Crossing to Jordan from Jerusalem

Amman is about 70 kilometres from Jerusalem as the crow flies, closer than Tel Aviv is to Haifa. The river that separates them, at the point where most people cross, is a muddy channel you could throw a stone over. And yet the journey between the two capitals routinely takes half a day, sometimes most of one, because of what happens at that river: two sets of passport control, two sets of fees, a compulsory bus across a short bridge, and rules that change with the security situation and the calendar. Choosing the right Jerusalem to Jordan border crossing, and knowing its rules before you set out, is the difference between a smooth morning and a wasted day.

This guide covers the three crossings open to tourists, how each one works, what each one costs, which visa rule catches people out, and how to choose between them. It also covers the political sensitivities of the crossing nearest Jerusalem, because they affect who can use it and when it closes. Border hours, fees and visa rules were checked in October 2026. These are among the highest-churn facts on this site, so check the Israel Airports Authority, the Jordanian authorities and your own government’s travel advice in the days before you go.

01The Three Crossings at a Glance

One thing is common to all three: Israeli rental cars cannot cross into Jordan. Whichever crossing you use, you will change vehicles at the border.

02The Visa Rule That Catches People Out

If you remember one thing from this page, make it this: Jordan does not issue visas on arrival at Allenby / King Hussein Bridge. It is the crossing closest to Jerusalem, the one most visitors look at first, and the one where turning up without a visa means being turned back.

At the Jordan River / Sheikh Hussein crossing in the north, many nationalities can buy a single-entry visa on arrival for 40 JD. At Wadi Araba in the south, a visa is available with conditions, and Jordan’s own official sources disagree on exactly what they are, so confirm them before you travel. At Allenby, you need a visa before you reach the bridge, from a Jordanian embassy or consulate, through Jordan’s online visa system, or arranged by a tour operator working with a Jordanian partner.

The Jordan Pass, bought online before you travel, waives the visa fee if you stay in Jordan for at least two nights. It also bundles entry to Petra and dozens of other sites. It is excellent value for a longer trip, but do not rely on it as a visa at Allenby, which officially requires the visa to be arranged beforehand. Some travellers report getting through with the pass alone; that is not something to build a plan on.

Check, too, whether your nationality qualifies for a visa on arrival at all. Most Western passports do, but not every nationality, and the list changes. The Jordanian authorities and your own government’s travel advice page for Jordan have the current position.

03Allenby / King Hussein Bridge

The Allenby crossing, called the King Hussein Bridge on the Jordanian side, is the obvious choice from Jerusalem on the map. It sits in the Jordan Valley a few kilometres east of Jericho, about an hour’s drive from the Old City, and Amman is roughly an hour beyond it on the Jordanian side. If everything goes smoothly, it is the quickest way between the two capitals.

A sensitive crossing

Allenby is not an ordinary border post. It lies in the West Bank, and it is the main gateway between the West Bank and Jordan, used every day by large numbers of Palestinians travelling abroad. Israel controls the crossing on the western side, and that control is part of the wider dispute over the territory. Several things follow from that for visitors:

• Israeli citizens are not permitted to use it. Allenby is designated for foreign nationals and Palestinians, and dual Israeli citizens should use one of the other two crossings.
• It closes at short notice. The crossing closed after a shooting there in September 2024 that killed three Israelis, and again after a second shooting in September 2025. Both closures were eventually lifted, but they show how quickly the bridge can shut.
• It gets very busy. Summer, and the periods around the Muslim holidays, bring heavy Palestinian traffic. Queues can be long, and foreign visitors share much of the process.

Hours

From 4 October 2026, the Israel Airports Authority listed the terminal as open Sunday to Thursday from 08:00 to 18:30 and on Friday from 08:00 to 15:30, and closed on Saturday. It also closes on Yom Kippur and the first day of Eid al-Adha, and hours change around other holidays. That means no Saturday crossings at all, and a tight window on Fridays. Check the hours on the day you travel, because they have changed several times in recent years.

Getting there from Jerusalem

There is no public bus from West Jerusalem to the bridge. Most visitors take a private taxi or a pre-booked transfer, or travel with a tour. Shared taxis run from East Jerusalem, and your hotel can usually arrange a car. The drive goes east on Route 1, down through the Judean Desert past the turning for Jericho, and takes about an hour. Allow extra time, and travel early in the day.

How the crossing works

1. Israeli terminal. Security screening, then passport control and the exit fee of ₪208 per person.
2. The bridge. You cannot walk across. A compulsory shuttle bus carries passengers over the bridge to the Jordanian terminal, for an extra fee, with luggage charged separately.
3. Jordanian terminal. Passport control, where your pre-arranged visa is checked, and customs.
4. Onward transport. Taxis wait on the Jordanian side for Amman, the Dead Sea hotels and Madaba. Agree the fare before you get in, or pre-book a driver.

