Jordan Pass Review: Is It Worth Purchasing?

The Jordan Pass is one of the best resources for visitors to the Hashemite Kingdom – read on for what it is, how to use it and our experience using it!

The Jordan Tourism Board truly deserves a commendation for how easy they’ve made it for tourists to get in and around the country. From the straightforward visa-on-arrival counters to the Jordan Pass and warm hospitality, Jordan is one of the most tourist-friendly countries I have visited.

The Jordan Pass is one of the best resources for visitors to the Hashemite Kingdom: if you’re planning a trip to Jordan, here’s everything you need to know about this tourist pass!

Planning a trip to Jordan? Click here for even more Jordan travel tips and advice!

What is the Jordan Pass?

The Jordan Pass is basically a city pass that gives you pre-paid entry to about 40 popular museums/attractions throughout the country including Petra, Jerash, Wadi Rum, Amman Citadel and more. Though many similar country or city passes don’t always give you bang for your buck, this one is costly but worth every penny as long as you a) stay for more than 3 nights in Jordan and b) purchase the pass before you arrive in Jordan. If you stay for over 3 nights, the Jordan Pass waives the entry visa fee of 40 Jordanian Dinars (40 JOD = approximately US$56 or 50 Euros) if you are eligible for visa-on-arrival.

How to purchase the Jordan Pass

There are 3 different tiers of the Jordan Pass, and the package you choose depends on how many days you want to spend exploring the archaeological city of Petra. If you only have 1 week in Jordan, I recommend purchasing either the “Jordan Wanderer” or “Jordan Explorer”.

All passes offer the following:

• Free entry to over 40 attractions in Jordan
• Waiving of tourist entry visa fees if you are eligible for visa-on-arrival in Jordan, purchase the Jordan Pass before arrival and stay at least 3 nights
• Valid for use within 12 months following date of purchase, but it automatically expires after 2 weeks of the first time it is scanned

Wondering how to buy the Jordan Pass? Here are the steps to buy a Jordan Pass:

1. Head to the official Jordan Pass website
2. Click the “Buy Now” button in the upper right hand corner
3. Enter your name, e-mail, phone number, ticket type and number of tickets
4. Fill in the ticket holder information: first name, last name, nationality, residence, passport number and birthday (the spelling of your name and your nationality must be exactly the same as your passport)
5. Review your purchase
6. Proceed to payment – the system accepts Visa or Mastercard only and you will be charged a small processing fee (approximately 2 JOD or US$3)
7. Check your e-mail inbox! The pass should be e-mailed to you within minutes. You’ll find several attachments: a PDF version of the pass that you can print at home, a mobile friendly version that you can use directly from your device and a map of Jordan. Here’s what the mobile friendly version of the Jordan Pass looks like:

You can buy the pass regardless of the number of nights you’re planning on staying in Jordan, but one of the pass’s key benefits is that it waives the visa fees (40 JOD) only if you are staying 3 consecutive nights and buy it before arrival in Jordan.

Related article: 11 Things You Should Know Before You Travel to Jordan

How does the Jordan Pass work?

Once you’ve bought your Jordan Pass all you have to do is show your ticket (printed or mobile version) at the airport upon arrival, as well as at the entrance of any attraction covered by the pass. The officers will take a look at the pass and/or scan it with a QR code reader.

Though the FAQ section of the Jordan Pass website says that you will be asked to show your ID at the attractions (otherwise you could be asked to pay for the site’s entrance ticket), we were only asked for our passports at 1 site: Petra.

What can you see with the Jordan Pass?

Here is a full list of all the attractions covered by the Jordan Pass. The Jordan Pass attractions list includes Petra, Jerash, Amman Citadel, Aljoun Castle, Umm Qays, As-Salt Museum and more. The pass includes 1-time entry to all of the sites (with the exception of Petra if you purchase the Jordan Explorer or Jordan Expert pass).

Is the Jordan Pass worth it?

Not all city passes are made equal, but the Jordan Pass was 100% worth it in our case. The Jordan visa-on-arrival costs 40 JOD, and a 1-day pass for Petra costs 50 JOD. The basic Jordan Pass (Jordan Wanderer) costs 70 JOD. Even if we had only visited Petra and no other attraction in Jordan we already saved 20 JOD per person. Here’s how much we saved on entrance tickets for attractions in Jordan:

Amman Citadel: 3 JOD

Roman Theatre: 2 JOD

Jerash: 10 JOD

Umm Ar-Rasas: 3 JOD

Shobak Castle: 1 JOD

Petra: 50 JOD for 1 day

Wadi Rum: 5 JOD

Total: 74 JOD

So, the Jordan entry visa and attraction tickets would have cost us 114 JOD or US$160 at the time. Instead, we purchased the Jordan Pass and paid 70 JOD, therefore saving 44 JOD or US$62 per person. We also never had to queue up to buy tickets so saved a little bit of time, though lines aren’t substantial in Jordan.

Is the Jordan Pass right for me?

Purchasing the Jordan Pass made perfect sense for us (we traveled independently without a guide through Jordan in 1 week) but it might not make sense for everybody. It might not be worth getting the Jordan Pass if you:

• hold an Arabic nationality. People who hold Arabic nationalities pay discounted local entrance fees
• hold one of these nationalities: South Africa, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Japan and Vatican City. These nationalities are exempted from paying visa fees in Jordan
• hold one of these “restricted” nationalities: click here for the full list. The Jordan Pass is not available for these nationalities for the time being
• are traveling with a tour group. Most tour companies will organize visas and entrance fees for you – double check with the company if you are unsure
• are spending less than 4 days/3 nights in Jordan as your visa fee will not be waived, and you will be asked to pay the visa fee upon departure

You also do not need to purchase the Jordan Pass for any children under the age of 12 as they can enter tourist sites for free when accompanied by their parents.

The fine print

As with anything, read up on the terms and conditions so you’re clued in on exclusions and limitations. Here are some key things you might want to know about the Jordan Pass before you make the purchase. Read the FAQ section for more.

• You can not upgrade or downgrade the pass, so you’ll need to decide in advance how many days you want to spend exploring the Petra archaeological site
• Petra By Night is not included in the Jordan Pass and costs 17 JOD per person (free for children under 10 years old)
• The single entry visa is valid for 1 month, but the Jordan Pass automatically expires after 2 weeks of the first time it is scanned
• You do not need to “prove” that you stayed more than 3 nights in Jordan. When you leave the country the immigration officer will check that you stayed the requisite number of nights. If not, you will need to pay the 40 JOD visa fee
• You can get a visa on arrival if you are entering Jordan by land or air. Queen Alia Airport and Sheikh Hussein Bridge (Jordan River Border) provide visa upon arrival, Wadi Araba border (Eilat-Aqaba border) provides visa upon arrival only for Jordan Pass holders who are eligible for a visa on arrival provided they stay a minimum of 3 nights in Jordan
• Some people have reported issues with payment and getting charged several times but we didn’t experience this issue. You should e-mail [email protected] if you run into any problems with the website

I hope this Jordan Pass review answers any questions you might have! It’s a practical resource for anyone planning a trip to Jordan, and worth purchasing in my opinion.

Read more about visiting Jordan:

• What you need to know before visiting Jordan. Spoiler: there’s more to Jordan than Petra!
• Head on over here for an easy 1 week Jordan itinerary for first time visitors
• Here are 5 of the best things to do in Amman, Jordan’s capital city
• Learn more about visiting Jerash, one of the best preserved Roman archaeological ruins in the world
• Find out what you can’t miss in Petra (beyond seeing The Treasury)
• Last but not least, read about glamping in Wadi Rum

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