Rules for overlanding in Jordan

An International Driving Permit is required, either the 1949 Geneva or the 1968 Vienna model. Only hire cars, recognisable by a green section on the plate, may be driven on an Italian licence — check what applies to the licence you hold. Watch that the plate is not entirely white, because a white-plate vehicle cannot be driven by anyone who does not hold a Jordanian licence.

Jordan is outside the Green Card system, so you need a policy taken out locally. Short-term cover can be bought at the border as you enter.

A Carnet de Passage is recommended for bringing a vehicle in temporarily. Without one, the vehicle's description is written into your passport and customs cancel it and note the date the vehicle left the country. Either way an entry tax of 20 JOD is due for the temporary import permit, and if the vehicle is not yours it is advisable to carry a letter of authority from the owner with a notarised signature.

Traffic keeps to the right.

The legal limit is 0.08%. Over it, the licence and the registration document are confiscated on the spot and you are immediately banned from driving.

Helmets are compulsory for motorcyclists and seatbelts for front-seat occupants, while child seats are not required. A fire extinguisher and a warning triangle must be carried on board.

If a crash injures a Jordanian citizen you can be held in prison until the health authorities declare the injured person recovered. Where a pedestrian is involved the driver is always considered at fault and can be arrested. After a crash call the police on 911 and do not leave the scene before they arrive.

The accident rate is high. Avoid intercity driving at night and unlit roads, where stray animals, broken-down or unlit vehicles, roadworks and unmarked humps are common. Take particular care on the Desert Highway, which has numerous roadworks, dense heavy-truck traffic and a record of fatal crashes.

The ministry suggests hiring a car with a driver who can also act as a guide, since the cost is usually fairly contained.

Because of the regional emergency, land crossings into Jordan can close suddenly, so check the state of play with the authorities on both sides before travelling, and expect possible temporary closures of Jordanian airspace too. The Jordan-Syria crossing at Jaber/Nasib is open and working, but its operation follows the situation inside Syria, so verify before heading there. At the King Hussein Bridge, also called Allenby, you must buy the shuttle bus ticket in advance from the JETT outlets in Amman or through the JETT app or website.

A visa is required: 40 JOD for a single entry valid three months, extendable by three more at any police station, obtainable online, at Amman airport or at the land borders. For the King Hussein Bridge and the southern crossing served by the ferry from Egypt, buying online beforehand is strongly recommended, since on-the-spot purchase is subject to sudden procedural changes and long queues. Jordan Pass holders staying at least three nights pay no visa fee, and leaving by a land border costs an exit tax of 8 JOD.

Since October 2025 every foreigner staying longer than two weeks must register their place of residence, within 14 days of actually entering the country, at a public security office or any police station. Missing the deadline can bring a fine of up to 200 JOD. Transit and Hajj visa holders and Jordan Pass holders are exempt.

Trafficking and possession, including modest amounts for personal use, carry long prison terms and heavy fines. Do not photograph government buildings, bridges or military targets.

A privately-owned foreign vehicle accompanying its owner is granted 3 months on first entry, or 6 months if it is covered by a Carnet de Passages (Triptyque). Jordan Customs' Foreign Vehicles Department in Amman can extend a 3-month entry by another 5 months once a carnet is subsequently provided. (Jordan Customs — Instructions No. 4 of 2009 on the Temporary Admission of Vehicles for Arabs and Foreigners Coming to the Kingdom for Temporary Residence)

No road-use tax is charged on a temporarily imported vehicle for its first three months in Jordan. After that it is billed monthly according to engine size: JD 5.500 up to 1500cc, JD 7.330 for 1501-2000cc, JD 16.500 for 2001-2500cc, JD 22.000 for 2501-3000cc, and JD 44.000 above 3000cc. (Jordan Customs — Instructions No. 4 of 2009 on the Temporary Admission of Vehicles for Arabs and Foreigners Coming to the Kingdom for Temporary Residence)

A motorcycle over 250cc belonging to an Arab or foreign visitor is granted 6 months in Jordan under the same temporary-admission scheme, renewable for another 2 months by the Foreign Vehicles office at Amman Customs, provided it is covered by a Carnet de Passages (Triptyque). (Jordan Customs — Instructions No. 4 of 2009 on the Temporary Admission of Vehicles for Arabs and Foreigners Coming to the Kingdom for Temporary Residence)

Jordan's Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission (CARC) publishes a dedicated procedure for the entry, operation and transit of drones carried by travellers, together with a map of the areas where flying is allowed or prohibited. Check both with CARC before your trip rather than assuming a personal drone can simply be carried in. (Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission of Jordan (CARC) — Unmanned Aircraft (الطائرات بدون طيار))

In the Wadi Rum Area, Regulation No. 24 of 2001, issued under the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Law, prohibits driving vehicles outside the designated roads, entering or exiting the area other than through the specified areas, and lighting fire or littering within the area. The Director of the Wadi Rum Area is authorised to issue the daily permits necessary for owners of private cars to enter the area. (Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) — Regulation No. (24) for the Year 2001, Regulation for the Development of Wadi Rum Area)

Jordan's Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC) reported on 23 November 2023 that a general class telecommunications licence was signed at the Commission with Starlink Jordan, based on the provisions of the Telecommunications Law and the instructions that enable the company to activate its satellite services in the Kingdom. (Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Jordan — الأردن تمنح ستارلينك رخصة تقديم خدمات الإنترنت الفضائي (23 November 2023))