Both terminals offer paid fast-track or VIP services that take you through the formalities more quickly. They can be worth it on a busy summer day. Ask your tour operator or hotel to arrange one in advance.

Allenby is best for

Amman, Madaba and Mount Nebo, and the northern route to Petra along the Desert Highway or the King’s Highway. It is the crossing used by many two-day Petra tours that include Mount Nebo. If your visa is in order and your timing avoids Friday afternoon and Saturday, it is the fastest way from Jerusalem into Jordan. For the town just before the bridge, see our Jericho day trip guide.

04Jordan River / Sheikh Hussein Crossing

The northern crossing, known in Israel as the Jordan River crossing and in Jordan as the Sheikh Hussein Bridge, lies in the Jordan Valley near Beit She’an, about two hours from Jerusalem. It is the least known of the three to foreign visitors and, for many of them, the most straightforward.

• Visa on arrival is available for many nationalities, for 40 JD single entry.
• Israeli exit fee: ₪120 per person, from April 2026.
• The shuttle. Passengers without a vehicle take a short shuttle between the Israeli and Jordanian terminals, for a few shekels.
• Hours. Published hours for this crossing varied widely between sources in 2026, particularly for Friday and Saturday. Check the Israel Airports Authority’s page for the Jordan River crossing before you set out, and do not assume it is open on a Saturday.
• Who can use it. Israeli citizens and foreign nationals.

Sheikh Hussein is the natural choice if you are combining the Galilee with northern Jordan. Jerash, one of the best-preserved Roman provincial cities in the Middle East, and the hill town of Ajloun are both within easy reach, and Amman is about 90 kilometres away. A sensible plan is two nights in the Galilee, a crossing in the morning, Jerash on the way to Amman, and a return to Jerusalem via Allenby a few days later, with your Jordanian visa already in your passport. Our Nazareth day trip guide covers the Israeli side of that route.

05Yitzhak Rabin / Wadi Araba Crossing

The southern crossing sits just north of Eilat and Aqaba at the tip of the Red Sea, about four hours from Jerusalem by road. It is the one to use for Petra via the south, for Wadi Rum and for Aqaba, and the usual choice for independent travellers heading to Petra on their own.

• Hours. In October 2026 the Israel Airports Authority listed it as open Sunday to Thursday from 06:30 to 20:00, and Friday and Saturday from 08:00 to 20:00, with holiday exceptions. It is the only one of the three listed as open on Saturday.
• Israeli exit fee: ₪120 per person, from April 2026.
• Visa. Available with conditions. The Jordan Pass site says visas on arrival there are issued only to Jordan Pass holders, but other official Jordanian sources contradict it. Confirm before you travel.
• Onward transport. Taxis on the Jordanian side go to Aqaba in minutes, Wadi Rum in about an hour and Petra in about two.

Many independent travellers take the bus to Eilat, sleep there, and cross first thing in the morning. Our guides to getting from Jerusalem to Eilat and to Petra from Jerusalem cover that route in detail.

06Three Crossings, Three Fee Regimes

Fees arrive at different points and in different currencies, and they add up. Here is what one person pays on a typical round trip, leaving Israel and coming back.

Israel resets its land-border fees each year and has changed them during the year too, so check the Israel Airports Authority’s fee page for your crossing before you go. At some crossings a small commission is added if you pay at the terminal counter rather than in advance. Carry shekels for the Israeli side and Jordanian dinars, in cash, for the departure tax. Jordanian dinars are pegged to the US dollar at roughly US$1.41.

07Coming Back into Israel

The return is usually simpler than the outward trip, but a few things matter.

• The ETA-IL. Visitors from visa-exempt countries need an approved ETA-IL to enter Israel. It is valid for multiple entries for up to two years, so the one you arrived on should cover your return, but check its expiry date and your passport’s before you leave. Our guide to Israel visa requirements explains the system.
• Security. Israeli screening on entry can be thorough, with questions about where you have been and whom you met. Answer plainly, and keep hotel bookings and your onward ticket to hand.
• Timing. Plan to reach the Jordanian side well before the Israeli terminal closes. Arriving at Allenby late on a Thursday or on a Friday afternoon, with Saturday closure ahead, is the classic way to get stuck.
• Stamps. Israel does not stamp passports; it issues a separate entry slip. Jordanian officials stamp passports unless you ask them not to. A Jordanian stamp from one of these crossings shows that you came from or went to Israel, which can matter if you plan to visit countries that refuse entry to people who have been there.

