Jordan does allow dual citizenship in most situations, but the rules depend on how you came by your Jordanian nationality. A Jordanian who acquires a foreign passport keeps their Jordanian citizenship automatically. A foreign investor can obtain Jordanian nationality and hold onto their original one. A foreigner who naturalizes through the ordinary route, however, is formally required to give up their prior nationality, and children of Jordanian mothers married to foreign fathers generally cannot claim citizenship at all.
Jordanians Who Take a Second Nationality
This is the clearest case. Article 17 of the amended Jordanian Nationality Law No. 6 of 1954 says a Jordanian who acquires a foreign nationality keeps Jordanian citizenship unless they actively renounce it through the law’s procedures.1Learning Partnership. Jordan Law No 6 of 1954 on Nationality (Last Amended 1987) Becoming a naturalized American, Canadian, British, or other foreign citizen does not, by itself, cost you your Jordanian passport.
If someone did renounce and later wants their Jordanian nationality back, the Council of Ministers can restore it on application through the Minister of Internal Affairs.1Learning Partnership. Jordan Law No 6 of 1954 on Nationality (Last Amended 1987)
A Jordanian woman who marries a non-Jordanian and takes her husband’s nationality also keeps her Jordanian citizenship unless she affirmatively gives it up. If that marriage later ends, she can apply to recover Jordanian nationality even if she had renounced it.
Foreigners Becoming Jordanian
Whether a foreign national can hold two passports after acquiring Jordanian nationality depends entirely on the route they take.
By Descent
Children born to a Jordanian father are Jordanian citizens from birth wherever they are born. Article 9 puts it plainly: “The children, wherever born, of a Jordanian shall be Jordanians.”2United Nations. Jordan – Laws Concerning Nationality In practice this operates through the father’s line. A child born abroad who also picks up the birth country’s citizenship holds both without conflict.
By Marriage
A foreign woman married to a Jordanian man can apply for Jordanian nationality after a waiting period, generally reported as three years for Arab women and five years for non-Arab women, subject to written application and approval by the Minister of Internal Affairs. She can hold both nationalities.
By Naturalization
Ordinary naturalization is where the picture changes. A foreigner can apply for Jordanian citizenship through the Council of Ministers after meeting several conditions: at least four years of ordinary residence in Jordan, knowledge of Arabic, no criminal convictions involving dishonesty, and an intention to reside permanently in Jordan.2United Nations. Jordan – Laws Concerning Nationality The Council has broad discretion, though it is required to grant applications from Arab nationals who meet the requirements, and it can waive the four-year residency for Arab applicants or others whose naturalization serves the public interest.
The catch sits in Article 13(3): a naturalization certificate cannot be granted unless the applicant loses their prior nationality in the process.2United Nations. Jordan – Laws Concerning Nationality So while a Jordanian who takes a foreign passport keeps both, a foreigner who naturalizes in Jordan is formally required to renounce their old citizenship. The statutory text is clear, whatever enforcement looks like in any given case.
Citizenship by Investment
Jordan launched a Citizenship by Investment program in 2018 that explicitly allows investors to hold dual nationality, and approvals have been reported within a few months. The main pathways use Jordanian dinar (JOD) thresholds. Among them:
- JOD 1 million (roughly $1.4 million) in unencumbered company shares purchased through licensed brokers, no more than 20 percent in any single company, held at least three years.
- JOD 1 million invested in an existing project, including at least JOD 500,000 in tangible assets and 20 Jordanian jobs created, held for three years.
- An average of JOD 700,000 in assets with 20 Jordanian employees in Amman, held at 90 percent monthly compliance over three years, or JOD 350,000 with 10 employees outside Amman.
- JOD 3 million in eligible strategic sectors such as pharmaceuticals, food logistics, and medical supply warehousing, with sustained employment of pharmacists over three years.
- Employing and registering at least 150 Jordanians in Amman (or 100 outside Amman) with the Social Security Corporation for at least one year, maintained for two more years after citizenship is granted.
