Nikolai Timofejev
15 years in FinTech and payments. Maps your business model to the right licence scope and leads the file all the way to the CBJ licence, including banking and payment rails.
Get a payment license in Jordan.
Jordan licenses payment businesses under the Electronic Payment and Money Transfer Bylaw No. 111 of 2017, made under the Electronic Transactions Law 15/2015 and filled in by the central bank's 2018 instructions. Capital is JOD 1,000,000 for payment services, JOD 1,500,000 to issue electronic money, JOD 2,000,000 for money transfer and JOD 3,000,000 to run a payment system. The Central Bank of Jordan decides within ninety days, allows six months to satisfy the conditions, then issues the licence within another ninety. Its general register lists nineteen active licensees, and the instant rail is CliQ.
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Licenses obtainedlicenses obtained
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Jordan in brief
A bylaw published in English, four capital figures, and three printed clocks.
Jordan's payment rules start in the Electronic Transactions Law No. 15 of 2015, whose Articles 21 and 22 hand the subject on, and land in the Electronic Payment and Money Transfer Bylaw No. 111 of 2017, gazetted on 18 October 2017 and in force 120 days later. The central bank publishes the full text in English, which is unusual in the region and useful when a foreign investor's board has to read the rules before funding them. The bylaw licenses three things: a payment service provider under Article 16, covering the issuance and management of payment instruments, electronic cash deposit and withdrawal, credit and debit processing including mobile payments, collection and money transfer; the manager or operator of an electronic payment system under Article 17; and an issuer of electronic money under Article 19. The capital sits in Instructions No. 3/2018. Payment services need JOD 1,000,000, with 10% added for each further activity. Electronic money issuance needs JOD 1,500,000, money transfer JOD 2,000,000, and managing or operating a system JOD 3,000,000, with 20% for each additional system and half again on top where one company does both. Capital is recalculated every two years against monthly transaction values under Articles 8 to 10.
Collateral is where Jordan is strictest. Under Instructions No. 1/2018 an electronic money issuer keeps a separate customers' account at a bank whose balance never falls below the electronic money in issue, booked by that bank as a trust account off its own balance sheet; part may go into low-risk liquid assets within ratios the central bank sets. A money transfer provider posts a bank guarantee worth 30% of its minimum capital, plus a compliance guarantee of 2%. Since December 2024 the adequacy of that collateral has to be assessed externally, with quarterly reports from the third quarter of 2025. The timetable is printed: ninety days for the central bank to decide under Article 8(b), six months for the applicant to satisfy the conditions under Article 8(e), then ninety days to the final licence under Article 9(a), which runs without an expiry date and cannot be transferred. Fees stay modest - JOD 1,000 with the application, then JOD 3,000 on licensing and JOD 1,000 a year for a payment service provider, JOD 5,000 and JOD 3,000 a year for a system manager, payable each January. The rails belong to JoPACC: cheque clearing, the ACH, JoMoPay and the CliQ instant payment system. We run the file from Dubai.
Bylaw No. 111 of 2017 under the Electronic Transactions Law 15/2015, published in English by the central bank. Capital under Instructions 3/2018: JOD 1,000,000 for payment services with 10% per further activity, JOD 1,500,000 for electronic money, JOD 2,000,000 for money transfer and JOD 3,000,000 to manage a payment system.
A bank guarantee of 30% of minimum capital behind transfer activity plus a 2% compliance guarantee, and electronic money covered in full in a bank trust account. Ninety days to decide, six months of conditions, ninety more to the licence. JOD 1,000 to apply. CliQ and JoMoPay. We run the file from Dubai.
The routes
Payment services, electronic money, or the system itself.
Three licences under one bylaw, at four capital figures, with the collateral attached to the activity rather than the company. We fix the activity list first, because every add-on moves the capital.
Payment services, money transfer, electronic money or the system itself.
01 - PAYMENT SERVICE PROVIDER
Payment services and money transfer
The Article 16 licence for issuing and managing payment instruments, electronic cash deposit and withdrawal, credit and debit processing including mobile payments, collection and money transfer - JOD 1,000,000 of capital, or JOD 2,000,000 where money transfer is in scope, with a bank guarantee behind it.
