Jordan Pass: how it waives the visa fee and covers Petra

The Jordan Pass is a prepaid sightseeing pass sold by Jordan's Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. It covers entry to Petra and more than 40 other sites, from Jerash to Wadi Rum, and it has a second job that makes it unusual: bought before you arrive, it waives the fee for a tourist visa on arrival.

That combination makes it the default purchase for most visitors to Jordan, but the visa part has conditions. You must buy the pass before you land, stay at least two whole nights, and hold a nationality that can get a visa on arrival.

The pass comes in three packages that differ only in how many days you get at Petra. Every package includes single entry to more than 40 attractions, museums and castles, and downloadable brochures. It is emailed to you as a PDF and an image when you pay.

The official site is jordanpass.jo, run by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. Its FAQ page sets out the visa rules, borders and validity quoted in this guide. Buy only there, because the waiver works only with a pass bought before arrival.

The visa fee it waives is JD 40, about US$60, for a single-entry tourist visa. The pass does not waive a multiple-entry visa. The single-entry visa is valid for one month.

The Jordan Wanderer costs JD 70 and includes one day at Petra. The Jordan Explorer costs JD 75 and includes two consecutive days at Petra. The Jordan Expert costs JD 80 and includes three consecutive days at Petra. All three include the same list of other sites and the visa fee waiver.

The Petra days must be consecutive, and the ticket is scanned only at the Petra Visitor Center, not at other gates. Petra is covered in the daytime, 6am to 6pm; Petra by Night is not included in any package. You cannot upgrade or downgrade after buying, so choose the package for your Petra plans before you pay.

Each other site allows one entry. Bethany Beyond the Jordan, the Baptism Site, is not included, but you can add it for JD 8 when you buy the pass online, instead of JD 12 at the site. Ground transport is not included in any package.

At Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, go to the visa office and show the printed pass. The official FAQ recommends a printed copy, because the QR code may not scan from a phone. You receive the visa without paying. Nobody asks you to prove your length of stay on arrival.

Some nationalities do not pay the visa fee in any case. The FAQ names South Africa, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Japan and the Vatican City. For them, the pass is only a sightseeing pass. Holders of Arab nationalities cannot use the pass. The FAQ separately lists Somalia, Djibouti, Mauritania, Libya and Iraq as the Arab nationalities that are not exempt from paying the visa fee.

If your nationality is on Jordan's restricted list, you need a visa arranged in advance from a Jordanian embassy, and the pass does not replace it. The official FAQ links to the restricted and non-restricted lists. Non-Arab African nationals with a valid Gulf residency of at least six months can get a visa on arrival at Queen Alia airport and use the waiver.

Visas on arrival are issued at Queen Alia International Airport and at the Sheikh Hussein Bridge, also called the Jordan River crossing. At the Wadi Araba crossing between Eilat and Aqaba, a visa on arrival is available only to Jordan Pass holders of non-restricted nationalities who stay at least two whole nights. If you show the pass there, stay less than two nights and leave through Wadi Araba, the FAQ says you pay JD 60.

Wadi Araba has one more rule. If you enter there, stay at least two nights and leave through the same crossing, the visa fee is waived even without a Jordan Pass. Restricted nationalities who enter at Wadi Araba must leave through the same border. Non-restricted nationalities arriving at Aqaba airport do not need a visa to enter.

If you plan to stay beyond one month, you can pay at the airport when you leave, JD 3 for each day beyond the month, or extend at a police station for JD 40 for two more months. The pass does not cover these fees.

For most visitors who need a visa and want to see several sites, yes. The official FAQ says buyers who purchase before arrival save more than US$150. The cheapest package is JD 70 and the visa fee it waives is JD 40, so the sites effectively cost you JD 30. The pass pays off if the entries you plan would add up to more than that at the gate. Add up your list from the official attractions page before you pay.

It is worth less if your nationality does not pay the visa fee, if you stay under two nights, or if you only want Petra by Night. The pass must be used within 3 months of purchase and expires 1 month after its first scan, so buy it once your dates are fixed. Children under 12 enter sites free with their parents. For planning Petra itself, see our Petra guide, and for travel cover, our travel insurance guides.

The three packages differ only in Petra days, and the gap is small: JD 5 separates one day from two, and another JD 5 separates two from three. That makes the decision about your schedule, not your budget. Choose the one-day Wanderer if Petra is a single stop on a fast loop. Choose the Explorer or Expert if you want to split Petra across consecutive days. Remember the pass cannot be upgraded or downgraded after purchase, and Petra by Night is never included.

Skip the pass, or at least think twice, if your nationality already pays no visa fee, if you will stay in Jordan for a single night, or if you plan to enter only one or two sites. In those cases the waiver adds nothing and a separate ticket may cost less. If your plans are still loose, wait until your dates are fixed, since the pass must be used within 3 months of purchase.

Buy the pass online before you fly, on jordanpass.jo, and print it. The waiver works only if you bought it before arrival, and you present it at the visa office. Keep the PDF on your phone as a backup, and carry your passport to every site, since staff ask for ID and otherwise charge the entrance fee.

Choose the package by your Petra days. You cannot change package later, and the Petra days must run back to back, so decide before you pay whether one day is enough or you want two or three in a row.

Check your nationality twice: once for the visa, against Jordan's restricted and non-restricted lists, and once for the fee, against the FAQ's list of nationalities that do not pay the visa fee anyway. If your nationality is restricted, arrange the visa with a Jordanian embassy first and treat the pass as a sightseeing ticket.

Plan the border. If you arrive by land at the Sheikh Hussein Bridge or at Wadi Araba, or at Aqaba, read the border rules above before you book, since the waiver and the visa on arrival do not work the same way at every crossing.

The package names and prices of JD 70, 75 and 80 were the same on the official site on 3 October 2026. Check the prices page on the day you buy rather than a figure from an older guide.

If you are combining Jordan with Egypt, see our guide to Egypt's visa on arrival and e-visa. If you have a problem with the pass inside Jordan, the FAQ gives the tourism police number, 117777.