds of
the society may be exposed to loss, shall be liable to be
prosecuted and punished as if he were not a member of
such society;
(g)Any number not being less than three-fifths of
the members of any registered society for the time being
resident in Brunei Darussalam may determine that such
society shall be dissolved forthwith or at a time agreed
and all necessary steps shall be taken for the disposal and
settlement of the property of the society, its claims and
liabilities, according to the rules (if any) of the said
society applicable thereto and, if none, then as the
governing body shall direct:

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Provided that if any dispute shall arise among the members of
the said governing body or the members of the society, such
dispute may be decided by the Registrar. Any person aggrieved
by any decision of the Registrar under this section may within 30
days from the date of such decision appeal to the High Court.
Power to
make rules. 31.(1) His Majesty in Council may from time to time make
rules for the purposes following or any of them —
(a)to prescribe the manner of registering societies
under this Act;
(b)to regulate or restrict changes of the name of
registered societies or of the place of business or place of
meeting or of the registered rules; or
(c)to prescribe the manner and conditions in and
under which the powers conferred by this Act shall be
exercised by the person on whom such powers are
conferred;
(d)to prescribe the fees which may be charged and
taken on proceedings under this Act;
(e)to prescribe the forms which may be used for
carrying out the provisions of this Act;
(f)generally, for carrying into effect the
provisions of this Act in relation to any matter, whether
similar or not to those above mentioned, as to which it
may be expedient to make rules.
(2) His Majesty in Council may in making a rule under
this section prescribe for breach thereof a fine of $500 and for a
continuing breach thereof a daily fine of $50.
(3) All rules made under this section shall be published
by notification and shall thereupon have the force of law.
Evidence. 32.(1) In any prosecution under this Act, it shall be no
objection to the admissibility of expert evidence that the expert
is not or has not been a member of any unlawful society.

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(2) In any prosecution under this Act, the magistrate
may refer, for the purposes of evidence, to any of the following
books —
“Thian Ti Hwui, the Hung League or Heaven-Earth
League”, by G. Schlegel;
“The Triad Society”, by W. Stanton;
“The Hung Society, or the Society of Heaven and
Earth”, by J.S.M. Ward and W.G. Stirling;
and to any other published books or articles on the subject of
unlawful societies in general or of particular unlawful societies,
which the magistrate may consider to be of authority on the
subject to which they relate.
Saving. 33.A society which, immediately prior to the coming into
operation of this Act, was registered under the provisions of the
law hitherto in force shall be deemed to be registered under this
Act unless the governing body of such society notifies the
Registrar in writing within one month after the coming into
operation of this Act that it does not desire that this proviso shall
apply in respect of such society.

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LAWS OF BRUNEI
CAP. 66
[Subsidiary] SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION
Rules made under section 31
SOCIETIES RULES
ARRANGEMENT OF RULES
Rules
1. Citation.
2. Interpretation.
3. Application for registration.
4. The Register.
5. Additional information to be entered in the Register.
6. Registrar to call annually for additional information from registered
societies.
7. Additional powers of Registrar.
8. Penalty for failure to comply with order of Registrar.
9. Change of rules or objects of registered society.
10. Change of rules or objects of registered society.
11. Amendment of Register on receipt of notification.
12. Registrar to keep register of documents filed with him.
13. Fees.
___________________________

B.L.R.O. 1/1984
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LAWS OF BRUNEI
CAP. 66
[Subsidiary] SUBSIDIARY LEGISLATION
Rules made under section 31
B.R.O.N. 11/4 SOCIETIES RULES
Commencement: 18th January 1949
Citation. 1.These Rules may be cited as the Societies Rules.
Interpretation. 2.In these Rules —
“the Act” means the Societies Act;
“the Register” means the Register of Societies kept in accordance
with the provisions of rule 4.
Application
for
registration. 3.Every application for the registration of a society shall be made to the
Registrar, accompanied by a copy of the rules of the society and a written
statement of the following particulars concerning the society, verified by the
signature of the president, secretary or other officer of the society —
(a)the title of the society;
(b)its objects;
(c)the class or classes of persons (if any) to whom its
membership is restricted;
(d)the present or proposed number of its members;
(e)the titles and duties of its officers;
(f)the methods of election of officers and the term of their
tenure of office;
(g)the method of election of members;
(h)the days (if any) observed as feast days or otherwise;
(i)the place or places where its business is carried on or its
meetings are held;
(j)the immovable property (if any) owned by it and the
manner in which such property is held or vested;
(k)the date of the commencement of the financial or
business year of the society; and
(l)the names and addresses of the present or proposed
officers.
The Register. 4.(1) The Registrar shall keep a Register of Societies.

