Guidance

Jordan: Knowledge Base profile

Published 13 May 2024

About: Jordan

This document contains useful information about Jordan which will assist HM Passport Office staff process passport applications.

Contacts

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Publication

Below is information on when this version of the document was published:

• version 2.0
• published for Home Office staff on 8 May 2024

Changes from last version of this document

This document has been updated with minor formatting changes.

Jordan: names

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about names in Jordan.

There is a naming convention in Jordan. Names in Jordan consist of:

• forename
• father’s forename
• grandfather’s forename
• surname

There are male and female versions of names in Jordan. A name with letter ‘a’ at the end of a forename will be the female version of a name, for example, Jamil/Jamila, Karim/Karima.

The Jordan passport:

• may show a family or tribal name in brackets:
  • a name in brackets indicates it does not make up the individuals official name and does not form part of their identity
• includes the mother’s name, this does not form part of the holder’s name

The Jordan passport has a character limit. Where the person’s full name exceeds the limit, the Jordan passport will show the full first name, the initials of any middle names and the full surname.

Change of name

Name changes are not allowed in Jordan apart from when an error was made by the issuing Department and the person affected applies for a family name correction.

A woman’s name does not change when she gets married.

Name alignment

HM Passport Office will not ask a customer to align their Jordan passport if the passport shows middle names as initials due to the character limit on a Jordan passport and the customer is applying for their British passport to include middle names.

Jordan: nationality

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about nationality in Jordan.

Dual nationality is recognised in Jordan.

Jordan: legitimacy

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about legitimacy in Jordan.

Legitimacy

Jordan recognises a difference between legitimate and illegitimate births.

A child will be considered:

• legitimate if born to:
  • married parents
  • unmarried parents who later marry after the birth. A court confirms paternity and legitimacy of the marriage before the birth can be legitimised
• illegitimate if born to parents who never marry

Jordan: adoption

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about adoption in Jordan.

Adoption is not allowed in Jordan.

Jordan: surrogacy

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about surrogacy in Jordan.

Surrogacy is illegal in Jordan.

Jordan: gender recognition

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about gender recognition in Jordan.

Transgender citizens are not recognised in Jordan.

Jordan: civil partnerships and marriage

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about civil partnerships and marriage in Jordan.

Civil partnerships and same sex marriages are not recognised in Jordan.

All marriages in Jordan are religious marriages.

Polygamy is legal in Jordan.

Jordan: documents

This section gives HM Passport Office operational staff information about documents in Jordan.

The Department of Civil Status and Passport (CSP) (under the Ministry of Interior) is responsible for all civil registration for people resident in Jordan and Jordan citizens overseas. The department registers and issues documents for all birth, marriage and deaths and identity documents.

Birth certificates

Birth certificates are issued following all births in Jordan. Births:

• must be registered within 30 days if the birth took place in Jordan to married parents
• must be registered within 90 days at an embassy or consulate if the birth took place outside Jordan
• to unmarried mothers are not subject to registration time frames
• registered:
  • late will incur a fine
  • over a year after the event can only be registered by court order

Certificates are issued in either Arabic or English. Hospital records exist.

If an error is found on a birth certificate, corrections to a certificate can be obtained through the CSP.

Marriage certificates

When a couple sign a marriage contract (Katib Al Kitab) they are legally married in Jordan. Marriages should be registered within 90 days. Late registrations are allowed. Certificates are issued in Arabic or English.

Death certificates

Jordan issues:

• burial certificates; or,
• death certificates

A death:

• in Jordan must be registered within 7 days
• of a Jordan national outside of Jordan must be registered with an embassy or consulate within 90 days
• registered over 1 year after the event can only be registered using a court order

Identity documents

It is mandatory for a Jordan citizen to have an identity card. An identity card is valid for:

• 10 years for a citizen aged 18 and over
• 5 years for a citizen under 18

Jordan issues:

• passports to citizens that are valid for 5 years
• temporary passports to people who are not citizens
• travel documents to allow Jordan citizens without a passport, to enter and exit the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan

The Jordan passport:

• may show a family or tribal name in brackets:
  • a name in brackets indicates it does not make up the individuals official name and does not form part of their identity
• includes the mother’s name, this does not form part of the holder’s name

Where a person’s full name has too many characters the Jordan passport will show the full first name, the initials of any middle names and the full surname.