A Jordan Pass Review | Do You Really Need To Buy It? — ALONG DUSTY ROADS

The Aqaba Anomaly

Jordan splits its visa requirements into ‘restricted’ and ‘non-restricted countries’: citizens of the former require prior approval and a visa before travel, whilst citizens of the latter do not require approval and can simply buy their visa on arrival at the border or airport.

We recommend checking which camp you fall into here, but fellow Brits will be happy to know you’re on the ‘non-restricted list’ alongside EU and North American passport holders!

If you enter Jordan via Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, the main airport, then you will simply pay 40 JD for your visa or have that cost waived on display of your Jordan Pass. As the majority of international tourists fly in and out of Amman, that’s the process many of you will have to follow.

Simple.

However, from October to November, there are a significant number of tourists who will enter Jordan via Aqaba’s King Hussein International Airport.

The small southern city on the Red Sea, in close proximity to Israel and Saudi Arabia, is a winter sun, diving, and all-inclusive resort destination, and several European airlines only set up flight routes to Jordan in those months (i.e. easyJet from Manchester and London).

For non-restricted nationalities arriving in Jordan via Aqaba’s King Hussein international Airport, you will automatically be exempted from the visa fees for Jordan (source 1 | source 2).

You will still a require a visa for the country, but this will be provided on arrival and you will not have to pay for it! This is due to Aqaba’s designation as a Special Economic Zone Authority.

If you’ve been paying attention, you’ll recall there’s little point in buying the Jordan Pass if you don’t require a visa. This is because the money-saving benefits of the Pass for most Jordan itineraries become negligible if your usual visa fees are waived. Instead, you should simply buy your Petra and Wadi Rum tickets at the sites and pay for entrances to the other attractions you visit.

And so, if you are flying in and out of Aqaba, you should not buy the Jordan Pass unless you know you will be visiting at least seven or more included sites beyond Petra and Wadi Rum (or Jerash + five others).

But that’s not all…

All visitors arriving in Amman airport (except restricted nationalities) are also exempt from visa fees if they “declare that he/she intends to visit Aqaba while staying in Jordan”. In order to qualify, it’s obligatory to get “a stamp proof…