| Agency Name: | Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
| Type: | Ministry |
| Jurisdiction: | Government of Brunei and its diplomatic missions worldwide |
| Headquarters: | Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei |
| Budget: | B$127 million (2022) |
| Minister1 Name: | Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah |
| Minister1 Pfo: | Minister of Foreign Affairs |
| Minister2 Name: | Erywan Yusof |
| Minister2 Pfo: | Second Minister of Foreign Affairs |
| Footnotes: | [1] |
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA;, KHELN), formerly known as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MOFAT),[2] [3] is the cabinet-level ministry in the government of Brunei which is responsible for handling Brunei's external relations, the management of its international diplomatic missions and the nation's foreign trade policy. It was established immediately upon Brunei's independence on 1 January 1984. It is currently led by a minister and a second minister, in which the incumbents are Hassanal Bolkiah, the Sultan of Brunei, and Erywan Yusof respectively.[4] The ministry is headquartered in Bandar Seri Begawan.
From 1888 until 1984, Brunei was a protectorate under British rule, but the nation began the foundations of a foreign ministry by creating a Diplomatic Service Department.[5] After achieving full independence from the United Kingdom in January 1984, Brunei immediately established an independent foreign ministry, then known as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[6]
In 2005, the government merged the ministry with the former International Relations and Trade Department of the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources. The addition of "Foreign Trade" to the ministry's official name was made to reflect the full scope of its responsibilities.[6] From 2005 until 2018, Lim Jock Seng was the Second Minister of Foreign Affairs & Trade.[7] The current Second Minister is Erywan Yusof.[8]
In the fiscal year 2022–23, the ministry has been allocated with a budget of B$127 million, a 4.3 percent increase from the previous year.[9]
| No. | Portrait | Minister | Term start | Term end | Time in office | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mohamed Bolkiah | 1 January 1984 | 22 October 2015 | ||||
| 2 | Hassanal Bolkiah | 22 October 2015 | incumbent | [10] |
| No. | Portrait | Minister | Term start | Term end | Time in office | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lim Jock Seng | 24 May 2005 | 29 January 2018 | [11] | |||
| 2 | Erywan Yusof | 29 January 2018 | incumbent |
| No. | Portrait | Minister | Term start | Term end | Time in office | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zakaria Sulaiman | 21 October 1986 | 1989 | 2–3 years | [12] | ||
| 2 | Ali Mohammad Daud | 1989 | 24 May 2005 | 15–16 years | [13] |