Jordan (JO)
Jordan is a stable, welcoming Hashemite Kingdom at the crossroads of the Middle East — home to Petra, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the legendary Wadi Rum desert, and the mineral-rich Dead Sea.
Qualification Recognition
Getting your foreign credentials recognised in Jordan.
Foreign qualifications must be officially authenticated and recognised in Jordan before they can be used for employment, professional licensing, or higher education purposes. The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research handles academic credential recognition. Professional regulatory bodies (syndicates) handle licensing for regulated professions. The process typically takes 2–8 weeks and requires authenticated documents.
Regulated Professions
Process: Step 1: Legalise degree certificate and academic transcripts through the full consular chain (Jordan is NOT a Hague Convention member — apostille alone is insufficient). Step 2: Have all documents translated into Arabic by a certified Jordanian translator (Mutarjim Muakkad) registered at a Jordanian court. Step 3: Submit to the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MOHE) for academic recognition. Step 4: Register with the relevant professional syndicate (JEA for engineers, JMA for doctors, etc.). Step 5: Some professions require a practical assessment or equivalency examination administered by the syndicate.
Authority: Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MOHE — mohe.gov.jo) for academic recognition; relevant professional syndicates for practice licences.
Timeline: 2–8 weeks for academic recognition; 3–6 months for medical/dental (includes licensing exam).
Cost: JD 50–100 for MOHE equivalency. Translation: JD 30–100. Attestation: JD 50–150. Syndicate registration: JD 100–300.
Academic Degrees
Authority: Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MOHE)
Process: Submit apostilled and translated documents to MOHE. Fee: JD 50–100. Processing: 2–6 weeks. MOHE maintains a database of recognised foreign universities. Degrees from unrecognised or accreditation-questionable institutions may not be recognised.
Equivalency service: MOHE issues a formal equivalency certificate (Muadilat Shahada) that confirms your degree is equivalent to a Jordanian qualification at the appropriate level.
Document Rules
Apostille: Jordan is NOT a member of the Hague Apostille Convention. Documents for use in Jordan cannot simply be apostilled — full consular legalisation is required regardless of which country issued the document.
Legalisation: All foreign official documents (degrees, transcripts, police clearances, civil documents) must go through the full legalisation chain: (1) authenticated/notarised by the competent authority in the issuing country; (2) authenticated by the issuing country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs; (3) authenticated by the Jordanian Embassy or Consulate in the issuing country; (4) authenticated by Jordan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Wizarat al-Kharijiyya) in Amman. Allow 3–8 weeks for this process.
Sworn translation: All documents must be translated into Arabic by a certified Jordanian translator (Mutarjim Muakkad). The translation must be stamped with the translator's court certification seal.
Counselling & Help
- - Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (MOHE) — mohe.gov.jo
- - Jordan Engineers Association (JEA) — jea.org.jo
- - Jordan Medical Association (JMA) — jma.org.jo
- - Jordan Dental Association (JDA) — jda.org.jo
- - Jordanian Association of Public Accountants (JAPA) — japa.org.jo
- - Jordan Nursing and Midwifery Council (JNMC)
Typical Timelines
Academic degree recognition (MOHE): 2–6 weeks. Engineering registration (JEA): 4–8 weeks after MOHE recognition. Medical licensing (JMA): 3–6 months (includes Arabic-language licensing examination). Accounting (JAPA): 2–4 weeks for international qualifications (ACCA, CPA recognised).
EU qualifications are not automatically recognised under any EU-Jordan bilateral agreement for professional purposes. Each qualification goes through the standard Jordanian recognition process. However, degrees from European universities are generally well-regarded and recognised by MOHE without issue. Many professional licences in regulated fields require Arabic proficiency — either demonstrated through Arabic-language university study or through Arabic language tests administered by the professional syndicate. International organisations and private English-language institutions have fewer Arabic requirements.
Qualification Recognition
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