| Vehicle age limit | Personal-use vehicles up to 10 years, but imported battery electric vehicles are limited to three years, counted including the year of clearance. That EV ceiling is the binding constraint in Jordan and is tighter than most exporters expect, since the age is counted against the clearance year rather than against the build year alone |
|---|---|
| Steering side | Left-hand drive. Jordan drives on the right and right-hand drive vehicles are not registered in the normal import categories |
| Emission standard | The conformity requirement is expressed as an approval standard rather than an emission band: from 1 November 2025 the vehicle must be assessable against European whole vehicle type approval, the United States federal motor vehicle safety standards, or the Gulf standard system |
| Import duty | Customs duty is only part of the charge. Jordan applies a special tax by vehicle category, and the combined burden is reported as roughly 51% for petrol, 39% for hybrid and 27% for battery electric after the rebalance, with value added tax of 16% applied on the assessed value. Because these figures move and are reported rather than published as a single table, confirm the current band with the consignee's broker and put the assumption into the contract |
| Other taxes / levies | Value added tax of 16% is applied in addition to the duty and special tax, and the special tax on electric vehicles is scheduled to rise in stages across 2025 to 2027, so a long-lived quotation on an electric vehicle will be overtaken by the schedule |
| Pre-shipment certificate | Pre-shipment inspection is required, with diplomatic vehicles exempt. For battery electric vehicles a dedicated battery inspection covering high-voltage system integrity, charging capability, physical damage and thermal safety is required in addition |
| Main port of entry | Aqaba is the only principal vehicle port and sits inside a special economic zone with its own regime, but clearance is substantially completed in the Zarqa free zone, and the transfer from Aqaba to Zarqa is made against a bank guarantee. Temporary entry is permitted for up to eight months and does not authorise free sale inside the country |
| Typical clearance time | Three to seven working days once the vehicle reaches the Zarqa free zone with a complete file, plus the time needed to arrange the bank guarantee for the Aqaba to Zarqa transfer, which is the step most often underestimated |
| Customs valuation risk | High on tax structure rather than on price. The bands move, the electric vehicle schedule rises in stages, and the difference between a petrol, hybrid and electric assessment is large enough that classifying the vehicle incorrectly changes the deal more than any negotiation on the invoice |
14. Restrictions and prohibited categories
- Imported battery electric vehicles older than three years, counted including the clearance year, are banned outright; this is the shortest electric age ceiling among the markets covered here
- Vehicles without a recognised approval basis cannot be registered from 1 November 2025; customs release without the conformity evidence does not produce a registrable vehicle
- Right-hand drive is not registered in the normal import categories, and accident, flood and fire vehicles are blocked
- Temporary entry vehicles may stay up to eight months and may not be sold freely inside the country, so a temporary admission is not a route to a domestic retail sale
22. Required documents and certificates
- Conformity evidence under whole vehicle type approval, the United States federal motor vehicle safety standards or the Gulf standard system, matched to the vehicle identification number
- Pre-shipment inspection report, and for electric vehicles the dedicated battery inspection report
- Bank guarantee documentation for the movement from Aqaba to the Zarqa free zone, arranged before the vehicle leaves the port
- Bill of lading showing the final discharge port, full consignee name, address and telephone number
- Commercial invoice and packing list whose VIN, model year, engine capacity and colour match the bill of lading character by character
- Certificate of origin (or the preferential certificate required by a trade agreement)
- Vehicle registration certificate and official de-registration / export-cancellation document from the country of last registration
- Marine insurance certificate covering the declared value plus freight, valid until clearance is completed
31. Customs clearance process, step by step
- Confirm the approval basis before the sale: the vehicle must be assessable against European whole vehicle type approval, the United States federal motor vehicle safety standards, or the Gulf standard system from 1 November 2025
- Carry out pre-shipment inspection in the export country, and for an electric vehicle also the dedicated battery inspection covering high voltage integrity, charging capability, physical damage and thermal safety
- Arrange the bank guarantee for the Aqaba to Zarqa transfer in advance, complete the technical inspection and the vehicle identification number screening in the free zone, pay duty, special tax and value added tax, then register
- Vessel arrival: the importer's licensed broker lodges the import declaration through the national single window and the goods move to the bond store
- Inspection and release: physical and technical inspection, duty assessment, payment, delivery order, gate-out
- Registration: purchase of third-party liability insurance, local technical test, issuance of number plates
⚓Shipping and transit
Ocean freight from Qingdao / Shanghai / Nansha: Ro-Ro or container depending on unit and vessel space. Sailing time is about 22–30 days to Aqaba. This is time at sea only — it excludes inland haulage to the port, terminal waiting and congestion at destination. Allow roughly two further weeks on top of the sailing time when planning, and clearance at destination takes about 3–7 working days once documents are complete. Schedules and freight are confirmed in writing at booking — contact us for the current ETD/ETA.
Transit ranges are compiled from published carrier schedules and freight-forwarder references; they vary with carrier, routing and season. The booking confirmation governs.
💰How we quote
How we quote: FOB Qingdao, Shanghai or Nansha. We handle export declaration, loading and export documents. Destination clearance, import duties and taxes, and on-carriage are arranged by the buyer or the buyer's agent. The clearance and tax detail on this page is background for your budget, not a description of our scope.
