The Jordan Pass

The Jordan Pass is an official government package bought online before you travel. It does two things: it waives your tourist visa fee (for eligible nationalities who stay at least three nights), and it gives you entry to roughly forty monuments and sites across the country — Petra, Jerash, Ajloun, Karak, the baptism site, the desert castles and more.

Because Petra alone costs roughly the same as a one-day pass, and the visa fee is waived on top, almost every visitor who qualifies comes out ahead. Buy it online, print or save the QR code, and show it at each site and at immigration on arrival.

The only meaningful difference between tiers is how many days of Petra entry you get. If you plan one day in Petra, the Wanderer is enough. If you plan two days — which we recommend to almost everyone — take the Explorer. The higher tiers add a third Petra day and Petra by Night tickets, useful only if you are staying longer.

There is no reason to buy a higher tier than your Petra plan requires — the other forty-odd sites are included in every tier.

The Pass is poor value if you are staying fewer than three nights (the visa fee is not waived, so you pay the visa anyway and may not break even), if your nationality requires a visa in advance rather than on arrival, or if you are only visiting Petra and nothing else and staying under three nights. It also does not cover Wadi Rum protected-area fees or most private experiences.

For everyone else — and that is the large majority — buy it before you fly. It saves money, skips the ticket queue at Petra, and simplifies immigration.