The Ultimate Guide to Jordan Pass
Introduction
You are planning your trip to Jordan when you read about the Jordan Pass somewhere online. The first reasonable question you can ask yourself is, “now, wtf is that?”. And then a myriad of other questions, such as “is it a visa?“, “do I buy the Jordan Pass online?“, “what is the price?“. Yeah, I feel you. That’s why I want to save you some time so that you can use it to find another reason to bang your head on the keyboard. Happy reading!
What is the Jordan Pass?
The Jordan Pass is a convenient, all-in-one sightseeing package that is issued by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities of the Kingdom of Jordan. More specifically, it gives you:
- Waiving of tourist entry visa fees (if you purchase it before arrival and stay a minimum of 3 nights)
- Free one-time entry to around 40 tourist attractions
- Free downloadable digital brochures for the above-mentioned attractions
Long story short, it’s dope.
But now let’s go through each point just because I’m a bit of a nit-picker.
So, concerning the tourist visa waiver, that only works if you plan to stay at least 3 nights and 4 days in Jordan. That said, the fee for a tourist visa on arrival is JOD 40 (~USD 56, ~EUR 53) and only allows you to enter the country. The Jordan Pass ranges between JOD 70 -80 (~USD 98-112, ~EUR 93-107) depending on how many days (1-3) you plan to spend in Petra, and not only it includes the JOD 40 visa fee, but it also gives you free access to basically all the boxes you want to check while in Jordan. That means Petra, Wadi Rum, Jerash, the Amman Citadel, and a few other dozens. But I believe Petra is the real clincher here, as a one-day ticket costs JOD 50 (~USD 70, ~EUR 66). Just do the math (or take a look at the comparison table I made for you in section 6).
Lastly, I wanted to point out that there’s no third bullet point. Or better, there are some downloadable digital brochures, but everyone can download them for free. So, if you feel like you got scammed, you’re not alone. That’s why you can scam them back by getting one-third of the Jordan Pass offering before actually buying the pass (help yourself here).
Attention
The Jordan pass is not a visa, but it waives the visa on arrival fees if you stay a minimum of 3 consecutive nights and 4 days in Jordan (which means that you will still need to queue for a visa on arrival, but you won’t pay anything).
Which attractions are included in the Jordan Pass?
This is the list of all the attractions included in the Jordan Pass price (the most famous are in bold):
- Ajloun Castle
- Al-Hallabat
- Al-Humaimah
- Amman Citadel
- Aqaba Castle
- Aqaba Museum
- As-Salt Historical Museum
- As-Salt Museum
- Burnt Palace, Madaba
- Church of the Apostles
- Dar Al-Saraya Museum, Irbid
- Iraq Al-Amir
- Jerash
- Jordan Archaeological Museum
- Karak Castle
- Karak Museum
- Lowest Place on Earth Museum
- Madaba Archaeological Museum
- Madaba Archaeological Park
- Museum of Popular Traditions, Amman
- Pella
- Petra (up to 3 consecutive days)
- Qasr Al-Azraq
- Qasr Al-Kharranah
- Qasr Al-Mushatta
- Qasr Hammam Al-Sarh
- Quseir Amra
- Rehab/Al-Mafraq
- Roman Theatre, Amman
- Shobak Castle
- St. Elijah’s Hills
- Umm Al-Jimmal
- Umm Ar-Rasas
- Umm Qays
- Umm Qays Museum
- Wadi Rum
Takeaway
You can visit everything you want to see in Jordan for free and with no queues at ticket counters by using the Jordan Pass.
However, I want to highlight two points here: 1) there are only 36 included attractions and not 40+ as stated on the Jordan Pass website, and 2) there are a few notable exclusions, such as:
- Petra by Night – you need to purchase a separate JOD 17 (USD 24, EUR 23) ticket for the attraction, which – however – I don’t recommend for a few reasons that you can find here.
- Wadi Mujib – again, there’s a separate entry ticket that costs JOD 21 (USD 30, EUR 28).
- Dead Sea access – but you can either find a free spot by yourself or pay for a hotel’s private beach, so that’s not a real issue.
- Petra & Wadi Rum golf cart/jeep transfers – in theory, horse rides from the entrance to the Treasury in Petra are free of charge (even though bedouins normally expect a tip and the animals have a pained look), but any kind of motorized transportation both in Petra and Wadi Rum have separate fees.
Where can I buy the Jordan Pass?
The pass cannot be purchased at the airport, but you must purchase the Jordan Pass online before traveling (I would recommend at least 1 week before your trip, just in case).
To buy the Jordan Pass online, just follow these steps:
- Go to the official Jordan Pass website by clicking on the button above.
- Fill in the required buyer information (you can use a single person’s information to purchase tickets for more people).
- Fill in the ticket holder information (for every passenger purchasing a Jordan Pass)
- Click on “Proceed to Payment”, check the information, and click again on “Proceed to Payment”.
- Enter your payment details and click on “Pay Now” (pro tip: do not click multiple times/refresh the page to avoid multiple charges).
- Done! You should receive the Jordan Pass via email within a few minutes.
The Jordan Pass is valid for 12 months following the date of purchase (so, no problem if you’re far-sighted). However, it will automatically expire after 2 weeks from the first time it is scanned in the first touristic attraction.
How does the Jordan Pass work?
