Work Permits and Visas in Jordan: A Comprehensive Guide for 2026

Introduction

A work permit in Jordan requires approval from the Ministry of Labour (MoL) before a non-Jordanian employee can begin paid work. Depending on the worker’s nationality and circumstances, the process may also involve an entry visa from the Ministry of Interior and a residency permit from the Public Security Directorate.

Employers must also consider professional restrictions, sector-specific workforce ratios, and permit requirements before hiring foreign nationals.

For employers hiring international talent in Jordan, securing the right visa and work permit is only one part of the process. Sponsorship eligibility, supporting documentation, profession restrictions, social security registration, and post-arrival residency requirements can all affect hiring timelines and compliance.

In this guide, we explain Jordan work visa types, work permit types, requirements, fees, application steps, the separate Aqaba Special Economic Zone process, and special procedures for Egyptian workers.

What are the types of work permits and visas in Jordan?

Jordan offers different visa and work permit options depending on the worker’s purpose of entry, employment arrangement, skills, and work location. The applicable route may also differ for employees working in the Aqaba Special Economic Zone or under special bilateral arrangements.

Jordan visa types

The Ministry of Interior issues five visa categories through its electronic services portal and through Jordanian diplomatic missions abroad.

• Work visa: The category for foreign nationals entering Jordan to take up employment. Entry on any other visa carries no right to work, regardless of the worker's seniority, salary, or contract length.
• Visit visa: Covers tourism and short business travel. Executives attending meetings, conferences, negotiations, or trade shows enter on a visit visa or on a visa on arrival, where their nationality allows it. Jordan issues no separate business visa category. A visit visa permits no paid employment and no professional services delivered to Jordanian clients.
• Transit visa: For travellers passing through Jordan to a third destination.
• Exit and entry visa: For foreign nationals already resident in Jordan who need approval to leave and return.
• Study visa: For international students who require prior approval to enter.

Jordan operates no digital nomad or self-sponsored remote work visa. Foreign nationals working remotely from Jordan without an employer sponsor and a work permit are working outside the law.

Jordan work permit types

Work permits are issued by the Ministry of Labour on the employer's application. Under Article 12(B) of Labour Law No. 8 of 1996, a permit runs for a maximum of one year and is renewable. On renewal, the new term is calculated from the expiry date of the previous permit.

• Standard work permit: This is the standard option for foreign nationals hired by a registered Jordanian employer. Approval generally depends on whether the required skills are unavailable among Jordanian workers and whether the employer meets the staffing ratio for its economic activity.
• Specialised skills work permit: This permit is designed for foreign professionals with specialised expertise that is difficult to find in the local labour market. It may apply to professionals working in areas such as research, development, quality, specialised equipment, or knowledge and technology transfer. Workers in this category are not subject to sector staffing ratios. Permits may be issued for three months, six months, or one year. An employer may move a worker from a standard permit to a specialised skills permit, but not from a specialised skills permit to a standard permit.

• Free work permit: This permit is available to eligible non-Jordanian day labourers already in Jordan. It is limited to agriculture, construction, and loading and unloading work. The permit allows the holder to work for different employers within the approved profession and is not intended for professional roles.
• Aqaba Special Economic Zone work permit: Foreign nationals working in the Aqaba Special Economic Zone follow a separate permit process administered by the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA), rather than the Ministry of Labour.

Residency permits

Once the work permit is issued, the worker applies for an annual residency permit through the Public Security Directorate's Residence and Borders Department. The permit is generally valid for one year and is renewed alongside the work permit.

The application typically requires:

• A valid work permit with at least two months of remaining validity.
• Approval from the Ministry of Interior.
• The employer’s commercial registration certificate.
• A valid professional licence.
• A personal statement completed on the department’s prescribed form.
• An address registered with the nearest police station.

Some nationalities may be exempt from the standard residency permit requirement under bilateral agreements. Egyptian workers, for example, may instead be required to register their place of residence with the local security centre.

The Aqaba Special Economic Zone

ASEZA administers its own entry visa, work permit, and residency framework under Regulation No. 90 of 2000 for Entry Visa, Labour, and Residency in the Aqaba Special Economic Zone, issued under Article 48 of the ASEZ Law No. 32 of 2000. For companies willing to base operations in the Zone, the differences are substantial.