The grant covers the investor, their spouse, unmarried or divorced daughters, sons under 18, and dependent parents.3UNCTAD. Adopts Framework for Granting Citizenship and Residency to Investors The program is capped at 500 cases per year and the thresholds are reviewed every six months, so the exact figures shift.
Children of Jordanian Mothers
Jordanian nationality law does not let Jordanian women pass citizenship to their children on the same terms as Jordanian men. Article 9’s reference to children “of a Jordanian” has been interpreted through the father’s line. A child born to a Jordanian mother and a foreign father does not automatically receive Jordanian citizenship unless the father is stateless or of unknown nationality.
A 2014 cabinet decision introduced certain “privileges” for non-citizen children of Jordanian mothers, including a special ID card intended to ease access to public services, education, and healthcare. The practical results have been limited. The cabinet decision cannot override existing law, so government agencies still treat these children as foreign nationals in most respects: annual residency renewals, hard-to-obtain work permits, and unfulfilled promises on property ownership and driver’s licenses. A five-year residency requirement for the Jordanian mother narrows the pool further.
Military Service for Dual Citizens
Holding a second passport does not exempt anyone from Jordan’s military service rules. Jordan treats dual nationals and holders of temporary passports the same as any other eligible citizen for conscription purposes, and considers them fully subject to service obligations whenever they are inside its jurisdiction.
Dual citizens living abroad can apply for a deferral by showing residence outside Jordan for at least four consecutive months or six cumulative months within the calendar year. Applications require supporting documents such as valid residency permits, employment contracts, or proof of property ownership or rental in the host country. Deferrals renew annually, but the renewal application has to be submitted at least one month before the current deferral expires. Inaccurate documentation or a failure to meet the residency threshold triggers automatic cancellation and immediate enlistment. Requests can go through Jordanian embassies, consulates, or online platforms.
Passports and Border Rules
Jordan does not generally require dual citizens to enter and exit on a Jordanian passport.4U.S. Embassy in Jordan. Dual Citizenship That is more relaxed than the rule in many countries. Even so, Jordanian authorities have on occasion required an individual dual national to obtain a Jordanian passport before being allowed to leave. Those cases are rare, but when they happen, compliance is mandatory.
Your other country of citizenship may have its own rules. The United States, for instance, requires U.S. citizens to use a U.S. passport when entering or leaving American territory.4U.S. Embassy in Jordan. Dual Citizenship The practical answer for a U.S.-Jordanian dual national is to travel with both and present whichever one each country requires at its own border.
Consular Protection Has Limits
Dual citizenship creates a gap that surprises people. When you are physically in Jordan, the Jordanian government sees you as Jordanian first. Your other country’s embassy can do relatively little for you there. The U.S. Embassy in Amman states that its ability to assist U.S.-Jordanian dual nationals in Jordan is “quite limited” because Jordan may not recognize their claim to U.S. citizenship while on Jordanian soil.4U.S. Embassy in Jordan. Dual Citizenship
The consequences are real. If a dual citizen faces legal trouble in Jordan, a dispute over military obligations, or difficulty leaving the country, the foreign embassy may be unable to intervene effectively. The same limitation runs in reverse when a Jordanian dual citizen is on the territory of their other nationality.
Taxes
Jordan uses a territorial tax system rather than a citizenship-based one. Income arising in or from Jordan is taxable in Jordan regardless of nationality. Jordan does not tax its citizens on worldwide income just because they hold a Jordanian passport. Residency matters more than nationality: a person who spends at least 183 days in Jordan during a year is a tax resident, as is any Jordanian government employee working abroad.
That distinction matters for dual citizens. A Jordanian-American living in the United States owes Jordanian tax only on Jordanian-source income, not on an American salary. The U.S. side is more demanding, because American citizens owe U.S. tax on worldwide income wherever they live. If you hold both, understand both systems: foreign tax credits, reporting thresholds, and bank account disclosures can interact in ways that are easy to miss.