Jordan Pass: What It Covers, the Visa Waiver and Is It Worth It?

The Jordan Pass is a single online ticket from Jordan’s Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. It covers entry to Petra and more than 40 other sites, from Jerash and Wadi Rum to Amman’s Citadel and Karak Castle, and it can also cover your tourist visa fee. For most visitors who include Petra and stay at least two nights, it’s the simplest way to see Jordan. Here’s how it works, the visa rules that catch people out and how to decide if it’s right for your trip.

Planning a trip? Start with our complete Jordan travel guide: where to go, when to visit, visas, budget and local guides.

Jordan Pass at a glance

The three passes: Wanderer, Explorer and Expert

All three versions cover the same list of sites and the same visa fee waiver. The only difference is how many days you get in Petra:

• Jordan Wanderer: one day in Petra.
• Jordan Explorer: two consecutive days in Petra.
• Jordan Expert: three consecutive days in Petra.

Your Petra days must be back to back, and you can’t upgrade or downgrade a pass after you buy it, so choose before you pay. One day is enough for the Siq, the Treasury and the main city center. Two days let you climb to the Monastery and the High Place of Sacrifice without rushing, which is what most people want. Our Petra guide can help you decide. The current price of each version is on the official Jordan Pass prices page.

The visa fee waiver: the rules that matter

The visa part is where the Jordan Pass saves the most, and where most mistakes happen. The pass isn’t a visa. It waives the fee for a single-entry tourist visa when these conditions are met:

• Buy it before you arrive. The waiver only applies to passes bought before you land or cross the border.
• Stay at least 2 whole nights (3 days). You don’t have to prove it on arrival. When you leave, immigration checks how long you stayed, and if it was too short you’re sent to pay the visa fee.
• Show a printed copy. The official FAQ says to print the pass for the passport officer because the QR code may not scan from a phone.
• Single entry only. It doesn’t waive the fee for a multiple-entry visa.

Which borders?

According to the official FAQ, visa on arrival is available at Queen Alia International Airport in Amman and at the Sheikh Hussein Bridge (Jordan River) crossing in the north. At the Wadi Araba crossing near Aqaba, Jordan Pass holders of eligible nationalities can get a visa on arrival if they stay at least 2 whole nights, and people who enter there must leave from the same border. Rules can differ for some nationalities and for arrivals at Aqaba’s airport. If you’re crossing by land, especially at the King Hussein (Allenby) Bridge, which isn’t on that list, check the current rules before you travel.

Good to know: the single-entry visa is valid for 1 month. Rules change, so check the official Jordan Pass FAQ and your country’s travel advice before you book.

What’s included (and what isn’t)

The pass covers more than 40 attractions, museums and castles run by the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities. Highlights include:

• Petra (daytime, entered from the Visitor Center) and nearby Little Petra, which is free anyway
• Jerash, one of the best-preserved Roman cities outside Italy
• Wadi Rum Protected Area entry
• Amman: the Citadel, the Roman Theater, the Jordan Archaeological Museum and the Museum of Popular Traditions
• Castles: Karak, Shobak, Ajloun, Aqaba Castle and the desert castles, including Qasr Al-Kharranah, Quseir Amra and Qasr Al-Azraq
• Northern sites: Umm Qays, Pella and Umm al-Jimal
• Madaba: the Archaeological Park, the Church of the Apostles and the Burnt Palace
• Others: Umm Ar-Rasas, Iraq Al-Amir, the Museum of the Lowest Place on Earth near the Dead Sea and more

Not included

• Petra by Night. The pass covers Petra during the day only.
• The Baptism Site (Bethany Beyond the Jordan). You can add it at a discount when you buy the pass online.
• Transport, guides, jeep tours in Wadi Rum and hotels. The pass covers entry fees only.
• Sites not run by the ministry, such as Dead Sea beaches and resorts, Ma’in Hot Springs, Mount Nebo and Wadi Mujib.

Each site can be entered once. The only exception is Petra, on the Explorer and Expert passes.

How to buy and use it

1. Buy it online at the official site, jordanpass.jo, before you travel. Choose Wanderer, Explorer or Expert, and add the Baptism Site if you want it.
2. Check your email. The pass arrives as a PDF and an image. If it doesn’t, look in your spam folder.
3. Print it. Show the printed pass at the visa desk when you arrive.
4. Bring your passport to every site. Staff can ask for ID, and without it you may have to buy a ticket.
5. Activate it at your first site. The pass starts when it’s first scanned and expires 1 month later. In Petra it can only be scanned at the Visitor Center.

Is the Jordan Pass worth it?

For most international visitors, yes. If you’re visiting Petra and staying at least 2 nights, the pass usually costs less than paying the visa fee and the Petra ticket separately. Everything else, like Jerash, Wadi Rum and the Amman sites, is then included at no extra cost.

It’s less useful if:

• you’re not visiting Petra;
• you’re staying fewer than 2 nights, so the visa part doesn’t apply;
• your nationality is visa-exempt or the pass isn’t available to you;
• you’re on a day trip from Eilat or Israel, or crossing at a border where the waiver doesn’t apply;
• you’re on a package tour that already includes entry fees and visa (check with your operator).

Tips

• Buy before you fly, or you lose the visa waiver.
• Plan your Petra days first. They must be consecutive, and the pass expires 1 month after its first scan.
• Keep a printed copy and a phone copy, and keep your passport with you.
• Petra opening hours: the pass covers daytime entry only; check the hours on the official site before you go.
• Add the Baptism Site at purchase if it’s on your route. It’s cheaper than buying the ticket there.
• Tourist police: if you have a problem with your pass in Jordan, the official FAQ lists the tourism police on 117777.

Local-guided experiences

The pass gets you in. A local guide makes the day. These trips are run by Simsem’s local hosts in Jordan:

Find a local guide: browse all local guides in Jordan by destination, from Amman to Petra and Aqaba. For more planning help, see our Jordan travel tips.

Jordan Pass FAQ

Sources

• Jordan Pass — official FAQ (Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities) — visa waiver rules, borders, validity, printing, children, Petra by Night, Baptism Site add-on, tourist police
• Jordan Pass — prices and packages — Wanderer, Explorer, Expert; consecutive Petra days
• Jordan Pass — included attractions — list of sites
• Jordan Pass — how it works — scanning and validity
• Wikimedia Commons — photographs credited in each caption (CC BY / CC BY-SA / CC0)