• All professions are open: Article 15(A) opens every field of work in the Zone to non-Jordanian workers, subject to priority for qualified Jordanians. Outside the Zone, the Ministry of Labour reserves a list of professions for Jordanian nationals, covering office administration, sales, most education roles, and others. That list does not apply inside ASEZ.
• Longer permit terms: ASEZ work visas and work permits are issued for three, six, or twelve months, or for the employment contract period up to a maximum of five years, renewable. Mainland permits cap at one year.
• Residency is bundled: An ASEZ work visa serves as a residency permit for its duration. A worker holding an ASEZ work permit receives a residency permit covering the permit period. The separate Public Security Directorate application is unnecessary.
• Faster decisions: Applications for work visas, work permits, and residency permits are decided within seven working days, extendable to fourteen where circumstances require it.
• Workforce composition: Registered enterprises employing more than five workers must maintain a minimum Jordanian headcount: at least three Jordanian workers where the total workforce is eighteen or fewer, or at least 30 percent of the total workforce where it exceeds eighteen. Non-Jordanian workers can therefore make up as much as 70 percent of the workforce. The ASEZA Board may lower or waive the Jordanian minimum where local manpower is insufficient or lacks the required qualifications.

• Fees: JOD 125 for each three-month period of the visa or permit. Garment and textile enterprises pay JOD 65 per three-month period.
• Passport validity: At least three months for a passport, or six months for a recognised travel document.

A note on Egyptian workers

Egyptian nationals enter Jordan without a visa under a bilateral agreement, and they are exempt from the standard residency permit requirement.

On entering the Kingdom, an Egyptian worker recruited through the formal channel pays a security deposit of USD 250 or its equivalent as a commitment to join the employer who sponsored them. The deposit is refunded once the worker joins that employer and obtains a work permit within 45 days of entry. Missing the deadline converts the deposit into government revenue.

This sits under Article 14 of the Instructions on the Conditions and Procedures for the Employment and Recruitment of Non-Jordanian Workers, 2012, as amended.

Sponsoring a hire in Jordan means running three parallel processes: an entry visa through the Ministry of Interior, a work permit through the Ministry of Labour, and a residency permit through the Public Security Directorate. Each carries its own documentation set, its own approving authority, and its own annual renewal cycle, and a lapse in any one of them puts the employment relationship out of compliance.

Skuad supports the work permit process on your behalf through its global immigration support, including:

• Supporting work permit and visa applications for foreign nationals joining your team across 160+ countries
• Helping coordinate sponsorship documentation with the relevant local immigration authorities
• Assisting with residency permit applications and conversions as required by local immigration law
• Helping track permit validity, documentation requirements, and renewal deadlines across the full permit lifecycle
• Enabling relocated employees to be onboarded and paid through the same platform, with payroll processing in 70+ currencies

For a company without a local entity, this sequence runs alongside the entity question itself, since only a registered Jordanian employer can sponsor a permit application.

What are the requirements for a Jordan work visa and permit?

Obtaining a work permit in Jordan is the employer's responsibility. Under Article 12 of Labour Law No. 8 of 1996, a non-Jordanian may not be employed without the approval of the Minister of Labour, and the employer files the application on the worker's behalf. This section covers what the employer must satisfy to secure that approval.

Jordan work visa requirements

Entry visa requirements depend on nationality. Applicants outside Jordan apply through a Jordanian embassy or through the Ministry of Interior's electronic visa and residence system, where the inviting party in Jordan acts as sponsor. The Ministry of Interior charges a service fee of two Jordanian dinars (JOD) on the electronic application and requires a financial guarantee of JOD 1,000 on the sponsored person.

A confirmed job offer from a registered Jordanian employer is the practical starting point. Without a sponsoring employer, there is no route to a work permit, and Jordan operates no digital nomad or self-sponsored work visa category.

Jordan work permit requirements

The employer must satisfy two separate tests before the Ministry of Labour approves a permit.

The first is the qualification test set out in Article 12(A) of the Labour Law. The role must require experience and qualifications that are unavailable among Jordanian workers, or the number of qualified Jordanians must fall short of the employer's need. Where the test is met, the same article gives priority to Arab experts, technicians, and workers ahead of other nationalities. Arab nationals still require a work permit.

The second test is the sector ratio. The Comprehensive Guide of Principles for Issuing Work Permits for Non-Jordanian Workers, edition dated 26 April 2026, sets a maximum number of non-Jordanian workers per Jordanian employee for each economic activity.