08Getting Around on the Jordanian Side

Because Israeli hire cars cannot cross, you need a plan for the other side before you reach the border. The options:

• Taxis wait at all three crossings. Agree the fare before you set off, ideally in Jordanian dinars, and ask your hotel what a fair price is for your journey.
• Pre-booked drivers are the most relaxed option, especially at Allenby, and many Jordanian hotels arrange them as a matter of routine.
• Hire cars can be picked up in Amman or Aqaba. Jordanian roads are generally good, and the King’s Highway from Madaba to Petra is one of the great drives of the region.
• Tours handle everything, including the change of vehicle and guide at the border. Most Petra tours from Jerusalem work this way.

09Tour or Independent?

Crossing alone is perfectly possible at all three crossings, and plenty of travellers do it. A tour makes most sense at Allenby, where the visa must be arranged in advance, the transport on both sides is fiddly, and an operator can book a fast-track service that saves hours in summer. It also makes sense for a short Petra trip, where the logistics take up a large share of the time. Our overview of the best Jerusalem tours explains what to look for in an operator.

Going independently makes most sense at Sheikh Hussein and Wadi Araba, where visas are simpler, and for longer trips where you want control over your days. Check exactly what a tour includes: the visa, the exit fee and departure tax, border shuttles, the guide on each side, and who handles your passport through the crossing.

10When to Cross

• Avoid Friday afternoon and Saturday at Allenby, which closes early on Friday and all day Saturday, and check the hours for Sheikh Hussein before planning a weekend crossing. Our guide to Shabbat in Jerusalem explains why the Israeli week works the way it does.
• Watch the Jewish holidays. Crossings close or shorten their hours on some festivals, Allenby closes on Yom Kippur, and the southern crossings fill with Israeli holidaymakers. Our religious holidays calendar has the dates.
• Watch the Muslim holidays. Allenby closes on the first day of Eid al-Adha, and traffic peaks around both Eids and through the summer. Our guide to Ramadan in Jerusalem has the 2027 dates.
• Go early. Morning crossings are quicker, and they leave time to deal with problems before closing time.
• Check on the day. All three crossings have closed at short notice in recent years. A quick look at the Israel Airports Authority site and the news before you leave is worth the effort.

11Travel Advice

The US State Department and the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office publish separate travel advice for Israel, the West Bank and Jordan, including specific guidance on the border areas and the Jordan Valley. Their positions do not always match, and they change at short notice. Read your own government’s current advice for every country and territory on your route, including the West Bank if you are using Allenby, and check that your travel insurance covers all of them. This guide describes how the crossings work; it does not tell you whether to travel. For the picture in Jerusalem itself, see our guide to whether Jerusalem is safe to visit.

12Which Crossing Should You Use?

For many visitors the best answer is to use two crossings: in at one, out at the other. Enter at Sheikh Hussein with a visa on arrival, travel south through Jordan, and leave at Wadi Araba for Eilat, or enter at Wadi Araba for Petra and leave by Allenby straight back to Jerusalem with the visa you bought on the way in. Our guide to trips from Jerusalem shows how those loops fit together.

The northern crossing makes most sense as the end of a few days in the Galilee, since it lies just south of the lake near Beit She’an. Our guide to a Galilee tour from Jerusalem covers Nazareth, the Sea of Galilee and where to stay before you cross.

13Final Word on the Jerusalem to Jordan Border Crossing

Pick the crossing to fit the trip, not the map. Allenby is closest but needs a visa in advance, shuts on Saturdays and is the most likely to close without warning. Sheikh Hussein is the easy option for visas and the north. Wadi Araba is the gateway for Petra and the south. Whichever you choose, check the hours and the fees in the week you travel, carry shekels and dinars, read the travel advice, and give yourself a morning, not an hour. Then use our guides to day trips from Jerusalem and getting around Jerusalem for the days on this side of the river, and our Jerusalem travel tips for everything else.

14Photo Credits

The approach to the Allenby / King Hussein Bridge: Allenby-Brücke by Abutoum, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

The old and new Allenby bridges in the 1930s: Allenby Bridge. New and old Allenby bridges LOC matpc.18493 by Matson Collection, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

The view west from Mount Nebo: Mount Nebo (2007-05-826) (1330156315) by Vyacheslav Argenberg from Seattle, WA, USA, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The Welcome to Jordan gateway at Wadi Araba: Arava Aquaba Border (24415515471) by xiquinhosilva, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

The Temple of Hercules, Amman Citadel: Temple of Hercules, Amman Citadel 03 by Mohammad hajeer, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.