Jordan's investor passport: build a business, hire locally, wait it out
A new company outside Amman needs JOD 500,000 (about $705,000) and 10 Jordanian hires; new listed shares need JOD 1.5 million (about $2.1 million). Every route comes with years of conditions.
Jordan's Cabinet rewrote these rules in July 2026. Here's what each route asks of you, what you have to keep running after approval, and what a second passport does and doesn't change for an American.
Jordan Citizenship by Investment Program
Jordanian citizenship for foreigners who make a large productive investment, such as starting a business, buying newly issued company shares or creating jobs for Jordanians. Passive options like bank deposits and treasury bonds were removed in 2025, and the current thresholds were set by a Cabinet decision in July 2026. The investment must be kept for 3 to 5 years or citizenship can be revoked.
- Timeline
- Citizenship on approval; new-project investors first receive a temporary 3-year passport; investments must be held 3 to 5 years depending on route
- Difficulty
- Hard
About that data card
Our listing says: "Start a new project with capital of at least JOD 700,000 (about $987,000) in Amman or JOD 500,000 (about $705,000) in other governorates." The capital alone isn't enough. Jordan's Ministry of Investment also requires at least 20 Jordanian jobs in Amman or 10 elsewhere, and those workers have to stay on the Social Security rolls for three years. There are more routes than our listing names, too; the full set is below.
Six ways in under the July 2026 rules
JOD 500,000
New company outside Amman
about $705,000, plus 10 jobs
JOD 700,000
New company in Amman
about $987,000, plus 20 jobs
JOD 1.5M
New shares on the stock market
about $2.1 million, 5-year lock
JOD 1M
New shares in an existing project
about $1.41 million, 3-year hold
JOD 3M
Medical, pharma or food logistics
about $4.2 million
150 jobs
Jordanians on your payroll in Amman
100 outside Amman, no set capital
After approval
What you have to keep running, and for how long
Here's the catch: approval isn't the finish line. Jordan says any breach of the investment or hiring conditions means immediate revocation of citizenship or residency.
- Shares: buy through a licensed broker within four months of approval, keep no more than 10% in any one company, and don't sell, borrow against or withdraw profits for five years.
- Existing project: at least JOD 500,000 of the JOD 1 million has to go into new fixed assets.
- New company: temporary residency and four months after opening to hire, then a temporary three-year passport. Final citizenship follows three years of verified compliance.
- Hiring: keep at least 90% of the required Jordanian staff on Social Security every month for three years. A worker only counts after a year on Social Security before you apply.
- Already operating in Jordan? Average fixed assets of JOD 700,000 over three years in Amman, or JOD 350,000 (about $494,000) elsewhere, can qualify.
- A JOD 1.5 million investment in the Amrah City project also qualifies.
From application to passport
File online
Apply to the Ministry of Investment through its e-services portal, with a feasibility study or audited accounts depending on the route.
Get vetted
Police clearance, proof the money is yours and free of loans or mortgages, and mandatory national security vetting.
Cabinet decides
An Investors' Committee recommends and the Cabinet approves. Advisers quote 3 to 6 months; one says nearer eight in practice.
Collect it
There's no yearly stay rule. Advisers differ on the trip at the end, from a brief visit to about a month in Jordan.
For U.S. passport holders
Who this fits, and who should skip it
The State Department says Americans can naturalize elsewhere without risking U.S. citizenship, and Jordan allows dual nationality. Keeping both is the easy part. What changes is below.
- It fits an owner who'd build or buy into a Jordanian business anyway. The passport rides on that business staying healthy.
- Your U.S. taxes don't change: you still file with the IRS and report worldwide income. Jordan taxes income earned in or from Jordan, at rates up to 30%.
- Sons: Jordan restarted military service in February 2026, starting with men born in 2007, and the U.S. Embassy says non-resident dual nationals must register.
- In Jordan, the embassy says its ability to help a dual national is quite limited. You'll still enter and leave the U.S. on your U.S. passport.
- Only want to live there? A home worth JOD 150,000 (about $212,000) outside Amman, held five years, gets a renewable five-year residence permit with no passport attached.
- Jordan says 681 investors have received citizenship since the program began in 2018.
Help with the money side
MyExpatTaxes
U.S. Expat Tax Service
A U.S. expat tax service that prepares and files IRS returns for Americans living abroad.
Beacon Global Advisors
Financial Planning
A financial planning firm based in the United States.
Moneycorp
Currency Exchange
Currency exchange and international payments, for moving large sums from dollars into dinars.
Jordan investor citizenship: common questions
Can Americans keep U.S. citizenship if they become Jordanian?
Yes. The U.S. State Department says a U.S. citizen can naturalize in another country without risking U.S. citizenship, and Jordan allows dual nationality. You must still use your U.S. passport to enter and leave the United States.
Do I have to live in Jordan to get citizenship by investment?
No. There's no yearly minimum stay. Advisers differ on the trip needed at the end, from a brief visit to about a month to collect the passport. If you qualify through a new company, though, the business has to operate and keep its Jordanian hires for three years.
Can I still get Jordanian citizenship with a bank deposit or treasury bonds?
No. The citizenship routes Jordan approved in July 2026 are new companies, new shares, large-scale hiring, existing operating investments, logistics projects and the Amrah City project. None is a bank deposit or a bond.
Can Jordan take back citizenship granted for an investment?
Yes. Jordan says breaching the investment or hiring conditions leads to immediate revocation of citizenship or residency. That covers selling listed shares within five years or letting your Jordanian workforce fall below 90% of the required level during the three-year period.
Which family members get Jordanian citizenship with the investor?
The investor's wife, dependent daughters, unmarried sons under 24 at the time of application, and dependent parents. For investments over JOD 2 million (about $2.8 million), sons up to age 30 qualify too, along with their wives and children.
Would my son have to do military service in Jordan?
He might. Jordan restarted compulsory service in February 2026 with three months of training for men born in 2007, and the U.S. Embassy says non-resident dual nationals must register for the draft. Ask a Jordanian lawyer how this applies before including sons in an application.
How much does Jordan citizenship by investment cost in 2026?
Under rules Jordan's Cabinet approved in July 2026, a new company needs JOD 500,000 (about $705,000) outside Amman or JOD 700,000 (about $987,000) in Amman, plus 10 or 20 Jordanian jobs. New listed shares need JOD 1.5 million (about $2.1 million), held five years. Jordan doesn't publish its government fees; one adviser estimates about $15,000 for the main applicant, plus more per dependent.
How long does Jordan citizenship by investment take?
Jordan doesn't publish a timeline. Advisers quote 3 to 6 months for a decision, and one says closer to eight months in practice. Investors starting a new company first get a temporary three-year passport, with final citizenship after three years of verified compliance.
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