Jordan JO
Jordan requires every drone, regardless of weight, to be registered with the Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission (CARC) and to have a specific Ministry of Interior-coordinated flight permit approved at least 10 working days in advance for each mission — there is no walk-up recreational option. Bringing a personal drone through Queen Alia International Airport without a pre-approved permit is not allowed and drones are routinely confiscated at customs, so a tourist who has not arranged CARC/MoI approval in advance should not expect to fly, and should treat major sites like Petra as effectively off-limits and Wadi Rum as requiring separate site-specific permission.
Your plan
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3 things to sort out before you fly
- Register your drone in Jordan
File the Drones Operations Approval Application Form (CARC Form 25-0010), including serial number, high-resolution photos of the drone, and proof of ownership, at least 10 working days ahead. The official CARC drones page lists the form but does not itself publish the detailed procedure, fees, or a foreigner-specific pathway; these were not confirmed from official sources. Allow about 10 days before your trip.
Open official page - Make sure Remote ID broadcasts
Secondary sources describe electronic identification (alongside electric motors and geofencing) as required equipment for drone operations in Jordan; this was not independently confirmed on an official CARC page, so treat with some caution.
- Carry liability insurance
Required. Check that your policy covers flights in Jordan.
- Bringing your drone in
No drone-specific duty-free personal allowance is published. Bringing a personal drone into Jordan without a pre-approved CARC/Ministry of Interior permit is not allowed; unapproved drones are routinely confiscated at Queen Alia International Airport, sometimes held in customs storage (with a fee) until the traveller's departure. Import documentation described includes a passport copy, proof of liability insurance, training/qualification records, and the completed CARC Form 25-0010. No separate telecom/radio type-approval requirement was confirmed, but the import approval itself functions as a gating certification step. Batteries: Standard international air-travel lithium-battery rules are expected to apply (carry-on only); no Jordan-specific exception was found.
- Before each flight
Every drone, regardless of weight (including sub-250 g models), must be registered with CARC and have a specific flight permit for each mission · Submit the Drones Operations Approval Application Form (CARC Form 25-0010) at least 10 working days before the proposed flight, so the Ministry of Interior can coordinate with the Royal Jordanian Air Force and CARC · Maximum altitude approximately 121 m (400 ft) above ground level
Flying
- Every drone, regardless of weight (including sub-250 g models), must be registered with CARC and have a specific flight permit for each mission
- Submit the Drones Operations Approval Application Form (CARC Form 25-0010) at least 10 working days before the proposed flight, so the Ministry of Interior can coordinate with the Royal Jordanian Air Force and CARC
- Maximum altitude approximately 121 m (400 ft) above ground level
- Stay within roughly 500 m of the operator and within visual line of sight
- Maximum drone weight 25 kg and maximum flight duration around 3 hours per approved flight
- No-fly zones include airports/helipads, government and military facilities, areas affecting law-enforcement operations, private property, and crowds
- Treat the Petra archaeological zone as no-fly for casual tourists: it is a high-security UNESCO site, drones are confiscated at the gate, and aerials require ministerial-level approval plus clearance from the Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority (PDTRA) or the Royal Film Commission in addition to the CARC permit
- Wadi Rum is not open to casual tourist drone launches: the reserve sits near a military airbase and is environmentally sensitive, so flights need separate permission from the Wadi Rum Management Center on top of the CARC/MoI permit, and a granted permit typically covers only a single day
- Flying without written CARC and Ministry of Interior authorisation is treated as a criminal offence, risking confiscation, fines and potential imprisonment
Commercial use: Commercial and film/production drone work needs the same CARC application plus Ministry of Interior coordination, and for Petra or Wadi Rum specifically also needs sign-off from the Royal Film Commission, PDTRA and/or the Wadi Rum Management Center; approvals for these sensitive sites are negotiated well in advance and are not routine.
