Jordan work visa and work permit: recruitment, fees and steps

Jordan has no work visa that a foreigner can apply for alone. Every step is taken by an employer: an individual, company or institution operating in Jordan. The Ministry of Labour approves recruitment according to labour-market needs and sector quotas, and keeps a list of professions closed to non-Jordanians and another list open only with approval of the competent authorities. Its comprehensive guide, last updated on 20 August 2026, sets these lists and the proportions of foreign to Jordanian workers by sector.

Workers with specialised skills, such as scarce expertise, research or maintenance of advanced equipment, technology transfer or expertise that brings investment, can be hired under separate principles that are not tied to sector quotas, but they may only work in the professions on the specialised-skills list.

The recruitment application to the Ministry of Labour includes the business details, the worker's name, date of birth, nationality and profession, an employment contract in two copies signed by both parties, the establishment's valid professional licence, a copy of the worker's valid passport, a Social Security Corporation statement for the establishment and a valid medical certificate from a centre approved by the Ministry of Health. A non-conviction certificate from the worker's home country is added after entry.

The employer also provides a bank or notarial guarantee: JOD 300 per worker of a restricted nationality, and for non-restricted nationalities an amount that rises with the number of workers, from JOD 500 for three to ten workers up to JOD 20,000 for more than 300. Government bodies, embassies and international organisations are exempt. With the Ministry of Labour's recruitment letter, the employer then requests the work visa from the MOI, uploading the worker's passport valid for at least six months and its professional licence.

Under the Regulation of Work Permit Fees for Non-Jordanians No. 142 of 2019, as amended in 2025, the fee is JOD 350 per worker for a year or part of a year in all sectors, with lower or different rates for some groups: JOD 225 in the garment and textile sector in development, qualified industrial and free zones, JOD 700 for building-services workers and JOD 800 for a free permit for day labourers. Specialised-skills workers above the permitted quotas pay JOD 1,500 for one year, JOD 875 for six months or JOD 450 for three months.

Every issue or renewal adds JOD 50 for the Technical and Vocational Skills Development Commission and a JOD 10 audit fee. Fees are paid in advance after approval. If a permit expires and is not renewed within 90 days, a late penalty of 50 percent of the fee applies.

The employer must bring the worker in while the recruitment approval is valid: two months for non-restricted nationalities and four months for restricted ones. The work permit runs from the date of entry. People entering on a work visa do not receive the three months of temporary residence that other foreigners get at the border since January 2026, so the work permit and the annual work residence have to be completed promptly; for restricted nationalities the permit is renewed together with the annual residence.

The employer should start renewal at least a month before the permit expires. A worker may only work for the employer and in the profession stated in the permit; the MOI and Ministry of Labour warn that violators are deported and that employers face fines of up to twice the value of the permit.