Jordan Member profile
No notifications submitted by Jordan
Trade policy review
Latest Trade Policy Review (Report by the WTO Secretariat): WT/TPR/S/446/Rev.1
A. Import prohibitions and restrictions and import licensing
3.46.
The import control regime (i.e. prohibitions, restrictions, and licensing) is governed by the Import and Export Law No. 21 of 2001. The Import and Export Licences and Card Regulation No. 114 for 2004 and its amendments do not apply to the free zones. The Law, the Regulations, and their amendments are not applicable to free zones including the Aqaba SEZ.
3.47.
Jordan's last notification of quantitative restrictions was in 2009.[108]
3.48.
According to the authorities, import prohibitions are imposed on products on the grounds of public safety and morals, protection of human life and the environment, and compliance with Jordan's international obligations.
3.49.
Products subject to import prohibitions have remained largely unchanged since the last Review in 2016. Effective on 9 October 2015, importation of motorcycle chassis was banned on the concern of human safety (Table 3.5). Source: Information provided by the authorities.
3.50.
During the review period, the import licensing regime remained largely unchanged. Jordan notified to the WTO in 2016 that 170 products were subject to import licensing requirements, among which the licensing requirements for 40 products were automatic.[109]
3.51.
Import licences include automatic and non-automatic licences. The authorities note that the licensing requirements are mainly for statistical purposes as well as to fulfil Jordan's obligations under international agreements or to ensure that health, safety, environment, national security objectives are met. The authorities indicate that if imported goods affect public safety, national security, or health and environmental protection, and such goods are subject to quantitative restrictions, imports of such goods are subject to non‑automatic licensing requirements.
3.52.
Import licences are issued by various authorities, depending on the goods. All licences issued by the MITS are non-automatic, covering 27 products, most of which are chemical products. Other competent authorities for import licensing within their respective responsibilities include the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission, the Energy and Mineral Regulatory Commission, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Health, and the JFDA. Applications for a licence must be submitted to the relevant licensing authority and demonstrate that statutory conditions for importation of such goods have been met. According to the authorities, automatic licences are issued normally within 1 working day after submission of all relevant documentation, while non-automatic licences are issued within 15 working days. A licence fee of JOD 10 is charged to the applicant for each licence issued.
3.53.
An import licence is valid for one year from its issuance. Import licences are transferable, upon consent from the competent authority. Additionally, a licence may be revoked or cancelled on the grounds of violation of the licence conditions or implementation of new/amended legislation.[110] The authorities note that no import licence has been revoked.
B. Export prohibitions and restrictions
3.61.
According to the authorities, Jordan maintains export prohibitions only on the grounds of fulfilling its international obligations, such as controls on endangered species of wild fauna and flora and non-proliferation of nuclear and chemical weapons. The authorities note that Jordan did not maintain any trade sanction measures during the review period.
3.62.
Exports of products derived from wheat (e.g. flour, cakes, pasta), sugar, rice, and legumes are subject to automatic licensing requirements. From 2 January 2018, the automatic licensing requirements for exporting flour products (e.g. cakes, cookies) and semolina products (e.g. pasta, Moroccan couscous) were abolished. The authorities indicate that the remaining automatic licensing requirements are in place on the grounds of inventory management. All export licences, whether automatic or non-automatic, are issued by the MITS (Table 3.6). Each export licence is subject to a fee of JOD 5. Source: Information provided by the authorities.
WTO's environmental database (EDB)
The EDB contains environment-related measures that may qualify as QRs and therefore should be notified under the QR Decision.