Visa
& Passport |
In general your passport has
to be valid minimum 6 month
beyond the length of the
trip. Most nationalities can
obtain the Jordanian visa at
the airport or the land
borders, except the Allenby
Bridge/King Hussein Bridge.
The cost of a single entry
visa is 20 JD per person
(around 30 USD), it is valid
for 28 days. Groups of five
persons or more arriving
through a Jordanian tour
operator are exempted from
all visa charges if they
stay minimum 2 nights in
Jordan, arrive and depart on
the same flight.
Arrivals at Aqaba, either
through the port, the
airport or at the crossing
from Israel or Saudi Arabia,
are granted a free visa to
Jordan. Some nationalities
need the visa prior to
arrival. Contact us if you
are not sure about your
status.
When travelling in areas
like the Jordan Valley and
the Dead Sea, take your
passport with you. Due to
the close location to the
border of Israel and the
Palestinian Territories,
passport checks are common. |
|
Entry
& Exit Jordan |
Airports: Jordan has
three airports and the most
visitors arrive via Queen
Alia International Airport (QAIA),
30 minutes distant from
Amman city. East of Amman,
Marka Airport mainly serves
as a regional airport. North
of Aqaba, King Hussein
International Airport (KHIA)
is located, approximately a
45 minutes flight from
Amman.
Border Crossings:
Jordan shares borders with
Israel and the Palestine
Territories in the west,
Syria in the north, Iraq and
Saudi Arabia in the north
and south. Between Syria -
Jordan, you can cross two
borders Jaber or Ramtha.
Jaber is 80 kms away from
Amman and more popular for
visitors. Both borders are
open 24/7 throughout the
year.
Three border crossings are
existing between
Israel/Palestine – Jordan:
-
The Allenby/King Hussein
Bridge, 57 kms away from
Amman, is open Sun - Thu
08:00 – 20:00 for
arrivals and 8:00 to
14:00 for departures and
Fri - Sat 08:00 – 13:00.
It is not possible to
obtain here a visa to
Jordan. The border is
closed on Yom Kippur and
the Feast of Sacrifice (Eid
al Adha).
-
The Sheikh Hussein
Crossing/Jordan River
Terminal in the north,
90 kms away from Amman,
is open Sun - Thu: 06:30
– 21:00, Fri-Sat: 08:00
– 20:00. It is closed on
Yom Kippur and the
Islamic New Year.
-
The Wadi Araba
Crossing/South Border, 7
kms away from Aqaba,
operates Sun – Thu 06:30
– 20:00 and Fri – Sat
08:00 – 20:00. Wadi
Araba Crossing closes on
Islamic New Year and Yom
Kippur.
No land border connects
Egypt - Jordan, but between
the two countries daily
ferries are operating. There
is the boat service from
Nuweibah to Aqaba Port, and
another from Taba to Aqaba.
The border between Iraq -
Jordan is called Al Karamah
Border Crossing, 331 kms
away from Amman. There are
three border crossings Saudi
Arabia - Jordan, open 24/7
throughout the year: Umari
and Mudawara Border as well
as the Durra Crossing, close
to Aqaba. |
|
Departure
Tax |
Departure taxes for non
Jordanians are 8 JD, ca. 12
USD, from any border. The
departure tax at Amman
Airport is usually included
in the airfare. |
|
Duty
Free |
The duty free allowance for
travellers over 18 years are
200 cigarettes or 25 cigars;
1 liter of alcohol, 1-2
bottles of perfume for
personal use; and gifts to
the value of 50 JD.
Restricted items include
weapons and narcotics. |
|
Climate/Weather |
Jordan is characterized by a
Mediterranean climate ideal
for year-round holidays.
Best travel time is spring
and autumn, as summer is hot
and sunny, especially in
Aqaba and at the Dead Sea.
These two areas are in turn
ideal for a winter break due
to the mild temperatures
(16-22 °C) in this season.
In the rest of the country
winter weather can be cool,
with rain and occasional
snow. Jordan is a very sunny
country with average daily
sunshine hours ranging from
six to seven in winter and
twelve to thirteen in
summer. Although summer
temperatures are high, the
nights are rather cool. See
here Jordan's average
monthly temperatures in °C:
Jan |
Feb |
Mar |
Apr |
May |
Jun |
Jul |
Aug |
Sep |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
7.9 |
9 |
11.7 |
15.8 |
20.5 |
23.6 |
25.1 |
25.3 |
23.5 |
20.2 |
14.8 |
9.7 |
|
|
Money |
The official currency is the
Jordanian Dinar (JD), which
is divided into 100 piastres
or 1,000 fils. Notes are in
denominations of JD 50, 20,
10, 5 and 1. Coins are in
denominations of JD 1, 1/2
and 1/4; 10, 5, 2 and 1/2
piastres. Foreign currency
can be changed at any bank,
moneychanger or better
hotel. Banks are closed on
Fridays and American
Express, Visa, MasterCard
are the most widely accepted
credit cards and can be used
at major hotels, restaurants
and tourist shops. ATMs are
available in larger towns.
Traveller's Cheques are
accepted by licensed banks
and bureaux de change.
|
|
Vaccinations
& Health |
Tetanus, Diphtheria, Polio
vaccinations are
recommended, also Hepatitis
A. The health care system in
Jordan is quite advanced,
although services remain
concentrated in Amman.
General advice is to avoid
tap water and use instead
bottled water. Fruits and
vegetables should be washed
before eating; avoid salads
and cold meats that have
been sitting out for a long
time, especially during
summer months. |
|
Business
Hours |
Most businesses are open
every day except Fridays. As
a guideline, the opening
hours are Sun - Thu 8:30 to
13:30 and 15:30 to 18:30.
Banks serve clients from Sun
- Thu 8:30 to 12:30, some
open again from about 16:00
to 17:30; government
agencies Sun - Thu 8:00 to
14:00. During the month of
Ramadan the business hours
are shortened. Banks and
government departments may
only be open for two or
three hours in the morning. |
|
Public
Holidays |
Besides Friday, the official
weekly day of rest, there
are public holidays like New
Year's Day (Jan 1), Labour
Day (May 1), Independence
Day (May 25) and Christmas
(Dec 25).
Additional holidays with
various dates are Easter,
Eid al-Fitr (end of
Ramadan), Eid al-Adha (end
of the pilgrimage to Mecca),
Islamic New Year and the
Birthday of Prophet
Mohammed. |
|
Customs |
Outside touristic places and
in downtown Amman travellers
should cover legs and
shoulders to respect local
Muslim conservatism
regarding the dress code.
Religious customs should be
considered, particularly
during the month of Ramadan
when eating, drinking and
smoking during daylight
hours should be discreet as
it is forbidden for Muslim.
|
|
Photography |
Before photographing local
people, ask for permission
to do so. It is forbidden to
take photos from military
facilities. |
|
Tipping
|
Most of the better hotels
and restaurants will add a
10% service charge to the
bill, but it is common to
pay a tip in smaller
establishments. It is
customary to round up the
price of a taxi trip instead
of tipping. Your guide and
driver also expects a tip. |
|
Language
|
Arabic is the official
language, English is widely
understood. |
|
Time |
Local time is GMT +2 (GMT +3
from April to October). |
|
Electricity |
Electrical
current is 220 volts AC.
European two-pin plugs are
the most common. |
|
Communications |
The international dialing
code for Jordan is +962.
City/area codes are in use,
such as 03 for both Aqaba
and Petra, 06 for Amman.
Internet cafes in Amman and
major towns are available.
|
|
Emergency |
Emergencies: 192 (Police);
193 (Ambulance). |
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