Country guide
Jordan
Destinations
Visa & entry
| eu passport | Visa on arrival available, 30 days, 40 JOD, extendable to 60 days; fee waived for Jordan Pass holders staying 3+ nights. |
|---|---|
| us passport | Visa on arrival available, same terms as above (40 JOD/30 days, extendable, Jordan Pass waiver for 3+ night stays). |
| uk passport | Visa on arrival available, same terms as above. |
| entry or eco taxes | Exit fee of 10 JOD applies for stays of 2 nights or less. Aqaba (ASEZA - Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority) offers a free one-month visa for entry directly by land/sea/air into Aqaba, but travelers must exit through the same entry point or pay the standard 40 JOD visa fee plus daily fines. |
| digital nomad visa | Null - no Jordan digital nomad visa verified this pass. |
| tax residency days | Null - not verified this pass. |
| notes | Jordan Pass (jordanpass.jo) bundles the visa fee waiver with Petra and other site entries - a common cost-saving route for travelers combining Aqaba kiting with Petra/Wadi Rum, per general travel knowledge, not independently re-sourced this pass. |
Money
| currency | Jordanian Dinar (JOD/JD) |
|---|---|
| card acceptance | Limited - hotels, hostels, and some shops accept cards; upper-scale establishments may accept US dollars; many venues carry limited change so small JD notes are valuable. |
| atm networks fees limits | ATMs widely available but can charge fees up to 7 JOD, particularly at airports. |
| local instant payment | Null - not verified this pass. |
| tipping | Null - not independently verified this pass; tipping (~10%) in restaurants and for guides/drivers is commonly reported as customary in Jordan per general regional knowledge, not sourced this pass. |
| cash tips | Null - not verified this pass. |
SIM & internet
| operators ranked for coast coverage |
|
|---|---|
| id required for sim | Null - not independently verified this pass; passport ID commonly required for prepaid SIM registration across the region per general knowledge. |
| starlink status | Null - not verified this pass; no confirmation found of Starlink licensing status in Jordan. |
| notes | Aqaba-specific network coverage strength (Zain vs Orange vs Umniah) not independently verified this pass. |
Insurance
| kite excluded by standard policies | Not independently re-verified this pass; kitesurfing commonly classified as an excluded 'extreme/adventure sport' by basic travel-insurance policies industry-wide - general knowledge only. |
|---|---|
| recommended | Specialist kite/watersports rider or a policy explicitly listing kitesurfing as covered. |
| evacuation note | Null - not verified this pass. |
Health
| vaccines | Hepatitis A recommended for unvaccinated travelers 1+; Hepatitis B recommended for unvaccinated travelers under 60; Typhoid recommended for most travelers; Rabies pre-exposure vaccination should be considered (dogs with rabies commonly found in Jordan); routine vaccines (MMR, polio, flu, tetanus) should be current. |
|---|---|
| mosquito disease seasons | CDC flags leishmaniasis (transmitted by sand flies, not mosquitoes) as a regional concern - standard bug-bite precautions (long sleeves/pants, 20%+ DEET, screened accommodation) recommended. |
| tap water | Null - not independently verified this pass; general guidance is to practice safe food/drink choices and avoid untreated water; bottled water commonly recommended by travelers, not sourced to a specific authority this pass. |
| emergency numbers | 911 (centralized emergency: police, paramedics, fire). |
| hospital standard | Null - not verified this pass. |
| pharmacy notes | Null - not verified this pass. |
Driving
| idp needed | Jordan recognizes the 1968 Vienna Convention IDP per general IDP-convention reference data (not independently re-verified against a Jordanian official source this pass). |
|---|---|
| road safety | Null - not verified this pass. |
| rental traps | Null - not verified this pass. |
| 4x4 contexts | Null - not verified this pass (Wadi Rum desert side-trips commonly require 4x4/guided tours per general knowledge, not sourced this pass; not directly relevant to Aqaba kiting itself). |
| police stops | Null - not verified this pass. |
Regulation
| kite rules national | Null - not verified this pass. |
|---|---|
| drone rules | Null - not independently verified this pass. Jordan is widely reported in traveler forums/blogs as having strict drone import rules (drones reportedly confiscated at customs or requiring prior permit from the Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission) - this is a commonly repeated travel-forum claim, NOT confirmed from an official source this pass; treat as an open question requiring verification before advising travelers to bring drones to Aqaba. |
| protected areas | Null - not verified this pass (Aqaba has a Marine Park/Reserve along parts of its coastline per general knowledge, not sourced this pass). |
Calendar & costs
| school holidays | Null - not verified this pass. |
|---|---|
| currency | JOD |
Kite bag on airlines flying here
- airline: Royal Jordanianpolicy: Null - could not load Royal Jordanian's sports/sporting-equipment baggage page this pass (404 on attempted URLs).source: https://www.rj.com (specific baggage sub-page not located this pass)
Open questions
- Confirm Royal Jordanian's kite/sports-equipment baggage fee and size limits.
- Confirm Jordan's drone import/permit rules from an official Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission source - widely repeated traveler claims of confiscation at customs were not verified against a primary source this pass.
- Confirm tipping norms and tap-water safety from an official/consular source.
- Confirm SIM ID requirements and Aqaba-specific coverage quality by operator.
- Confirm cost-of-living figures - Numbeo query was rate-limited during this research pass.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · en.wikivoyage.org · wwwnc.cdc.gov · en.wikipedia.org