Crossing the Borders

The Opening Hours for the Passenger Terminal are:

​SUNDAY – THURSDAY: 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM
FRIDAY & SATURDAY: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM

​The border crossing will be completely closed at Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement) and the Muslim New Year (Ra’s al-Sana al-Hijriyah).

​Opening hours may also differ on other Jewish, Christian, Muslim and national holidays. For the Jewish holidays, you can find the opening hours here.
On the Jordanian side, the opening hours for holidays are usually announced at very short notice. When making your travel plans, keep upcoming holidays in mind, and be prepared to be flexible.

​​It is recommended to reach the border about 30-60 mins prior to its closing time.

Private Car:
You can travel in your private car from Jordan to Palestine/ Israel, and back (but NOT with a taxi or rental car). If you don’t want to take your car over the border, you can also leave it in a parking lot on either side of the border.

Public Transport
Public transport to and from either side of the Sheikh Hussein / Jordan River Border Crossing is very limited. The easiest (and still relatively cheap) option is, to take a bus to Irbid/ Beit She’an, and then from there a taxi to the border. After crossing the border, you can then subsequently take a taxi from the border to Beit She’an/ Irbid, and then continue from there by bus.

Bus between Amman & Nazareth
A bus operates several times a week between Amman and Nazareth. This bus crosses at Sheikh Hussein/ Jordan River Crossing.

There is some distance between the Jordanian and the Israeli border terminals, that travelers are not allowed to cross by foot.

An air-conditioned bus takes the passengers from Jordanian terminal to the Israeli terminal (and vice versa). According to Israeli authorities, this bus leaves every 25 minutes and the ride costs 5 NIS (approx. 1 JD/ $1,4).

VIP Service:
The VIP Service is a provision run by the staff at the borders to enable faster crossing. The service includes “VIP” waiting rooms, assistance with immigration, security and luggage; plus a private van shuttle between the terminals. Usually clients go to the front of any queues. The VIP service can save lots of frustration, speed up the crossing considerably (especially when the border is busy), and allows more comfort.

The VIP service is paid for directly at the border. The cost is as follows:
1 person ($71 USD)
2 people ($54 USD per person)
3 people ($48 USD per person)
4 people ($45 USD per person)
5 people ($43 per person)
6 people ($42 per person) at Sheikh Hussein Crossing.

The Opening Hours for the Passenger Terminal are:

SUNDAY – THURSDAY: 08:00 AM – 09:00 PM Make sure to be there around 6 PM latest, in order to catch the last shuttle!

FRIDAY & SATURDAY: 08:00 AM – 12:00 PM Make sure to be there around 10 AM latest, in order to catch the last shuttle!

​The border crossing will be completely closed at Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) and the first day of Eid al-Adha (the Festival of Sacrifice).

​Opening hours may also differ on other Jewish, Christian, Muslim and national holidays. For the Jewish holidays, you can find the opening hours here.
On the Jordanian side, the opening hours for holidays are usually announced at very short notice. When making your travel plans, keep upcoming holidays in mind, and be prepared to be flexible.

​The official opening/ closing times represent when the border staff want to leave, not when the last traveler is admitted! In reality you therefore need to be at the border much earlier. Since King Hussein/ Allenby Bridge is the busiest of the three bridges, we recommend to reach the border at least 2 hours prior to its closing time.

To & from Amman

There is a bus running daily from Amman to King Hussein Bridge, operated by the JETT company. It is leaving from Abdali at 06:30 am.

If that doesn’t suit your travel plans, you can always take a taxi from Amman to the border crossing and back.

To & from Jericho/ the West Bank

There are buses operating between the border crossing and Jericho. Alternatively, you can also take a taxi, which shouldn’t be too expensive, since the distance isn’t very far (approx. 10km). From Jericho, you can take collective taxis (service) to most other cities in the West Bank.

To & from Jerusalem

A company called al-Najmah Taxis is operating a shuttle between Jerusalem and the bridge. The cost for one passenger (without luggage) is 45 NIS. In Jerusalem, the company’s office and starting point for the shuttle is located on Sultan Suleiman Street, between Damascus and Herod’s Gate. They should be reachable under: 026277466, or 026277544.