Ratios apply at the level of the individual commercial registration, so a surplus of Jordanian staff at one registered branch cannot offset a shortfall at another. Workers approved under the specialised skills category described above are exempt from sector ratios.

Documents the employer submits with the application include:

• Regulatory approvals and licences held by the establishment
• The employment contract, drawn up in Arabic and in at least two copies, as required by Article 15(A) of the Labour Law
• A copy of the worker's valid passport
• The worker's curriculum vitae, or a letter from the hiring employer confirming the required expertise
• Evidence that the worker passed a medical examination, recorded in the Ministry's electronic expatriate labour system, before the permit is issued
• Proof of registration with the Social Security Corporation (SSC)

Permits are valid for a maximum of one year and are renewable. On renewal, the new term runs from the expiry date of the previous permit.

Work permit fees in Jordan

Fees are set by Regulation No. 142 of 2019 on Work Permit Fees for Non-Jordanians, as amended. The regulation charges by sector and skill category. Nationality does not affect the fee.

A further JOD 50 is added to every issuance and renewal, allocated to the Technical and Vocational Skills Development Commission (TVSDC). Employers who renew more than ninety days after expiry pay a delay fine equal to 50 percent of the permit fee.

Employing a non-Jordanian without a valid permit carries a fine of JOD 100 to JOD 150 for each month the worker was employed. The Minister of Labour may also order the worker deported at the employer's expense, with a three-year bar on returning to Jordan for work.

Professions closed to non-Jordanian workers

Section III of the Ministry of Labour's Comprehensive Guide reserves the following roles for Jordanian nationals:

• Office and administrative work, including printing, secretarial work, data entry, and general administration
• Sales of goods and services across wholesale, retail, and distribution
• Interior and exterior decoration, covering both design and installation
• Electrical work, including wiring and maintenance
• Automotive work, including maintenance, repair, and car upholstery
• Hairdressing and barbering in women's salons and children's barbershops
• Parking attendants
• Security guards at private and public establishments, excluding building guards classified as cleaners
• Correspondents in offices and establishments
• Lottery ticket sellers
• All roles in businesses that rent compressors or construction equipment
• Household maintenance and repair of electrical tools
• Education sector roles at all levels and specialties, excluding teachers, faculty members, research staff, and full-time lecturers
• Installation and maintenance of dividers

A second group of professions is open to non-Jordanians only with prior approval from a named authority.

Faculty members and full-time lecturers require clearance from the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, together with the Higher Education Accreditation and Quality Assurance Commission.

Radiology technicians require approval from the Energy and Minerals Regulatory Authority.

Medical professionals require a current licence from the Ministry of Health. Roles in religious institutions, school and nursery teaching, cultural and artistic work, and media correspondence each carry their own approval requirement under Section IV of the Guide.

Because the list is amended by ministerial resolution during the year, employers should check the current edition of the Comprehensive Guide on the Ministry of Labour's non-Jordanian workers page before making an offer. A closed profession results in automatic rejection regardless of the employer's justification.

How to apply for Jordan work visas and permits?

The application is employer-led. A registered Jordanian employer secures work permit approval from the Ministry of Labour (MoL) first, and the worker's entry visa and residency permit follow from it. A worker cannot initiate any part of this process independently.

Step 1: The employer secures work permit approval

1. Check the profession against the closed and restricted lists in the current Comprehensive Guide of Principles for Issuing Work Permits for Non-Jordanian Workers, and confirm the establishment meets the Jordanian-to-non-Jordanian staffing ratio for its economic activity. A closed profession draws an automatic rejection regardless of the justification submitted.

2. Prepare the justification showing that no qualified Jordanian was available, as required by Article 12(A) of Labour Law No. 8 of 1996.

3. Submit the application to the Labour Directorate or Office where the establishment is registered, on paper or electronically through the expatriate labour system. An authorised representative holding a Ministry-issued card may file on the employer's behalf.

4. A Ministry officer reviews the file. The Employment Committee formed within the Ministry decides the application, and the decision is finalised at the Labour Directorate.

5. Once approved, the employer receives an electronic payment number and transfers the fee. Fees vary by sector and skill category.

6. The worker completes a medical examination, which is recorded on the electronic system before the permit is issued.

7. The worker is notified of the collection date and place, and receives a permit valid for one year.

Step 2: The worker obtains an entry visa

Requirements depend on nationality. Many nationalities receive a visa on arrival. Nationalities requiring prior approval apply through a Jordanian embassy or consulate, or through the Ministry of Interior's electronic services portal. The work permit's validity runs from the date the worker enters the country.