The Article 16 licence for issuing and managing payment instruments, electronic cash deposit and withdrawal, credit and debit processing including mobile payments, collection and money transfer - JOD 1,000,000 of capital, or JOD 2,000,000 where money transfer is in scope, with a bank guarantee behind it.
- ✓Payment instruments, processing, collection, mobile payments
- ✓Capital JOD 1,000,000, plus 10% per additional activity
- ✓Money transfer: capital JOD 2,000,000
- ✓Bank guarantee of 30% of minimum capital for transfer activity
- ✓Compliance guarantee of a further 2%
- ✓Jordanian shareholding company, or a foreign branch under 5/2018
02 - E-MONEY AND SYSTEM OPERATOR
JOD 1.5M - 3MElectronic money issuer and system manager
Article 19 licenses the issue of electronic money on JOD 1,500,000, with the float held in a bank account that never falls below the money in issue. Article 17 licenses the manager or operator of an electronic payment system on JOD 3,000,000.
E-money: JOD 1,500,000 with the float fully covered in a bank trust account. System manager: JOD 3,000,000, plus 20% per extra system.
- ✓E-money issuance: capital JOD 1,500,000
- ✓Customers' account covering 100% of the e-money in issue
- ✓Booked by the bank as a trust, off its own balance sheet
- ✓System manager or operator: capital JOD 3,000,000
- ✓Plus 20% of capital for each additional system
- ✓Operator and PSP together: JOD 3,000,000 with half again on top
Costs and timelines are confirmed for your case before any work begins. State charges are printed - JOD 1,000 to apply, then JOD 3,000 or JOD 5,000 on licensing with the annual fee due each January - and the collateral, capital and substance are itemised in your quote.
Why Jordan
Everything a licence costs is written down, in English.
Jordan publishes its payment bylaw and its 2018 instructions in English, prints every clock and every collateral percentage, and supervises nineteen licensees for a population of 11,937,000.
✓
A bylaw published in English
The central bank puts the full text of Bylaw 111/2017 and the 2018 instructions online in English - capital, collateral and clocks all readable before you commit money.Bylaw and instructions both published.
✓
Three clocks in the text
Ninety days to a decision under Article 8(b), six months to satisfy conditions under 8(e), ninety more to the licence under 9(a). Dates, not service standards.90 days, six months, 90 days.
✓
A licence without an expiry
Article 9(b) makes the licence unlimited in duration and non-transferable, so renewal is a fee in January rather than a fresh file every few years.The licence runs without a term.
✓
Collateral you can price
A 30% bank guarantee for money transfer, 2% for compliance, and cover of the full electronic money in issue. Each figure is printed in Instructions 1/2018.30% guarantee; full e-money cover.
✓
A foreign-branch route
Instructions 5/2018 admit a foreign company through a registered branch: three years of experience, its home authority's approval, a regional director resident in Jordan and the capital transferred in one payment.Admitted under Instructions 5/2018.
✓
JoMoPay and CliQ
JoPACC runs cheque clearing, the ACH, the JoMoPay mobile switch and CliQ for instant transfers - rails a licensee joins rather than builds.Instant transfers on JoPACC rails.
How it compares
How Jordan differs from the routes around it.
Jordan, Israel, Egypt and the UAE all license payment businesses, and only some of them print what the licence will cost. The honest comparison is below.
