International convention and customs procedures of Jordan

International Conventions: Member of the World Trade Organization (WTO)
Party to the Kyoto Protocol
Party to the Washington Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora
Party to the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal
Party to the Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer
International Economic Cooperation: The Jordanian economy is very open. The country is part of the Greater Arab Free Trade Area(GAFTA), a pact of the Arab League entered into force in January 2005 which aims to form an Arabic free trade area. It has also signed bilateral free trade agreements with most of the countries of the Arab League. Jordan has also signed an agreement with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA), the United States and Singapore. Jordan has signed the Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreement which provides for a free trade area between the European Union and the other signatory countries. Finally, Jordan is a member of the Agadir agreement which provides for a system of free trade between Jordan, Tunisia and Egypt. Jordan also signed a Free Trade Agreement with Canada.
Non Tariff Barriers: The Jordanian trade system is in full liberalization. An import license is normally not necessary but an exchange permit is. However, it is obtained in an automatic way and allows you to pay on presentation of the documents or to open a documentary credit.
There are quantitative limitations on the import of certain manufactured goods and it is forbidden to import tomatoes, fresh milk, mineral water, table salt and plastic waste. Some specific products are reserved for the State's business such as sugar, wheat, flour, rice, powdered milk, cigarillos, frozen chicken, lentils and olive oil.
A license for the import of fruits, vegetables, certain chemicals, medicines, some foodstuffs and telecommunications equipment is required. Some products also require a license from various public organizations.
Customs Duties and Taxes on Imports: Customs duties are governed by law n°20/98. This provides for a progressive reduction of applicable duties with an upper limit in 2003 of 30% (40% in 1998). This rate should be brought down to 20% maximum in 2010. There is thus a scale of five rates for the most common goods: 0%, 5%, 10%, 20% or 30%. Alcohol and tobacco are taxed on a scale from 50 to 180%. Imports of raw materials and machinery for the production of capital equipment as well as basic foodstuffs are exempted from Customs tax.

Customs Classification

Import Procedures

The documents required for importing a product into Jordan are:

a bill of lading for imports coming in through the port of Aqaba
an air waybill for products imported by air or a transporter's certificate for goods having transited by land.
a declaration of Arab transit for goods having transited Arab countries which are not neighbours of Jordan.
an invoice showing the quantity, type and numbers of the goods as well as their weight, value and the names of the buyer and seller.
a certificate of origin
a declaration of value for goods whose value is over 2 000 JD.
an exit permit for goods warehoused in free zones.

Also, it should be noted that Jordan uses the system of the single administrative document (SAD) for import declarations. This means that the declaration is directly submitted by the importer or the licenced seller through the Asycuda system. The system validates the entry, gives a registration number and indicates if the entry is green (no inspection), orange (inspection of the documents) or red (inspection of the documents and the goods). A paper copy of the declaration is given to Customs accompanied by the supporting documents if necessary. All Jordanian and foreign trading companies must either obtain an importer’s card from the Ministry of Industry and Trade for customs clearance purposes or pay a Customs fee equivalent to five per cent of the value of the imported goods. For non-trading entities such as banks, hospitals and hotels, the Ministry issues a special limited card that allows the import of goods specific to that entity’s purpose.

Certain products such as fruits, chemicals, medicines or telecommunications equipment require an import license. For more information, please visit the website of Jordanian Customs.

Importing Samples

Samples are exempt from Customs duty. Their value must not be over 10 JD excluding transport costs.