Jordan Visa Requirements: Visa on Arrival, Jordan Pass and Borders

Jordan’s visa on arrival is a single-entry visit visa costing JD 40. According to the UK government’s entry advice it is valid for three months, and the officer will tell you if your permitted stay is shorter, so read the stamp. It is available at Queen Alia International Airport, at King Hussein International Airport in Aqaba, at the Sheikh Hussein (Jordan River) Bridge in the north and, for eligible nationalities, at the Wadi Araba crossing near Aqaba.

Citizens of most of Europe, the Americas, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and the Gulf states qualify. Jordan also keeps a list of “restricted nationalities”, mostly from parts of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, who must obtain a visa in advance from a Jordanian embassy or through the Ministry of Interior, and who cannot use the visa on arrival or the Jordan Pass waiver. If you are unsure which list your passport is on, check before you book.

At Queen Alia you pay at the visa desk before immigration, in dinars or by card; there are ATMs and exchange counters in the hall. Double-entry and multiple-entry visas are not sold on arrival and must be arranged in advance. If you plan to hop between Jordan, Israel and the West Bank, either budget for a second JD 40 visa or apply ahead for a multiple-entry one.

The Jordan Pass is the best-value way into Jordan for anyone visiting Petra. Besides Petra it covers Jerash, the Wadi Rum protected area, the Amman Citadel, Kerak Castle and the desert castles such as Qusayr Amra. It costs JD 70 (Wanderer, one day at Petra), JD 75 (Explorer, two days) or JD 80 (Expert, three days), covers over 40 attractions in all, and waives the JD 40 visa fee if you buy it before you arrive. Show the pass on your phone or printed at the visa desk; you get the visa stamp without paying.

The condition is a minimum stay. The official Jordan Pass site currently says the waiver applies if you stay at least two nights (three days) in Jordan. For years the rule was three nights, and some older government pages still say so, so check the current rule on jordanpass.jo before you book a short trip. Immigration checks your length of stay when you leave, and if you fall short you are sent to an office to pay the visa fee. The FAQ gives one specific figure: Jordan Pass holders leaving through Wadi Araba without two nights in the country pay JD 60.

Other pass rules: it must be used within three months of purchase, expires one month after the first site scan, and is scanned for Petra only at the visitor centre in Wadi Musa. Restricted nationalities cannot use it to waive the visa. For the money side, see the Jordan Pass maths in our Jordan travel costs guide.

Aqaba and its surroundings form the Aqaba Special Economic Zone (ASEZ), and non-restricted nationals arriving there get their visa free. That covers flights into King Hussein International Airport (including the winter charters from Europe), the Wadi Araba (Yitzhak Rabin) crossing from Eilat, and the ferries and fast boats from Nuweiba and Taba in Egypt. The Jordan Pass FAQ confirms that non-restricted nationalities “do not need to get a visa” when arriving at Aqaba airport.

The catch has always been leaving. The free visa is tied to the zone: if you leave Jordan from somewhere other than the ASEZ, for example by flying out of Amman, you can be asked to pay the JD 40 fee on departure. Rules at Wadi Araba are slightly different again: the Jordan Pass FAQ says that if you enter and leave through Wadi Araba after at least two nights, the visa fee is waived without needing a pass. If you fly into Aqaba and out of Amman, buy the Jordan Pass anyway; it covers the visa fee whichever way the exit officer reads the rule.

The King Hussein Bridge, called the Allenby Bridge on the Israeli-controlled side, links Jordan with the West Bank near Jericho, close to the Baptism Site and the Dead Sea, and is the most direct route between Amman and Jerusalem. It works differently from every other crossing:

• No visa on arrival. You cannot enter Jordan here without a visa obtained beforehand, from a Jordanian embassy or through the Ministry of Interior. The Jordan Pass waiver does not apply at this bridge.
• Leaving is easier. You can exit Jordan via the bridge without prebooking on most Western passports, and you pay the JD 10 departure tax plus a bridge transport fee for the shuttle bus.
• Re-entry. Travellers who leave via the bridge and return the same way while their Jordanian visa is still valid have generally been re-admitted on it. Keep your exit paperwork, and confirm with the Jordanian side before you leave, because this is an administrative practice rather than a published rule.
• Hours and closures. The bridge opens in the morning and closes early on Fridays, Saturdays and Jewish and Islamic holidays, and it has closed entirely for days at a time during security incidents. Check the day before.
• Israeli entry. You also need Israel’s electronic travel authorisation (ETA-IL) to enter on the other side.

If you have no advance visa, use the Sheikh Hussein Bridge, 90 minutes north, which issues visas on arrival.

• Sheikh Hussein (Jordan River) Bridge: in the north, near Beit She’an in Israel and about 90 minutes from Amman or Irbid. Visa on arrival available. JD 10 departure tax when leaving Jordan.
• Wadi Araba (Yitzhak Rabin): between Eilat and Aqaba, a short taxi ride from both and about an hour from Wadi Rum. Free ASEZ entry; visa on arrival for eligible nationalities. Taxi drivers on the Jordanian side work as a cartel and charge well above normal fares, so agree the price for Aqaba or Wadi Rum before getting in.
• Egypt by sea: AB Maritime runs a ferry and fast boat between Aqaba and Nuweiba in Sinai. The fast boat sails in about an hour, but boarding and customs can stretch the day; confirm departures in Aqaba the day before.
• Saudi Arabia: Al-Omari (towards Amman and the Gulf) and Al-Durra (near Aqaba) are open to travellers with a Saudi eVisa.
• Syria and Iraq: the Jaber-Nasib crossing to Syria, east of Mafraq, has reopened, and Karameh-Trebil to Iraq operates, but both border areas carry government warnings against travel; see our Jordan safety guide.

All crossings with Israel and the West Bank usually open from about 8am and can shut with little warning. Border hours and fees on the Israeli side are separate from the Jordanian ones.

Your passport must be valid for at least six months from the date you arrive. Have a blank page for the visa sticker and stamps. If you lose your passport, report it to the police and your embassy in Amman before trying to leave. Immigration may ask for an onward ticket, an address and proof of funds, though checks at Queen Alia are rare for tourists.

An Israeli stamp, or an Israeli entry slip, is not a problem for entering Jordan, and Jordanian border officers see them every day. Israel no longer stamps passports anyway; it issues a loose entry card. A Jordanian stamp from Wadi Araba or Sheikh Hussein can still reveal that you came from Israel, which matters only if you later visit a country that refuses entry to people who have been to Israel.

Children need their own passport and visa. Under-12s enter Petra and other sites free, so they do not need a Jordan Pass for sightseeing; a child’s own pass is the only way to waive their visa fee, so compare JD 40 for the visa against JD 70 for a pass.

Drones need prior approval; without it, customs holds them at the border until you leave. Declare large amounts of cash.

You can extend a Jordanian visit visa online through the Ministry of Interior for up to six months, according to the UK’s entry advice. Overstaying brings a fine, charged per day and paid when you leave, so if your plans change, extend rather than overstay.

Since 1 October 2025, foreigners staying more than 14 days must register at the police station nearest their residence and give fingerprints and an iris scan, or pay a JD 200 fine at departure. The UK’s advice states this does not apply to tourists, pilgrims, transit visa holders or annual residents, but anyone staying longer on another type of visa, or extending a tourist visa well beyond a holiday, should register.

Jordan has no digital nomad visa. Remote workers come on tourist visas and extend, and long-term residence requires employment, study or investment sponsorship. Working for a Jordanian employer requires a work permit.

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