Jordan vs other jurisdictions
| Feature |  Jordan | Other jurisdictions |
|---|---|---|
| Capital | JOD 1M / 1.5M / 2M / 3M | EGP 10M-500M Egypt · AED 0.1-3M UAE |
| Decision clock | 90 days, then 90 to the licence | 90 + 90 in Egypt, each extendable once |
| Collateral | 30% guarantee · full e-money cover | 2% bank guarantee in Egypt |
| Corporate tax | 20% · 24% financial companies | 22.5% Egypt · 23% Israel · 9% UAE |
Capital
JordanJOD 1M / 1.5M / 2M / 3M
Other jurisdictionsEGP 10M-500M Egypt · AED 0.1-3M UAE
Decision clock
Jordan90 days, then 90 to the licence
Other jurisdictions90 + 90 in Egypt, each extendable once
Collateral
Jordan30% guarantee · full e-money cover
Other jurisdictions2% bank guarantee in Egypt
Corporate tax
Jordan20% · 24% financial companies
Other jurisdictions22.5% Egypt · 23% Israel · 9% UAE
Country by country
| Country | License type | Taxation | Requirements |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jordan | PSP / e-money / operator (CBJ) | 20% · 24% financial | JOD 1M-3M · 90 + 90 days |
 Israel | Payment company (ISA) | 23% · tech 7.5-16% | ISA directives · fees set |
 Egypt | PSP A/B · PSO (CBE) | 22.5% · VAT 14% | EGP 10M-500M · 90 + 90 days |
 UAE | RPS Cat I-IV (CBUAE) | 9% · 0% band | AED 0.1-3M by volume |
JordanLicense typePSP / e-money / operator (CBJ)
Taxation20% · 24% financial
RequirementsJOD 1M-3M · 90 + 90 days
IsraelLicense typePayment company (ISA)
Taxation23% · tech 7.5-16%
RequirementsISA directives · fees set
EgyptLicense typePSP A/B · PSO (CBE)
Taxation22.5% · VAT 14%
RequirementsEGP 10M-500M · 90 + 90 days
UAELicense typeRPS Cat I-IV (CBUAE)
Taxation9% · 0% band
RequirementsAED 0.1-3M by volume
Before you apply
Requirements for the CBJ licence.Requirements for the licence.
The bylaw sets the licences and the clocks; the 2018 instructions set the capital, the collateral, the governance and the technical bar. The checklist below is what a passing file contains.
01
A Jordanian public or private shareholding company under Articles 3 and 5 of the bylaw, or a registered branch of a foreign company under Article 3(d) and Instructions No. 5/2018.
02
Capital at the figure for the activity: JOD 1,000,000 for payment services, JOD 1,500,000 for electronic money, JOD 2,000,000 for money transfer, JOD 3,000,000 to manage a system, with the 10% and 20% add-ons for further activities and systems.
03
For a foreign applicant, at least three years of experience in the activity, the approval of its home authority, a regional director resident in Jordan and the whole capital transferred in a single payment.
04
A separate customers' account for electronic money at a bank, never below the money in issue, classified by that bank as a trust account outside its own balance sheet.
05
A bank guarantee of 30% of minimum capital where the licence covers money transfer, plus a compliance guarantee of 2%, with the external adequacy assessment the central bank required from December 2024.
06
Fit-and-proper evidence for the board and senior management under Instructions No. 10/2018, and a compliance manager who joins the central bank's compliance committee.
07
AML/CFT plans, with the customer due diligence and electronic dealing arrangements of Instructions No. 7/2021 and No. 9/2022.
08
Technical and cyber arrangements to Instructions No. 8/2018, with a head office and a disaster-recovery site the central bank inspects before final approval.
09
Agent arrangements that leave the principal fully liable under Articles 43 to 46 - and, for a system manager, agents that are themselves licensed entities.
10
The application fee of JOD 1,000, and a build plan that fits the six months Article 8(e) allows between preliminary approval and the final licence.
01
Jordanian shareholding company or branch.
02
Capital JOD 1M / 1.5M / 2M / 3M.
03
Foreign applicant: 3 years, home approval.
04
Customers' trust account for e-money.
05
30% bank guarantee plus 2% compliance.
06
Fit-and-proper board (10/2018).
07
AML and KYC (7/2021, 9/2022).
08
Technical and cyber rules (8/2018).
09
Agents with the principal liable.
10
JOD 1,000 fee; six-month build window.
Reflects the Electronic Payment and Money Transfer Bylaw No. 111 of 2017 under the Electronic Transactions Law 15/2015, the CBJ instructions of 2018 and the circulars issued through 2026.Bylaw 111/2017; Instructions 1, 2, 3, 5, 8 and 10 of 2018; Instructions 7/2021 and 9/2022; circulars to 2026.
How it works
From first call to the CBJ licence.
01
Licence and strategy
Payment services, money transfer, electronic money or system operation - the activity list, capital and budget fixed in writing.Activity list and capital in writing.
02
Company and capital
Jordanian shareholding company or foreign branch formed, capital paid to the Instructions 3/2018 figure.Formed, paid, documented.