LAWS OF BRUNEI
Societies 22 CAP. 66
[Subsidiary] (2) On the registration of any society the particulars furnished under
rule 3 shall be entered in the Register.
Additional
information to
be entered in
the Register. 5.(1) The Registrar shall enter in the Register all information
furnished to him under rules 6 and 7 of these Rules; and the president,
secretary or other officer of any society who verifies the information under
rule 3, 6 or 7 shall, if required to do so by the Registrar, sign in the Register a
certificate of the correctness of the information furnished by him, and produce
to the Registrar, or seal the Register with, a specimen impression of any seal
or “Chop” used or to be used by the society.
(2) Any president or secretary or other officer of a society who
commits a breach of this rule shall be guilty of an offence: Penalty, a fine of
$500.
Registrar to
call annually
for additional
information
from
registered
societies. 6.(1) The Registrar shall, once a year, order every registered society to
furnish to him —
(a)the names and addresses of all officers of the society;
(b)the members of the society and full and complete
information as to its constitution and rules, including details of all
charges since the date on which information was last furnished.
(2) Such information shall be verified by the signature of the
president, secretary or other officer of the society, and shall be filed with the
Registrar.
Additional
powers of
Registrar. 7.The Registrar may, at any time that he thinks fit, order any registered
society to furnish to him for filing any or all of the following information
verified by the signature of the president, secretary or other officer of the
society —
(a)the particulars specified in rule 6;
(b)full information as to the property or financial position
of the society;
(c)a balance sheet of the last year’s working of the society,
and may also at any time that he thinks fit order any registered society to
produce for his inspection —
(a)the documents of title to any property held by the
society;
(b)all or any of the books of account of the society;
(c)any minutes or written records of proceedings of the
society or its governing body.

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LAWS OF BRUNEI
CAP. 66
[Subsidiary] Penalty for
failure to
comply with
order of
Registrar.
8.If any registered society fails, without reasonable excuse, to comply
with an order of the Registrar under rule 6 or rule 7, the president and every
officer of the society shall be guilty of an offence: Penalty, a fine of $500 and
a further fine of $50 for every day during which the default continues.
Change of
rules or
objects of
registered
society. 9.(1) No registered society shall change its place of business or place
of meeting without having previously notified the Registrar in writing.
(2) No registered society shall change its title without having
previously notified the Registrar in writing and paid the prescribed fee.
(3) Every officer and member of the committee of a registered
society by which a breach of paragraph (1) or paragraph (2) of this rule shall
have been committed shall be guilty of an offence: Penalty, a fine of $500.
Change of
rules or
objects of
registered
society. 10.(1) No alteration in the registered rules or objects of any registered
society shall be of force until notified in writing to the Registrar and filed with
him.
(2) The Registrar shall refuse to file any notification of an alteration
in the objects of a registered society which would cause any object of the
society to be unlawful.
Amendment of
Register on
receipt of
notification. 11 .Except as provided in paragraph (2) of rule 10, the Registrar, on
receipt of any notification under rules 9 or 10, and on receipt of the prescribed
fee, shall forthwith amend the registered particulars concerning any registered
society by inserting in the Register the new place of business or place of
meeting or new title or new rules or objects of the society in the places of
those already registered.
Registrar to
keep register
of documents
filed with him. 12.The Registrar shall also keep a Register in chronological order of all
documents filed with him under the Act or under these rules.
Fees. 13.(1) The fee payable in respect of the registration of a society shall be
$50:
Provided that the Minister may reduce or remit such fee in special cases.
(2) The fee payable on a change of title of a society shall be $20.
(3) The fee payable upon filing any other document required to be
filed with the Registrar under the Act or under these rules shall be $5.