Jordan asks every one of our travellers for a visa, but hardly anyone has to apply for one in advance: you buy it at the airport, or a Jordan Pass covers the fee. This guide was checked in October 2026 against the UK Foreign Office advice, the US Embassy in Amman, Canada's and Ireland's travel advice, and Jordan's official Jordan Pass site.
A visa is required: citizens of the UK, Ireland and the rest of the EU, the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand all need a visa to visit Jordan. For a holiday you do not have to arrange it before you fly. A single-entry tourist visa is issued on arrival at Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, and at the Sheikh Hussein (Jordan River) crossing from northern Israel, for JOD 40 at the time of writing (October 2026).
The Jordan Pass: an official online package from Jordan's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities that includes entry to Petra and over 40 other sites and waives the JOD 40 visa fee, as long as you buy it before you arrive and stay long enough. It costs JOD 70, 75 or 80 depending on whether you want one, two or three days at Petra. It is not a visa itself: you still get the visa stamped at the airport, just without paying for it.
How long you must stay for the free visa: the Jordan Pass site says a minimum of two whole nights (three days); the UK Foreign Office says at least three nights. Plan on three to be safe. If you leave too soon, immigration checks this on departure and you pay the visa fee then.
Applying online: Jordan's Ministry of Interior runs an official visa e-application at eservices.moi.gov.jo. Most tourists do not need it, but you do if you plan to enter at the King Hussein (Allenby) Bridge from the West Bank, which issues no visas on arrival, or if you want a multiple-entry visa to visit Israel or Palestine and come back.
UK, EU, US, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand travellers flying into Amman have three routes, and all of them end with a visa in your passport at the airport. The only people who must apply in advance are those entering at the King Hussein Bridge or needing a multiple-entry visa.
The quickest way to see the exact rules for your passport is to check your requirements with Sherpa, which keeps track of the latest entry changes for you.
Here are the 2 trips we run in Jordan.
With the visa in your passport, all of Jordan is open to you with no permits: Amman, Jerash, the Dead Sea, Petra, Wadi Rum and Aqaba. Our 8-day Backpacking Jordan starts in Amman, so you fly into Queen Alia International Airport and get your visa there, and it finishes in Madaba, which comfortably clears the minimum stay for a Jordan Pass visa waiver. Our 16-day Backpacking Egypt & Jordan crosses on an included flight from Cairo to Amman, so you get your Jordan visa at the airport on day 9; read our Egypt visa guide for the first half. Crossing to Israel or the West Bank by land means checking the King Hussein Bridge rules above and paying the JOD 10 departure tax. For when to go, see our Jordan weather guide.
Check the latest visa requirements:
Yes, but you do not need to apply in advance. British citizens can buy a single-entry visa on arrival at Amman's Queen Alia International Airport for JOD 40, or have the fee waived with a Jordan Pass. The same applies to EU, US, Canadian, Australian and New Zealand passport holders.
JOD 40 for a single-entry visa on arrival at the time of writing (October 2026), about US$60 according to the official Jordan Pass site. A Jordan Pass (JOD 70 to 80) waives that fee if you buy it before you arrive and stay the minimum number of nights.
If you are visiting Petra, usually yes: it covers the visa fee and entry to Petra and over 40 other sites. You must buy it before you arrive and stay at least two whole nights (the UK Foreign Office says three). Some entry fees are already included on our Backpacking Jordan trip, so ask us before you buy one.
At least six months from the day you arrive, according to the UK Foreign Office and the US Embassy in Amman. Canada counts six months from the day you leave, so if your passport is close to the line, renew it.
No. Visas are not issued on arrival at the King Hussein Bridge from the West Bank, so you must get one in advance through Jordan's Ministry of Interior e-application. The Sheikh Hussein crossing in the north does issue visas on arrival, and so does Wadi Araba near Aqaba, although the official Jordan Pass site says only to Jordan Pass holders there.
You pay a fine when you leave; the official Jordan Pass site puts it at JOD 3 for each day over the first month. Extend online or at a police station before your time runs out, and if you stay more than two weeks without a Jordan Pass, register with the police or risk a JOD 200 fine.
Check your passport has six months left, decide whether a Jordan Pass is worth it for you, and the visa counter at Amman is a short stop on the way to Petra. Check before you travel, as rules change. Check out our Jordan backpacking tours.
We run one trip in Jordan, and 30 more countries besides. Your next adventure is waiting.
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