After you purchase the Jordan Pass online, you will receive an email with two attachments, a map of Jordan and the actual pass in PDF format.
While, in theory, you can keep the Jordan Pass in electronic form, I still recommend printing out a couple of physical copies to keep with you. That is because 1) your phone might die (mine actually died and resurrected only after 2 days in Thailand), and 2) in some venues they put a stamp on your pass to signal you visited the attraction (and I am not sure about how stamping your phone would look like).
At the airport, if you hold a Jordan Pass you can avoid the visa-on-arrival queues by entering the dedicated Jordan Pass holders queue.
At any included attraction, you can show your Jordan Pass at the entrance, where the operators will scan the QR code and/or sometimes give you a free special ticket.
In Petra, you will need to queue at the Visitor Centre to receive a free ticket (fyi, it can be a bit crowded at opening times).
How much does the Jordan Pass cost?
The Jordan Pass price depends on how many days you want to spend in Petra. For this reason, there are three Jordan Pass categories:
- Jordan Wanderer: JOD 70 (~USD 98, ~EUR 93), 1 day visit to Petra
- Jordan Explorer: JOD 75 (~USD 106, ~EUR 98), 2 consecutive day visits to Petra
- Jordan Expert: JOD 80 (~USD 112, ~EUR 107), 3 consecutive day visits to Petra
The question now is which Jordan Pass price is the best for your vacation. For my 10-day trip, I bought the Jordan Expert which included 3 consecutive day visits to Petra. My plan was to experience Petra by Night on the first day and to visit the site in the two following days. However, I ended up using only two day visits because you don’t need a day ticket for Petra by Night (for which you need to purchase a separate ticket for JOD 17 / ~USD 24, ~EUR 23).
Therefore, unless you plan to spend three full days in Petra, I recommend you to buy the Jordan Explorer, which gives you plenty of time to explore the main trails in 2 days. However, if you only have a few days in Jordan, you might go for the Jordan Wanderer and save a few bucks, even though for a difference of just JOD 5 / ~USD 7, ~EUR 6,50 (vs JOD 50 / ~USD 70, ~EUR 66 if bought on-site) you might want to have that extra day, just in case.
How much do I save with the Jordan Pass?
Below you can find a comparison table based on the attractions that you would normally visit during a trip to Jordan and that helps you clarify things.
| No Jordan Pass | Jordan Pass | |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront Cost | JOD 0 | JOD 70/75/80 |
| Visa on Arrival Fee | JOD 40 | JOD 0 |
| Ajloun Castle | JOD 3 | JOD 0 |
| Amman Citadel | JOD 3 | JOD 0 |
| Aqaba Castle | JOD 3 | JOD 0 |
| Jerash | JOD 10 | JOD 0 |
| Karak Castle | JOD 2 | JOD 0 |
| Madaba | JOD 3 | JOD 0 |
| Pella | JOD 2 | JOD 0 |
| Petra (1/2/3 days) | JOD 50/55/60 | JOD 0 |
| Roman Theatre, Amman | JOD 2 | JOD 0 |
| Shobak Castle | JOD 1 | JOD 0 |
| Umm Qays | JOD 5 | JOD 0 |
| Wadi Rum | JOD 5 | JOD 0 |
| Total | JOD 129/134/139 | JOD 70/75/80 |
JOD 60 (~USD 85, ~EUR 78) saved just like that. Not bad, uh?
And even if you only went to Petra for one day and nowhere else during your 4-day stay in Jordan, you would still save JOD 20 (~USD 28, ~EUR 26).
On top of that, you also avoid the struggle of having cash on you all the time, as many attractions do not accept electronic payments. In short, the Jordan Pass is just a no-brainer.
Should everybody buy the Jordan Pass?
So, we understood that the Jordan Pass is amazing, and I’ve been vouching for it since the beginning of this article. However, I do not recommend it for some specific people:
- Children under 12: if accompanied by their parents, they only have to pay for the visa fee and can enter attractions for free.
- Visa fee-exempted nationalities: people from South Africa, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Japan, and Vatican City are not required to pay a visa fee to enter Jordan.
- Arabic nationals: citizens of Bahrain, Egypt, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Tunisia, and the United Arab Emirates do not need a visa to travel to Jordan. Moreover, Arabic nationals and Jordanians pay reduced (JOD 0.25-1) or zero fees for all attractions (you can get an overview here).
- Nationals from restricted countries: citizens of the countries in this list are not allowed to purchase a visa on arrival and need prior approval at the Embassy of Jordan. As such, they can’t buy the Jordan Pass either.
- Travelers entering and leaving from Aqaba: citizens of non-restricted countries arriving at Aqaba, either through the port, the airport, or land (except for the South Wadi Araba crossing border), are granted a free visa on arrival, as long as they leave Jordan from the same border, and within 30 days from the date of arrival.
Other FAQs
- Check that you enabled cookies and Java on the browser you are using.
- Try using a different browser or a different device.
- Try using a different card.
- Check if there is a security check problem with your issuing bank.
Check your spam/junk folder. If you still can't find any email, try to click here to download it after entering your passport number. Worst case scenario, send an email to [email protected] (I recommend taking a screenshot of the receipt that appears after processing the payment and send it to the customer service as an attachment).
In case of any problems, you can call the Tourism police at the number (+962) 117777.
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