4Recent regulatory changes
- From 1 November 2025 every imported vehicle must be assessed against European whole vehicle type approval, the United States federal motor vehicle safety standards or the Gulf standard system in order to be registered. This converted conformity from a supporting document into the gate
- The tax structure was rebalanced sharply in favour of electrified and smaller vehicles, with the petrol burden reported to have fallen from about 71% to about 51%, hybrid from about 60% to about 39%, and battery electric held at about 27%
- A dedicated battery inspection was introduced for electric vehicles, covering high-voltage system integrity, charging capability, physical damage and thermal safety, and the electric vehicle special tax rises in stages across 2025 to 2027
5Common delay and refusal situations
- Shipping a four-year-old electric car: the ceiling is three years including the clearance year, so the vehicle is banned rather than taxed, and an appeal route generally does not turn age into a fee
- Assuming the pre-2025 informal conformity route still works: it does not, and a vehicle released by customs without the approval basis may not be registrable or saleable
- Quoting an electric vehicle on a long validity while the special tax rises in stages: the schedule eats the margin and the buyer will not reopen the price
- Arriving at Aqaba without the bank guarantee arranged for the transfer to the Zarqa free zone: the vehicle waits at the port and the free period is consumed by arranging finance rather than by inspection
6Operational checkpoints
- Buy electric only at three years or younger and with a battery health report showing state of health data; in Jordan's heat, battery condition is an inspection item rather than a selling point
- Prefer models that can be documented against whole vehicle type approval or the Gulf standard; Chinese export specification can usually be prepared on the Gulf basis, but the evidence must exist before shipment
- Bind the guarantee bank and the free-zone agent at Aqaba and Zarqa before the vessel sails, and write a tax-change clause into the contract because the bands move
- The compliance package is completed before booking, not at the port: these markets generally do not accept certificates repaired after arrival
- Demurrage, storage and rectification costs follow the allocation written into the contract, agreed before shipment
- Regulation in these markets changes several times a year; quotations and sailing dates are confirmed in writing for the current period
- Where customs applies its own valuation table, the tax base is set by that table and usually exceeds the invoice value — budget on the table
?Frequently asked questions
What changed for vehicle imports to Jordan on 1 November 2025?
Conformity assessment became the gate. From that date an imported vehicle must be assessable against European whole vehicle type approval, the United States federal motor vehicle safety standards, or the Gulf standard system in order to be registered. Customs release alone is not enough: without the approval basis the vehicle cannot be registered and therefore cannot be sold on.
Can I import a four-year-old electric car into Jordan?
No. Imported battery electric vehicles are limited to three years, counted including the year of clearance, so a four-year-old unit is banned rather than taxed. Jordan's ceiling is one of the shortest electric age limits anywhere. If you trade in used electric vehicles here, buy at three years or younger and carry a battery health report.
How much tax applies to a car imported into Jordan?
Customs duty is the smaller part. The decisive charge is the special tax by category and fuel type, with the combined burden reported at about 51% for petrol, 39% for hybrid and 27% for battery electric after the rebalance, plus value added tax of 16% on the assessed value. The electric vehicle special tax rises in stages between 2025 and 2027. Because these are reported figures that move, confirm the band in force with the consignee's broker and put the assumption in the contract.
Where does a car clear customs in Jordan?
It arrives at Aqaba, the only principal vehicle port, which sits inside a special economic zone with its own regime, and the substantive clearance is completed in the Zarqa free zone. The transfer between the two is made against a bank guarantee, so that guarantee should be arranged before the vehicle leaves the port rather than while it waits.
What documents does Jordan require for an imported vehicle?
Bill of lading, commercial invoice and packing list matched to the plate, certificate of origin, the export registration cancellation document, the pre-shipment inspection report, conformity evidence under whole vehicle type approval, the United States federal motor vehicle safety standards or the Gulf system, and for an electric vehicle the dedicated battery inspection report. The bank guarantee for the Aqaba to Zarqa transfer is arranged separately, and the importer's identity documentation is required for the declaration.
✉Get a written landed-cost check for this market
Send us the VIN list or the model, model year and quantity you plan to ship to Jordan. We check it against the requirements above before you book the vessel.
- Pre-shipment compliance check against VIN (age limit, steering side, emission standard, certificate scope)
- Landed-cost sheet: duty, VAT, excise and levies calculated on the customs value actually used at the destination port
- Full document set prepared by us: certificate, invoice, packing list, certificate of origin, export declaration
- FOB quotation with the destination-side obligations written into the contract, so nothing is discovered at the port
Reply within one business day. We quote against the regulations in force at booking date and state the verification date on every document set.
✓Sources, information currency and disclaimer
- Jordan customs tariff, special tax and value added tax publications — official authority, consulted October 2026
- Jordan standards and conformity requirement effective 1 November 2025 — official authority, consulted October 2026
- Aqaba Special Economic Zone and Zarqa free zone clearance procedure — official authority, consulted October 2026
- Licensed Amman and Aqaba clearing agents practice notes — market practice, verified October 2026
- Jordan Customs Department → https://www.customs.gov.jo/