Cabinet Approves New Criteria for Granting Jordanian Citizenship or Residency to Investors

Cabinet Approves New Criteria for Granting Jordanian Citizenship or Residency to Investors

The Council of Ministers, in its session held today (Wednesday 07.02.20225), decided to issue new criteria for granting Jordanian citizenship or residency to investors, in accordance with the recommendations of the special committee on investors.

Key points of the new criteria include:

• Citizenship via Share Purchase: Investors will be granted Jordanian citizenship upon making a new purchase of shares in Jordanian companies with a value of no less than one million dinars. These shares must not be mortgaged, lent, or borrowed, and must be purchased within four months from the date of the Ministry of Investment’s approval. The full amount must be traded through licensed financial brokerage companies, with no more than 20% of the investment concentrated in a single company’s shares. Funds, including profits, cannot be withdrawn or disposed of for three years from the date of purchase.
• Citizenship via Project Establishment: Citizenship is granted to investors who establish and register investment projects in any productive economic sector, with a total paid-up capital of at least 700,000 dinars within the capital governorate or 500,000 dinars outside it, provided that 20 jobs (inside the capital) or 10 jobs (outside) are created for Jordanians, as documented by the Social Security Corporation. Investors have four months after actual project operation to complete the required number of jobs. Initially, investor receives residency until job requirements are met, then a temporary Jordanian passport for three years, after which citizenship is granted upon fulfilling all conditions for three years.
• Citizenship via Purchase of Shares in Existing Projects: Investors can obtain citizenship by buying new shares in existing productive sector projects, with a paid-up capital of at least one million dinars and fixed assets (new non-current assets) worth at least 500,000 dinars. An expansion feasibility study, audited financial statements, and compliance with Social Security job requirements (20 new Jordanian jobs) are required. The new shares must be held for three years, after which a temporary passport is granted for three years, and then citizenship is considered after fulfilling all requirements for three years.
• Citizenship for Existing Investments: For existing projects inside the capital, the investor’s average share of fixed and non-current tangible assets over the last three audited years must be at least 700,000 dinars, with at least 90% of the required Jordanian job numbers (average of 20 Jordanian workers monthly for three years) maintained. For projects outside the capital, the required average for assets is 350,000 dinars and 10 Jordanian workers, with similar employment ratios. Labor numbers can be combined for multiple projects across governorates for calculation purposes.
• Family Transfers and Company Ownership Changes: If transferring ownership or shares to first-degree relatives, citizenship is granted to the new owner under the same conditions, provided shares are not disposed of for three years. If an investor has not completed the three-year requirement but has met investment and employment conditions, they initially receive a temporary passport for the remaining period, with citizenship granted after the full term.
• Special Sectors: Citizenship is granted for investments in pharmaceutical and medical supplies warehouses, medical equipment, and logistics and major food storage services, with a minimum company investment of three million dinars and employment of at least 20 Jordanians in the capital or 10 outside it (all pharmacists) for the past three years.
• Large-Scale Employment: Any investor employing 150 Jordanians in the capital or 100 in other governorates (registered with the Social Security Corporation for at least one year and maintained for two subsequent years) can also obtain citizenship.
• Family Inclusion: Citizenship can be extended to the investor’s spouse, unmarried daughters, widowed/divorced daughters living with the investor, unmarried sons under 24, and parents, provided all requirements are met. For investments exceeding two million dinars, male children under 30, their spouses, and children are also eligible.
• Residency for Non-Investors: Investors and regular individuals can receive or renew residency for five years, regardless of previous residency duration, by purchasing real estate worth at least 200,000 dinars (as appraised by the Lands and Survey Department) and retaining it without sale or mortgage for five years. Residency is granted upon recommendation from the special investor committee at the Ministry of Interior.
• Renewal Conditions: When renewing residency, the applicant must own the same or a new property appraised at not less than 200,000 dinars. The application is reviewed by the technical committee and submitted directly to the Minister of Interior’s representative at the investment window, with no requirement for a lien on the property.
• Additional Provisions: Citizenship is not granted to investors who acquire shares from a previous investor who obtained Jordanian citizenship based on those shares. The criteria apply to a maximum of 500 investors annually, pending security clearance and financial solvency checks, with priority given to early applicants.
• Revocation and Review: If any condition is breached, citizenship or residency can be revoked. The criteria are to be reviewed and assessed every six months.

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