03
The application file
Application with the JOD 1,000 fee, business plan, governance, technical and AML documentation - complete before filing.Filed with the JOD 1,000 fee.
04
Decision and conditions
Preliminary approval within ninety days, then six months to satisfy the conditions, including collateral and the site inspection.90 days, then six months.
05
Final licence and launch
The licence issued within ninety days of the conditions being met, unlimited in duration, with the annual fee due each January.Ninety days to the final licence.
Quick facts
RegulatorCentral Bank of Jordan
LawBylaw 111/2017 · Law 15/2015
LicencesPSP · e-money · system operator
CapitalJOD 1M / 1.5M / 2M / 3M
Collateral30% guarantee · full e-money cover
Decision90 days + 6 months + 90 days
FeesJOD 1,000 · 3,000/1,000 · 5,000/3,000
Corporate tax20% · 24% financial companies
The six months between preliminary approval and the final licence is where files stall. The collateral, the head office and the recovery site all have to be real before the central bank inspects them.
Your Jordan desk
Run from our Levant desk.
Prifinance - Levant desk
Dubai · coordinating Jordanian mandates
33 Level, Al Saqr Business Tower, Dubai
01
Jordanian company formation
A public or private shareholding company with the capital your activity requires, or the registered branch route of Instructions 5/2018 for a foreign applicant.Shareholding company or branch.
02
The CBJ file
Application, business plan, governance, technical and AML documentation to the 2018 instructions - drafted by us and defended through the ninety-day review.2018 instructions answered in order.
03
Collateral and accounts
The customers' trust account for electronic money, the 30% bank guarantee behind transfer activity and the 2% compliance guarantee, arranged with a Jordanian bank.Trust account and bank guarantees.
04
Substance in Amman
A head office and a disaster-recovery site the central bank inspects, a compliance manager who sits on its committee, and managers who pass Instructions 10/2018.Amman office, DR site, compliance manager.
We also have offices in
Tallinn
Estonia
Roseni 13
Vilnius
Lithuania
Gedimino pr. 2
Prague
Czech Republic
Vlkova 532/8, Žižkov
London
United Kingdom
7 Bell Yard
Madeira
Portugal
Rua da Alegria 31, 1F
Budapest
Hungary
Korányi Sándor u. 4
Istanbul
Turkey
Perpa Ticaret Merkezi, A Blok
Good to know
Taxation of payment companies in Jordan.
Twenty per cent on legal persons, twenty-four for financial companies and thirty-five for banks, each carrying a national contribution on top, with a 16% sales tax. Which bracket a payment licensee falls into is the question worth settling first.
Corporate tax 20%
Article 11(b) of Income Tax Law 34/2014 sets 20% for legal persons - the rate a payment company pays unless it is treated as a financial company.The rate for legal persons.
24% for financial companies
The same article raises the rate to 24% for financial intermediation, financial companies and finance leasing, alongside basic telecom, electricity, mining and insurance. Whether a licensed payment provider sits in that list is confirmed for your structure.Financial companies and leasing.
Banks at 35%
Banks pay 35%. The figure matters because a payment licensee that partners closely with one is sometimes assumed to share the bracket. It does not.A bracket a PSP does not share.
The national contribution
Article 11(f) adds a national contribution on top of the rate: 4% for financial intermediation, financial companies and leasing, 3% for banks and electricity, 2% for telecom and insurance, 7% for mining.4% financial, 3% banks, 2% telecom.
Withholding 10%
Article 12(b) withholds 10% on non-exempt income paid to non-residents. Dividends distributed by resident companies are exempt under Article 4(a)(8), except where a bank or financial company receives them.On income paid to non-residents.
Sales tax 16%
The general sales tax runs at 16% under Law 6/1994 as amended in 2022. How it treats each payment fee is mapped against the product before pricing.Mapped against the product.
Tax summary
Corporate tax20% legal persons
Financial companies24% · banks 35%
National contribution4% financial · 3% banks
Withholding10% to non-residents
DividendsExempt from resident companies
Sales tax16%
*Figures as of 2026 per the Income and Sales Tax Department under Income Tax Law 34/2014 as amended. The bracket that applies to a payment licensee is confirmed for your structure.
