I can appreciate how niche this article is but I just have to write about it because after desperately searching for the information myself – I couldn’t find anything. So for anyone out there hoping to cross this border - this is for you.

If you are still stressin’ – drop me an email at goinghomebroke@gmail.com or DM me on Instagram. I promise to get back to you as soon as possible. At the end of the day, the safest thing you can do is to call your local Jordanian embassy or email Jordan Pass at info@jordanpass.jo

Update July 26th 2023

We’ve got more updates for you!

We are continually updating this article with the most accurate information we have found. It seems this information is changing all the time which makes crossing this border frustrating.

Jordan has now introduced an electronic visa system (Hallelujah!) an E-VISA! You can apply HERE and then click the link that should take you to all the information you need. Getting an e-visa would be the easiest and quickest way to enter Jordan and cross any border.

The cool update is that one of our beloved readers dropped me a note on Instagram today to say that he managed to get a free e-visa via the website above where you apply for your E-visa when entering his Jordan Pass ticket number. This is likely just the safest way to go about crossing the border so I advise if you have already purchased a Jordan pass to go to the link above, apply for your e-visa, and enter your Jordan Pass number.

If you have a Jordan pass and are still wondering if you can use that to cross with the E-visa, we have heard from people within the last two weeks (July 2023) crossing is just fine with a Jordan pass however, I ALWAYS advise to email Jordan pass and ask. They are quick to respond.

Our last correspondence with Jordan Pass is below. They now say that the Jordan pass is accepted to cross the border. We have also heard from many readers that they have been crossing with the Jordan pass just fine.

crossing the allenby bridge with a jordan pass

We highly recommend the Jordan pass - it allows you easy access to all the sites in Jordan as well as waives your visa fees at the borders and now when applying for an e-visa.

If you have an e-visa or have pre-arranged a visa with the Jordanian embassy then you will also be able to cross the Allenby Bridge border.

If you don’t have a pre-arranged visa, e-visa or a Jordan pass you will need to cross at either The Sheikh Hussein or Wadi Araba border crossings where they will issue you a visa. The Sheikh Hussein border is in the North and closer to Amman, and the Wadi Araba border crossing is very close to Eilat (Israel) Wadi Rum, and Aqaba (Jordan). As it really depends on your particular travel plans both borders are good and it’s very easy to obtain a visa for a small fee.

If I were to plan my trip again and not be able to cross at the Allenby bridge then I would cross from Israel at the Wadi Araba border and explore the red sea (Aqaba) before heading to Wadi Rum and Petra then eventually up to Amman.

crossing the Allenby bridge
WITH A Jordan pass (or pre-arranged visa or e-visa)

Jordan WOW I love you, what a country. From all my research it seemed very common for tourists to cross the border into Jordan (mainly for Petra or Wadi Rum) when visiting Israel. There are endless tour companies that can pick you up at 3 am (ew), drive you to the appropriate border and herd you over into Jordan. I spent months searching for the right company that would help prioritise time when only having 2 days to explore. I also didn’t want to be herded onto a bus with a thousand other people yet I was looking for a good price. I don’t ever work with big budgets, but I also am not trying to explore on zero. If I’m going to go to Jordan then I’m going to enjoy it. This usually comes down to limiting stress intake and time proficiency for exploration and rest. Amen.

When I found Experience Jordan Adventures – I couldn’t believe how the price they quoted me was so competitive with all the other companies I had come across – and the other companies had very average reviews and going with any of them would’ve felt like a slight risk. Not only was their price affordable for us but the customer service was flawless. During my in-depth research barely any of the tour companies responded to me quickly (I don’t like this) so one of the big reasons for choosing Experience Jordan Adventures was that Anji replied to every single email of mine no matter how stupid it was and very quickly. I appreciated this because I needed constant reassurance. I like being prepared for everything and I was the tour organiser for all 4 people traveling – I didn’t wanna let anyone down.

So after settling on a 2-day itinerary including transfers, Anji tells me that we will be crossing at the Allenby Bridge. Now, after some googling previously it had seemed that most tourists cross at two borders – The Yitzhak Rabin/Wadi Araba Border or the Jordan River/Sheikh Hussein Border. At these borders, you can obtain a visa upon arrival for quite a small fee. Both of these borders are at opposite ends of the country and have different benefits due to their location. The Southern border is closer to Wadi Rum and the Northern Border is closer to Amman. We were staying in Jerusalem and both of these borders would’ve been quite a drive. This is why most companies pick you up at 3 am so you can get to the border in time to have a faster crossing.

The Allenby Bridge/King Hussein Border is on the Jordan River and closest to Jericho. It’s only a 40-minute drive from Jerusalem where we were staying so it made it so much easier for us. Anji picked the best border to maximise our time! Which is why I love her.

The Allenby Bridge states very clearly on its website that you cannot obtain a visa here for Jordan. It also charges a slightly higher passenger fee. 164NIS ($55USD) The Allenby Bridge / King Hussein Border is a crossing for military, Palestinians, and tourists with pre-arranged visas (or Jordan passes). Israelis are not allowed to use this border. After some research it came up a lot that this crossing is ‘Not an official border’ - I found this weird and honestly, a little concerning.

So it’s happening and I need a visa – for all four of us. How difficult was that going to be? Turns out, difficult. I would need to fill out the appropriate forms and go to my local Jordanian embassy for a significant amount of time before my trip so it would get approved and be ready to go. I asked Anji if there was another way and she suggested The Jordan Pass. This was a seamless way to cross as they use the Jordan pass as your visa on arrival and stamp it instead of your passport. Do not lose it as you will need it to leave Jordan. This is of course, you should decide to use the Jordan Pass with the new information above.