Registration & classes
| Registration | Yes (all drones) File the Drones Operations Approval Application Form (CARC Form 25-0010), including serial number, high-resolution photos of the drone, and proof of ownership, at least 10 working days ahead. The official CARC drones page lists the form but does not itself publish the detailed procedure, fees, or a foreigner-specific pathway; these were not confirmed from official sources. |
|---|---|
| Pilot test | No No standalone pilot licence confirmed. Secondary sources describe no formal pilot exam, but a minimum operator age of 21 with 'adequate training' as part of the CARC application (training/qualification documentation, licences or flight logs may be requested). Not confirmed on an official CARC page. |
| Remote ID | Yes Secondary sources describe electronic identification (alongside electric motors and geofencing) as required equipment for drone operations in Jordan; this was not independently confirmed on an official CARC page, so treat with some caution. |
| Insurance | Yes Proof of liability insurance is listed as part of the CARC application/import documentation. Some secondary sources describe it as 'recommended' rather than mandatory in other contexts, which conflicts with the application-form requirement — treat insurance as effectively required for a permit to be granted. |
| Foreign registration accepted | No Foreign visitor drone flights are not clearly documented as a routine tourist pathway; advance contact with CARC well before travel is strongly recommended. The 10-working-day CARC/Ministry of Interior coordination requirement applies to any flight, including tourist requests, and Petra/Wadi Rum add further site-specific approvals and delay. Numerous reports describe drones being confiscated from tourists at the airport when no prior approval exists, so plan the paperwork well before the trip rather than assuming on-arrival flexibility. |
Weight classes
| Class | Weight | Rules |
|---|---|---|
| All drones, any weight | any weight, including < 250 g | CARC registration and a mission-specific flight permit (10 working days' advance notice) are required regardless of size; there is no exemption for small/toy drones. |
| Above 25 kg | > 25 kg | Exceeds the described standard operating envelope; likely needs bespoke approval, not covered by the standard tourist/hobbyist process. |
Import & export
- No drone-specific duty-free personal allowance is published. Bringing a personal drone into Jordan without a pre-approved CARC/Ministry of Interior permit is not allowed; unapproved drones are routinely confiscated at Queen Alia International Airport, sometimes held in customs storage (with a fee) until the traveller's departure.
- Import documentation described includes a passport copy, proof of liability insurance, training/qualification records, and the completed CARC Form 25-0010. No separate telecom/radio type-approval requirement was confirmed, but the import approval itself functions as a gating certification step.
- Batteries: Standard international air-travel lithium-battery rules are expected to apply (carry-on only); no Jordan-specific exception was found.
- Plan to apply for CARC/Ministry of Interior approval at least 10 working days before travel; there is no same-day or airport-arrival approval process described.
- If arriving without pre-approval, some travellers report being able to declare the drone and have customs store it for return on departure from the same airport, but this is not guaranteed and should not be relied on.
- No official drone-specific customs duty or VAT rate was confirmed.
Export
- No drone-specific export control information was found; general Jordanian customs rules would apply when taking a drone back out of the country.
Costs
| Operator registration | Unknown Validity: Registration and the accompanying flight permit are described as tied to a specific mission/flight rather than a long-term standing licence; a Wadi Rum site permit, for example, typically covers only a single day. No official validity period for the underlying CARC drone registration itself was confirmed. |
|---|---|
| No standalone pilot licence confirmed | Not needed |
| Import taxes | ? % duty + ? % VAT Usually only for drones you buy abroad and bring in to keep. |
Guides
Bringing or flying a drone in Jordan as a tourist Visitors
- Apply to CARC at least 10 working days before travel
Submit the Drones Operations Approval Application Form (CARC Form 25-0010) with the drone's serial number, photos, proof of ownership, and proof of liability insurance. Open
- Do not plan on flying at Petra
Treat the Petra archaeological zone as no-fly; casual drone use there risks confiscation, and any aerial work needs ministerial-level approval plus PDTRA/Royal Film Commission sign-off.
- Get separate permission for Wadi Rum
Contact the Wadi Rum Management Center in addition to CARC; approved permits are typically valid for a single day only.
- Carry your approval paperwork through customs
Bring printed/digital proof of your CARC and Ministry of Interior approval when arriving at Queen Alia International Airport with the drone, since unapproved drones are commonly confiscated.
- Have a backup plan
If approval isn't arranged in time, consider hiring a Jordan-based operator who already holds the necessary CARC/MoI/site permits for aerial photography instead of bringing your own drone.
Sources
- Jordanian Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission (CARC) — Drones · accessed 24 Sept 2026
- drone-laws.com — Jordan Drone Laws 2026 · accessed 24 Sept 2026
- Loyalty Drones — Jordan Drone Laws 2026: The Ultimate Guide to CARC Regulations · accessed 24 Sept 2026
How the score is built
- Operator registration−15
- Remote ID−8
- Mandatory insurance−6
- Night flight unknown−3
- Visitors need a flight permit−20
- Visitors must register locally−10
- Long lead time (10 days)−8
- Import permit−40
- Duty + VAT ≈ 15 %−9
- Radio / type certification−12
Every score starts at 100 and loses points for each requirement. How scoring works