Crossing The Border From Jordan Into Palestine
If you want to hop over to Israel when you’re in Jordan, or visa-versa, it’s fairly easy to do on your own.
There are three land crossings you can use, but I’m going to focus on the one that I used; King Hussein Bridge/Allenby Bridge crossing.
Located about 90km, it’s fairly easy to get to. You can either arrange a shared taxi through your hotel or take a bus.
If you do it by bus, like I did, you should call (tel: 566 4141) JETT or visit the station 24 hours before hand to confirm your booking.
Buses in Amman depart from Tabarbour Station (the North Bus Station). The trip takes around an hour and cost 5 JD.
The bus will drop off passengers at the locals’ terminal (first left off the access road). Confirm with the driver before you leave Amman that you want to be dropped off at the foreigners’ terminal (third left off the access road).
The Jordanian Side
You’ll go through an exit procedure on the Jordanian side, pay an exit fee of 10 JD. Your passport will be taken and you’ll wait for a shuttle bus to drive you over the border.
Pro Tip: Make sure you have enough Jordanian dinars to cover all the extra fees at the border, plus more if you’re returning to Jordan.
You will need to pay an additional fee(s) for this shuttle bus, and they will rake you over the coals here. The ride is less than 5 minutes, but will set you back 7 JD plus 1.5 JD per bag. Before you ask, no, you can’t walk across the border.
The Israeli Side
You will find some ATMs and money changers on the Israeli side. You will need some Israeli shekel to get from the border to the next destination. It’s probably best to avoid using independent ATMs, which will have high fees.
I’ve heard that Discount, Leumi, HaPoalim and Mizrahi are all reputable.
The immigration control is pretty straight forward and moved fairly quickly when I was there. This may not be the case for you, as the security changes all the time depends on what happening in the area. Do expect airport level security.
There is no entrance fee for Israel, so after passport control you can exit the building and arrange your transport on to your next destination.
I ended up sharing a van with a family I befriended on the first part of the journey. Remember, it always pays to be kind and friendly to the people you meet as you travel along. You never know who you might need help from.
Share vans/taxis will drop passengers off at Damascus Gate. Cost should be around 45 NIS ($15 US).
Crossing Back into Jordan
Head to the old section of Jerusalem where you can get a shared van close to Damascus Gate. If you have trouble find one, just ask around for help.
When you arrive at the border, you will pretty much have to do everything in reverse. You will go through the exit procedure in Israel and you will be required to pay an exit fee, which came to 178IS ($50 US) for me.
You’ll have to take the shuttle bus across the border to Jordan immigration control. Apparently they longer issue any visa on arrival, so if this is your first time entering make sure you have that all taken care of.
If you are returning to Jordan and have left from King Hussein Bridge, your visa should still be valid.
Once you’re over on the Jordanian side you’ll need to arrange transport to Irbid or Amman. You won’t have a variety of choices, so how much you pay will largely depend on your negotiation skills and demand. Expect to get fleeced.
Pro Tip: Make your border crossing as early as possible. Unforeseen events can and will take you off schedule. If you’re smart, you’ll attempt your crossing first thing in the morning.
Oddities Of This Crossing
Jordan doesn’t really consider it leaving its territory when you enter into Palestine. This could be advantageous or detrimental. This depends on your future plans.
Jordan won’t issue you an exit stamp so your visa will remain valid. This means that if you return to Jordan via the same crossing, you will not be required to purchases a new visa, as long as your old one is still valid.
BE AWARE: This only works at the King Hussein Bridge crossing.
If your plans don’t include returning to Jordan, then you won’t get an exit stamp. It might not seem like a big deal, but this could raise suspicions of travel to Israel.
See the Drawbacks section for information about this issue.
With a little pre-planning, you can avoid this. On arrival to Jordan you should tell the airport staff that you plan to cross into Israel. You can request your visa on a separate piece of paper, rather than inside your passport. It’s not a guarantee that they’ll grant your request, but it’s worth a try.
Things To Be Careful Of
The border is not opened 24 hours. Depending on where you look, the hours might be as short as closing at 3:30pm or 10pm. The crossing is also closed on some holidays.
Getting an Israeli stamp in your passport can be travel suicide. It’s no secret that there are some countries that have eminence hatred for all things Israel, including passport stamps.
These countries will detain you or outright stop you from entering should they find evidence of a trip to Israel at any time in your life; Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen.
To avoid issues, request that they give you your stamp on a separate page. Apparently they do this automatically for US passports, but I heard that don’t for other countries, like Japan.
Violence in Palestine and/or Jerusalem can shut transport between the countries. This actually happened when I was there. The police pretty much shut down Jerusalem and stopped all buses coming and going to the boarder. After spending a few hours trying to find a way out, a local Palestinian helped me find a share taxi to the boarder. It was a lot more expensive, but desperate times.
Contact & General Information
Fees: Plan to spend around $100 for each crossing. This includes transport and exit fees. You can do it for less, but it’s better to have more money than not enough.
Hours: Daily 8:30am – 3:30pm
Locations:
Tabarbour Station (Amman)
King Hussein Bridge Border Crossing
Damascus Gate (Israel)
Need more information about Jordan?
Check out our full write up on Amman HERE.
RRead about our amazing miscellaneous adventures off the beaten path HERE.
See our stories about Wadi Rum HERE.
Learn all about Petra HERE.
