How to Register for Investment in Jordan 2026

One of the Jordanian government’s priorities is to promote investment and attract foreign capital. This is because investment plays a crucial role in the economic system and serves as a primary channel for the flow of capital, technical expertise, and scientific knowledge. Since legislative policy plays a key role in helping the state penetrate the global market, Jordan has issued several successive laws, the most important of which is Investment Law No. (30) of 2014. This law addressed many developments, including the establishment of the Investment Window and the granting of Investor Cards to non-Jordanian investors. This article will discuss everything related to how to register for investment in Jordan in 2024 through the following key elements:

First: The Nature of Investment The Securities Commission defines investment as “the purchase of valuable assets, called capital assets, which the investor buys based on expectations of either an increase in their value over time or the conviction that they will provide a new source of income, or both.” Investment can be in any economic activity, whether industrial, agricultural, tourism, or artisanal, and other economic activities. Therefore, investment does not apply to commercial businesses.

Second: The Impact of Investment on Economic Growth The developments and transformations that the world has witnessed in recent years, especially in the economic field, have placed developing countries in front of great challenges and difficult tasks. These developments include trade liberalization, the removal of restrictions on capital movement, in addition to developments in technology and information systems, and other developments. The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has recognized these circumstances and has issued and amended many economic legislations. It has also taken important steps in liberalizing the economy and integrating it with the global economy, which has led to an overall improvement in the investment climate. Investment is a key factor and a primary driver of economic excellence and community development. It has a significant impact on economic growth. Investment plays its role in achieving growth by increasing production capacity and replacing consumer goods. The relationship between investment and economic growth is a positive one: the higher the levels of investment, the higher the achievement of economic growth. It is important to note the marginal productivity of invested capital, as there are several factors that it depends on. One of the most important of these factors is the structural composition of investments and their distribution among sectors. The higher the proportion of investment in productive sectors that contribute significantly and directly to increasing production, the higher the marginal productivity of capital. The higher the proportion of investment in sectors that do not contribute directly to increasing production, the lower the marginal productivity of capital. Therefore, the sectoral distribution of investments has a significant impact on determining the marginal productivity of capital invested in the economy. “Since the process of economic growth is, in essence, about increasing the production capacity of the national economy, and is measured by the rate of real increase in the gross national product, the optimal distribution of investments must be based on the extent to which this distribution contributes to the development of this capacity. The economic sector in which investment contributes more than others to achieving economic growth rates is the sector to which investments should be directed more than others” ([1]).

Third: Types of Investment Article (2) of the Jordanian Investment Law No. (30) of 2014 defines an investor in general as: “a natural or legal person who practices an economic activity in the Kingdom in accordance with the provisions of this law.” Investments can be divided into several types, and this division is based on several different criteria. They can be divided based on the time period criterion, they can be classified according to the criterion of control and supervision over the project, and they can also be classified based on the criterion of management or financing of the investment project, and other classifications. However, we will focus on the types of investment according to the criterion of management or financing of the investment project, which are two types:

a. Local (National) Investment: Local investment is within the borders of the country, and the investment project is financed with local capital, whether this financing is from the public or private sector. This means that this type of investment is made by a person who enjoys the nationality of the country invested in, and that the financing capital remains in the country and is not transferred abroad.

b. Foreign Investment: Foreign investment consists of investment projects aimed at achieving profits and a set of economic, social, and political goals. These projects may be wholly owned by foreigners or in partnership with a national investor, with a high percentage of capital that guarantees them control over the management of the project. Foreign investment is considered one of the most important means of development and economic development in most countries, especially in developing countries, as they lack the means for the success of development projects, such as project management and the necessary technological tools. These countries seek to attract foreign investment, especially foreign direct investment, to enter into partnerships with foreign investors and companies in order to benefit from their expertise and investment capabilities. Foreign investment is divided according to the criterion of control and supervision over the operations related to the investment project into two types: foreign direct investment and foreign indirect investment. We will explain this as follows:

c. Foreign Direct Investment: There are multiple definitions of the concept of foreign direct investment, but they all agree on the basic elements that this investment is long-term, the foreign investor has full ownership of the project or participates in the project with a high percentage of capital, and this is done through multinational companies. This type of investment has many advantages, as it allows the foreign investor to transfer financial and economic resources, technical expertise, and technology to the host country. This will lead to strengthening the economic capabilities and increasing the technological progress of the host country. Among the advantages is also that it helps develop the export sector, contributes to bridging the income gap, and in addition to that, it plays an important role in creating new job opportunities, which contributes to solving the unemployment problem.

d. Foreign Indirect Investment: Foreign indirect investment involves a portfolio of securities, where individuals or companies own some securities, such as buying stocks and bonds, without any control. This type of investment is considered short-term compared to foreign direct investment, and it does not develop any kind of control or supervision due to its low contribution to projects.

Fourth: Determinants of Attracting Foreign Investment There are many factors that help attract foreign investment. These factors play an essential and important role in the decision of the foreign investor. Some of these factors relate to the political aspect, some relate to the economic aspect, and others relate to the legal and legislative aspect. The political factor is considered one of the most important factors affecting the investor’s decision. There is no doubt that the availability of political stability within the host country is one of the factors attracting foreign capital. As for the economic factor, economic stability is also necessary, and this is achieved when there is financial stability at the macro-economic level. Among the economic indicators are the balance of the general budget, the exchange rate, and inflation. Among the factors that may affect stability are the size of the local market, which can be measured by the size of the population and the volume of production, in addition to the infrastructure, as it represents the backbone of any successful economic activity. Among the factors is also the stability of the legislation governing the work of foreign investment. It must be flexible and stable and provide the necessary protection for the investment project. There are other factors that are taken into account and affect the investor’s decision, which is the geographical location of the host country for investment. The proximity of the host country to global markets contributes to facilitating import and export operations at the lowest costs. Among the factors is also the growth rate of the national income, as there is a positive correlation between the size of the national income and foreign investment.

Fifth: The Investor Card The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan has paid attention to investment and encouraged it. It has granted many advantages to investors to encourage them to invest. Among the advantages that the legislator granted to investors is obtaining an Investor Card when the special conditions for it are met. We believe that the Jordanian legislator has succeeded in this, as there is no doubt that this will increase the number of investors coming to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to invest in it. We will explain the ministry’s goals for issuing the card, then we will clarify the conditions that the investor must meet in order to obtain the card, as follows:

1. Goals of the Investor Card: The ministry aims, through issuing the Investor Card, to enhance the investment structure in Jordan, in addition to facilitating investment procedures and providing all forms of care and support to investors. The Investor Card system is considered a message to all different entities and agencies to pay attention to investment and the investor and provide the necessary facilities for them. In addition to that, the Investor Card grants its holder priority in completing their transactions with the entities and departments related to the investment process. It also facilitates the entry and movement of its holder through border centers and airports in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Among its goals is also to provide services to the cardholder upon their arrival in the Kingdom individually, in accordance with what is stated in Article (3) of Instructions No. (1) of 2022 (Instructions for Granting the Investor Card in all its categories (A, B, C) and family members of the investor holding the card).

2. Conditions for Obtaining an Investor Card: The Jordanian legislator has divided investors into three categories, and each category has its own conditions for obtaining the card. We will discuss the conditions for each category separately, as follows:

a. Investor Card Category (A): This card is granted to investors and their family members of all nationalities, except for Syrian nationality. Articles (4, 5) of the Granting Instructions No. (