The Jordan Pass

The Jordan Pass is amazing. It includes all your entrance fees for Jordan’s sites and probably the most important ones you are likely to be visiting would be Wadi Rum & Petra. You can buy it online, entering all passport details of the people you are traveling with, then it comes to your email and you can print it out and keep it on your phone. The Jordan pass also qualifies as an ‘entrance’ to Jordan. Now – this is where it gets confusing. The pass states VERY CLEARLY that ‘THIS IS NOT A VISA’ even on their website it is very clearly written that it's not a visa. At the The Sheikh Hussein or Wadi Araba border crossing the Jordan Pass will waive your visa fee, and you are also able to use this pass to cross at the Allenby Bridge (hurrah!)

Here’s how it works crossing the Allenby Bridge / King Hussein

From Israel to Jordan

We had a driver collect us from Jerusalem and drive us 40 minutes to the crossing. We arrived at 7:40am – 20 minutes before the border opens. I would recommend getting there at opening time. You’ll get through quicker. I observed busloads of people going through the first checkpoint before us since we were made to wait until 8 am. I had read reviews about how long it takes and Israelis had told me it’s going to be ‘interesting’ crossing the border and just freaking me out.

Finally, our driver was allowed through the first checkpoint and drove us to the terminal. Immediately border staff takes your luggage, labels it, gives you a luggage ticket and tells you to go inside the terminal. They also ask you for tips, don’t feel obliged or just be prepared so you don’t waste time.

Once inside the terminal (this is where we went wrong) You have to go to the counter that says CHANGE ATM – on the far left side of the sign it says Passenger fee that’s where you pay the passenger fee which leaving Israel in December 2019 was 164NIS (or $55USD) they give you a ticket for this and then you go through passport control. You then go through another checkpoint and show them your entry card from Israel which was just given to you at passport control and your proof of the paid passenger fee. Just to clarify, your passport does NOT get stamped. Israel issue paper tickets, so don’t lose it! and Jordan stamped our Jordan pass as our visa. Please double check this if you are concerned but Israel is very good at this and have a paper system.

Once outside again at the bus, collect your luggage from the left with your luggage ticket and you’ll find one of the shuttle buses waiting. You put your luggage underneath the bus and get a seat on the bus. Then you WAIT. It wasn’t too long for us, but we did sit there for a while. They wait until the bus is full.

The bus then takes you across the border to the Jordanian terminal – a 10-minute drive. Before you get off the bus, a Jordanian official checks your passports and charges you in cash, the bus and luggage fees (Shuttle bus is 7JOD per person and it’s 1.50JOD per piece of luggage)

They also KEEP YOUR PASSPORT during this moment. Don’t panic. This is all part of their system.

When you finally make it to the terminal and get off the bus you have to go inside to get your visa stamped/confirmed and PASSPORT BACK. At this point, I had someone from Experience Jordan Adventures waiting for us to help us. They call this ‘Border Assist’ I recommend doing it this way. We put our bags through a security screener and then we watched as our guide got our Jordan Pass stamped and our passports back. Obviously, do not lose any paperwork they give you as you may need it when you leave Jordan. They did NOT stamp our passports at this border which is a good thing depending on the countries you want to travel to within the life of that passport.

If you don’t have border assist then you have to go over to the arrivals window and do the process yourself. It’s all very unofficial looking but just ask someone. It’s not as organised as the Israeli side, and although that can make you feel nervous it’s fine. Jordan is the best.

The Jordanian terminal. Arrivals and Departures.

Crossing at The Alleny Bridge/King Hussein terminal was surprisingly all very easy.

Fast forward 36 hours and we’re returning to Israel.

From Jordan to Israel

We arrived at the Jordan terminal around 5 pm on a Sunday. When departing from Jordan you go through the same hall that you arrived at. You need to find the departures desk and fill out a departure form. You also have to find the desk to pay your passenger fee (10JOD per person) then both the departure form and passenger fee payment receipt goes in your passport along with your visa/Jordan pass. You hand all this in again to departures or whoever they’re pointing at and they KEEP YOUR PASSPORT again. You then wait around and eventually, everyone starts shuffling out to get on the shuttle bus. We put our bags under the bus again and then waited in our seat. This time we waited quite a long time. Finally, an official gets on the bus, goes through and returns every passport, and takes payment for the shuttle bus and luggage in the hold (7JOD pp and 1.50JOD per bag)

The shuttle bus drives across the border and pulls up at the Israeli terminal – arrivals side. This was quite an official process. From memory I had to show my passport three or four times so don’t put it away, just keep it on you. You’ll go through a much more in-depth luggage screening and finally, come out on the other side. We had a driver booked through Experience Jordan Adventures that took us back to Jaffa in Tel Aviv.

Things to remember

1. GET CASH
You need Jordanian cash – JOD – and you need it returning to Israel so save what you need for the border crossing. If you are American, USD is also good to have on hand.

2. GET A JORDAN PASS (or a pre-arranged visa)

I think this border is one of the best to cross due to its location and the fact that it’s not a regular border. It was kind of thrilling.

Go with Experience Jordan Adventures. They were amazing.

If you’re looking for a great and reliable transfer in Jordan or Israel - we recommend booking through our favourite partner HERE.

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Everything You Need To Know: Crossing the Allenby Bridge/King Hussein Border with a Jordan Pass (Updated - 26th July 2023)