Turnkey professional support
Experienced lawyers and international consultants.
We provide end-to-end support, from company registration and the application file to regulatory interaction and compliance oversight - with an individualized approach to each client.
Oleksii Kindratenko
Builds the application itself: Jordanian shareholding company, AML/KYC policy pack, capital structure and tax registrations. His document sets are the reason reviews finish in months, not years.
Eugeniu Bevziuc
First point of contact for international founders. Runs the whole setup remotely, across time zones and languages - from the first call to a live, licensed provider.
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The Jordanian payment licence, answered.
What licence does a payment business need in Jordan?+
A licence from the Central Bank of Jordan under the Electronic Payment and Money Transfer Bylaw No. 111 of 2017 - as a payment service provider under Article 16, as the manager or operator of an electronic payment system under Article 17, or as an issuer of electronic money under Article 19. There is no lighter registration route below them.
How much capital is required?+
Instructions No. 3/2018: JOD 1,000,000 for payment services with 10% added per further activity, JOD 1,500,000 to issue electronic money, JOD 2,000,000 for money transfer, JOD 3,000,000 to manage or operate a system with 20% per extra system. Capital is recalculated every two years against monthly transaction values.
What collateral does the central bank require?+
A money transfer provider posts a bank guarantee of 30% of minimum capital plus a compliance guarantee of 2%. An electronic money issuer keeps a customers' account at a bank whose balance is never less than the electronic money in issue, held as a trust account outside the bank's own balance sheet.
How long does the licence take?+
Article 8(b) gives the central bank ninety days to decide on the application. Preliminary approval then allows six months to satisfy the conditions under Article 8(e), and the final licence follows within ninety days of them being met under Article 9(a). Plan on nine to twelve months end to end.
What does it cost in state fees?+
JOD 1,000 with the application under Article 13. On licensing, a payment service provider pays JOD 3,000 and JOD 1,000 a year afterwards; a system manager pays JOD 5,000 and JOD 3,000 a year. The annual fee falls due each January under Instructions No. 2/2018.
Can a foreign company hold the licence?+
Through a registered branch under Article 3(d) and Instructions No. 5/2018 - which ask for three years of experience in the activity, the approval of the home authority, a regional director resident in Jordan and the whole capital transferred in one payment.
Are there caps on e-money balances?+
The bylaw gives the central bank power under Article 19(d) to set each company's permitted volume of electronic money by reference to its capital and turnover. Per-wallet balance caps and any interest prohibition are not published, so both are confirmed with the central bank for your product.
Does the licence expire?+
No. Article 9(b) makes it unlimited in duration and non-transferable. What continues is the annual fee, the two-yearly capital recalculation and, since December 2024, an external assessment of collateral adequacy with quarterly reporting from the third quarter of 2025.
How are payment companies taxed?+
Legal persons pay 20% under Article 11(b), and 24% applies to financial intermediation, financial companies and finance leasing, with banks at 35%. A national contribution of 4%, 3% or 2% sits on top by sector. Withholding on non-residents is 10%, sales tax 16%.
Why Jordan rather than Egypt or the UAE?+
Jordan publishes its bylaw and instructions in English, prints three decision clocks and every collateral percentage, and issues a licence with no expiry. Egypt is the far larger market with heavier capital; the UAE has the deeper banking access and a 9% tax rate. Groups building for the Levant license here.
Which licence?+
CBJ payment services, e-money or system operation.
Capital?+
JOD 1M, 1.5M, 2M or 3M by activity.
Collateral?+
30% guarantee, 2% compliance, full e-money cover.
How long?+
90 days, six months, then 90 days.
Fees?+
JOD 1,000 to apply; JOD 3,000 or 5,000 on licensing.
Foreign company?+
Yes - branch under Instructions 5/2018.
E-money caps?+
Set per company by capital and turnover.
Does it expire?+
No - unlimited duration, non-transferable.
Taxes?+
20%, 24% financial, 35% banks; sales tax 16%.
vs Egypt / UAE?+
English text, printed clocks, no expiry.
Client notes
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Prifinance is an independent law and advisory firm. We are not a regulator and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of the Central Bank of Jordan or any other public authority. Authorisations are granted by, and obtained directly from, the competent authorities.