Identity cards were first introduced in Brunei in 1949. In 1965, under the provisions of the National Registration Act, a new identity card system was implemented, with three different identity cards now issued: blue for citizens, red for permanent residents, and green for foreigners. The cards were redesigned in 1975; the blue cards were replaced by yellow cards for citizens, and the red cards were replaced by purple cards for permanent residents.

In 2000, a smart identity card (SIC) was introduced; it incorporates a personal and biometric data stored on a chip.