Step 3: The employer completes post-arrival registration

1. Register the worker with the Social Security Corporation (SSC) and begin monthly contributions.
2. Apply for the worker's annual residency permit at the Public Security Directorate's Residence and Borders Department. The application requires a work permit with at least two months of remaining validity, approval from the Ministry of Interior, the establishment's registration certificate and professional licence, and an address registered at the nearest police station.

Both obligations carry penalties if skipped.

Applying inside the Aqaba Special Economic Zone

Employers operating inside the Zone apply to the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority (ASEZA) instead of the Ministry of Labour. ASEZA issues the entry visa, work permit, and residency permit through a single process. Under Regulation No. 90 of 2000, applications are decided within seven working days, extendable to fourteen where circumstances require it. Employers outside the Zone never file with ASEZA.

Recruiting Egyptian workers

Egyptian nationals follow a separate route under a bilateral agreement, used mainly in agriculture, construction, and loading and unloading.

The employer files a bringing application with the Ministry of Labour, valid for two months, supported by the establishment's vocational licence, a union or association recommendation confirming the need, copies of projects or tenders undertaken, and proof that existing workers are registered with the Social Security Corporation.

The worker must enter Jordan within 45 days of signing the employment contract with the Egyptian Ministry of Manpower, then complete a medical examination at the Ministry of Health's Expatriates Health Directorate before the work permit is issued.

An employer who has cancelled valid Egyptian work permits cannot obtain approval to bring new Egyptian workers.

Processing times

Jordan publishes no statutory processing time for mainland work permit applications. Applications inside the Aqaba Special Economic Zone are decided within seven working days, extendable to fourteen.

Every step above assumes a registered Jordanian establishment. Only a registered employer can file a work permit application, satisfy the sector staffing ratio, and register the worker with the Social Security Corporation, which means a company without an entity in Jordan has to incorporate before it can sponsor a single hire.

Skuad’s EOR solution helps remove that dependency. Skuad acts as the legal employer in Jordan, so your company can hire, onboard, and pay employees without entity setup, local legal counsel, or in-house payroll infrastructure.

Hire in Jordan with Skuad

Hiring and relocating talent in Jordan means coordinating three authorities and two annual renewal cycles, with a lapse in any one document putting the employment relationship out of compliance. For companies moving employees across borders, Skuad's global immigration support assists with global mobility, including sponsorship and relocation support for international talent.

For companies that want to employ talent in Jordan without setting up a local entity, Skuad's Employer of Record solution can help. Skuad acts as the legal employer for supported employees in Jordan and supports employment contracts, onboarding, payroll, benefits, and employment compliance.

Book a demo today to learn how Skuad can support your hiring, mobility, and expansion plans in Jordan.

FAQs

1. What is a work permit in Jordan?

A work permit in Jordan is authorisation issued by the Ministry of Labour allowing a non-Jordanian to work for a named employer in a named profession. Under Article 12 of Labour Law No. 8 of 1996, the employer applies, and permits run for one year.

2. How much does a work permit cost in Jordan?

A standard work permit typically costs JOD 350 per year under Regulation No. 142 of 2019, plus JOD 50 for the Technical and Vocational Skills Development Commission. Specialised skills permits usually cost JOD 2,150 annually. Nationality does not affect the fee.

3. Can a foreign company hire in Jordan without a local entity?

Foreign companies can typically hire in Jordan through an employer of record without setting up a local entity, since only a registered Jordanian establishment can file a work permit application, meet sector staffing ratios, and register the worker with the Social Security Corporation.

4. What happens if you employ someone in Jordan without a work permit?

Employers generally face a fine of JOD 100 to JOD 150 for each month the non-Jordanian worked without a valid permit. The Minister of Labour may also order the worker deported at the employer's expense, with a three-year bar on returning to Jordan for work.

5. What is the difference between a work permit and a residency permit in Jordan?

A work permit from the Ministry of Labour authorises employment, while a residency permit from the Public Security Directorate legalises the stay. Both are needed, and both renew annually. Inside the Aqaba Special Economic Zone, a single authority typically issues both together.

6. Do Arab nationals need a work permit in Jordan?

Arab nationals generally require a work permit in Jordan on the same terms as other non-Jordanians. Article 12 of the Labour Law gives priority to Arab experts, technicians, and workers once the Jordanian availability test is met, though the permit fee is identical.