Obtaining a visa on arrival is (usually) quick and always easy when landing at Queen Alia International Airport (AMM) in Amman, Jordan or any of the land crossings. Here I will explain how to obtain the visa and why I prefer this option to arranging an electronic visa in advance.
Simple Guide: Visa On Arrival In Jordan
Jordan divides the word into restricted and non-restricted nations. If you’re traveling on a passport from a restricted country, you will need to obtain a visa in advance. If you are traveling from a non-restricted country, you can generally obtain a visa upon arrival at any port of entry.
Let me begin my stating that obtaining a visa on arrival in Jordan is not the most budget-conscious move if you are a tourist and plan to see key sights during your time in the Hashemite Kingdom.
That’s because Jordan bundles visas into a tourist package it calls Jordan Pass. Specifically, a Jordan Pass waives the visa fee if you stay minimum of three nights nights (four days) in Jordan (two nights only if entering and exiting via Wadi Araba linking Aqaba, Jordan and Eilat, Israel). A Jordan Pass includes single-entry access to over 40 attractions (full list here) including popular points like Petra, Jerash, and Wadi Rum and starts at 70JOD for a three-day pass (you can pay 5-10 JOD more for additional entries to sites like Petra). More details here.
The visa alone is 40JOD whether you pay online in advance. Considering entry to Petra is 50JOD, it really makes sense to arrange a Jordan Pass in advance if you are staying three nights and touring.
You may read online that visas on arrival are not available at Wadi Araba or restricted at some of the more remote border crossings with Saudi Arabia or Iraq.
Tip: Wadi Araba is a visa-free zone, meaning if you enter via this port, stay at least two nights ,and depart via this port, no visa is necessary if you travel with a passport from a non-restricted country.
But while you can obtain an electronic visa in advance and proceed straight to passport control, I prefer to buy mine on arrival. Why? Because you receive a cool sticker in your passport. Perhaps that does not really appeal to you, but but it certainly does to me and I love the collection of colorful postage-stamped sized visa payment stickers I have collected in my passport over the years.
When arriving at Queen Alia International Airport, simply follow the signs for a visa.
At the front of the line is a window where you can pay for your visa via credit card (or cash) and will receive the sticker. Then proceed through passport control and baggage claim and you will soon be on your way to one of the most magical countries on earth.
CONCLUSION
Jordan makes it easy for most nationalities to obtain a visa on arrival. While the Jordan Pass makes sense for most foreign tourists, I still love the old-fashioned visa stickers that Jordan uses for those who purchase a visa on arrival. For that reason alone, I will continue to arrange my visas in this manner (like in Turkey).
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