1. At the Jordanian Terminal:

When you arrive at King Hussein Bridge, make sure you go to the Tourist Terminal (don’t worry – the bus will take you there anyways, and most taxi drivers know where to go as well; in case that you end up at the terminal for Jordanians/Palestinians, border staff will direct you to the Tourist Terminal). After entering the terminal, you will have to pay the exit tax if it is applicable, and get your passport checked. Usually, you will receive your exit stamp on a piece of paper. The staff will keep your passport and return it to you once you’re on the shuttle bus.

2. Between the Border Terminals:

Sometimes, you have to wait a bit until there are enough passengers to fill the bus to the Israeli Terminal, which is about 5 Km away. At some point, you will be told to board the shuttle bus (if you want to avoid the wait for the bus and speed up the whole border crossing you can take the VIP service). You have to buy a ticket for the transfer in the bus. You will also receive your passport back.

3. At the Israeli Terminal:

After getting out of the shuttle bus in front of the Israeli terminal, you will have to drop large items of luggage at one of the counters outside the terminal (it will go for a security check). You will get a sticker on your passport, indicating how many items you checked in. If you are only traveling with hand luggage, make sure to keep that with you.

Before entering the terminal, stop at a second counter, where your passport will receive it’s initial assessment and another sticker. The color of and the code printed on the sticker, supposedly tell about the outcome of this assessment (i.e. how dangerous you most likely are to the Israeli state), but nobody knows exactly what they mean. You can then continue inside the terminal, where an immigration officers will (after possibly some questioning) issue you with your visa.

After the immigration kiosks there is another passport check. Then you walk out to the hall where the checked luggage is discharged. You can collect your luggage, and continue past the customs counters and out of the Terminal.

Please note that much as we would wish otherwise, we have no control over the procedure, systems, crowds and queues at the border. Look at these as the possible price to pay to visit the great city of Jerusalem. If you want to avoid them consider taking the VIP Border Crossing service (see below); or travelling via the Jordan River Border (also known as Sheikh Hussein – though here you will add 3 hours of driving).

1. At the Israeli Terminal:

Your vehicle will drop you off outside the Israeli terminal. You enter the terminal and head to the exit tax kiosk to pay your exit tax. Officially this is payable in local currency, but they will generally take US dollars or Euros as well. Take the exit tax invoice to the immigration counter and hand it over with your passport. After processing your passport you will enter into a waiting area with seats. Here you can wait till called to board your shuttle bus. Please be aware there are 3 different shuttles, one for tourists, one for Jerusalem residents, and one for West Bank Palestinians. Check with the driver you are on the correct bus.

2. Between the Border Terminals

You can wait in the waiting area until you are called to board the shuttle bus (to avoid long waiting hours, you can opt for the VIP service (see below). Please be aware there are 3 different shuttles, one for tourists, one for Jerusalem residents, and one for West Bank Palestinians. Check with the driver you are on the correct bus.

Along the way between Israeli and the Jordanian terminal, the Jordanian police will collect your passports. These will be held by the driver and given to the Jordanian immigration at the Jordanian Terminal. Upon arrival at the Jordanian terminal, a ticket collector will board the bus to charge the passengers for their ride. Eventually, you will disembark from the bus at the Jordanian Border Terminal.

3. Jordanian Border Terminal

Inside the terminal your name will be called and you will be handed your passport. You then have to pass by a counter to control/ confirm your visa (IMPORTANT – you can’t obtain a visa to Jordan upon arrival at this border crossing!).

The Opening Hours for the Passenger Terminal are:

SUNDAY – THURSDAY: 06:30 AM – 08:00 PM
FRIDAY & SATURDAY: 08:00 AM – 8:00 PM

​The border crossing will be completely closed at Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement) and the Muslim New Year (Ra’s al-Sana al-Hijriyah).

​Opening hours may also differ on other Jewish, Christian, Muslim and national holidays. For the Jewish holidays, you can find the opening hours here.
On the Jordanian side, the opening hours for holidays are usually announced at very short notice. When making your travel plans, keep upcoming holidays in mind, and be prepared to be flexible.

​​It is recommended to be at the border 30-60 mins prior to closing time.

On either side, there is no public transport to and from this border crossing.
The best option is, to take a taxi from/ to Aqaba or Eilat.

The space between the two border terminals can be crossed by foot, there is no shuttle bus.

If travelers crossing to Jordan through Wadi Araba/ Yitzhak Rabin Crossing stay 4 nights and longer in the country, Visa Fees and Exit Taxes for Jordan will be waived.

However, if they stay less than 4 nights (0-3 nights), they have to pay the usual 40JD for Visa, and 10JD for Exit Taxes.