Jordan: technology regulation at a glance

Framework: Law Regulating Dealings in Virtual Assets No. 14 of 2025 (Official Gazette No. 5996, 16 June 2025; effective 14 September 2025); VASP Licensing Regulation No. 94 of 2025; Jordan Securities Commission (JSC) as primary licensing authority

Jordan enacted Law No. 14 of 2025, ending the prior Central Bank of Jordan prohibition on crypto dealings and establishing the country's first comprehensive virtual assets framework. The Jordan Securities Commission is designated as the primary licensing authority for all virtual asset service providers, while the Central Bank of Jordan retains oversight over payment-related and banking aspects. Implementing regulations, including VASP Licensing Regulation No. 94/2025 and Capital Adequacy Instructions, have been published in the Official Gazette, requiring licensed entities to hold JOD 500,000-2,000,000 in minimum capital depending on activity type.

Framework: Jordanian AI Strategy and Implementation Plan 2023-2027 (MoDEE) + National AI Code of Ethics 2022; no binding AI-specific law in force

Jordan governs AI through non-binding strategic documents and an ethics code rather than dedicated legislation. The Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship (MoDEE) leads AI policy via the AI Policy 2020, the National AI Code of Ethics (Council of Ministers, August 2022), and the AI Strategy 2023-2027 covering 68 projects across five pillars. Related binding laws, the Personal Data Protection Law No. 24 (2023, effective March 2024) and Cybercrimes Law 2023, apply to AI use cases involving data and cyber offences, but no comprehensive or AI-specific statute has been enacted.

Framework: Personal Data Protection Law No. 24 of 2023 (PDPL), administered by the Personal Data Protection Council and the Personal Data Protection Directorate (Unit) housed within the Ministry of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship (MoDEE)

Jordan enacted its first comprehensive Personal Data Protection Law (Law No. 24 of 2023), published 17 September 2023 and entering into force on 17 March 2024 with a one-year grace period that ended 17 March 2025, after which the law is fully applicable. Oversight is split between a Personal Data Protection Council (policy/standards/complaints) and a Personal Data Protection Directorate within MoDEE (licensing, monitoring, enforcement); the regime is GDPR-influenced but not GDPR-equivalent, and implementing regulations on several details continue to roll out.

Framework: Electronic Payment and Money Transfer Bylaw No. (111) of 2017, issued under the Electronic Transactions Law No. (15) of 2015, administered and supervised by the Central Bank of Jordan (CBJ).

Jordan operates a clear, in-force licensing regime for digital payments. The CBJ licenses and supervises electronic payment service providers, e-money issuers, and payment system operators under Bylaw No. 111 of 2017, and runs national instant-payment rails (JoMoPay and CliQ via JoPACC). The CBJ has further advanced an open finance framework (2022 instructions, 2024 Jordan Open Finance Standards) and a regulatory sandbox (JoRegBox), with BNPL currently tested in the sandbox rather than under a dedicated statute.

Framework: Foreigners Residence and Affairs Law No. 24 of 1973 (as amended), administered by the Ministry of Interior / Public Security Directorate; Labour Law No. 8 of 1996 governs work permits through the Ministry of Labour

Jordan has no dedicated digital nomad or remote-work visa. Most nationalities may enter on a tourist visa (typically 30 days, extendable) and remote workers with foreign-sourced income operate informally under that entry, while employer-sponsored work permits and an investment-based residency (Golden Visa) represent the formal long-term pathways. A revised Citizenship and Residency by Investment framework with eight investment routes was approved by the Cabinet on 2 July 2025.

Framework: Cybercrime Law No. 17 of 2023; Press and Publications Law No. 8 of 1998 (as amended); Audiovisual Media Law, enforced by the Media Commission and Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC)

Jordan regulates online content through overlapping legislation rather than a single comprehensive online-safety statute. The Cybercrime Law No. 17 of 2023 is the centrepiece, criminalising broadly defined online speech offences (fake news, contempt of religion, incitement) and imposing platform-liability and local-office requirements on large foreign platforms. Enforcement has been aggressive: authorities have blocked news websites, prosecuted journalists and activists for social media posts, and periodically suspended communications services.

Framework: Cybersecurity Law No. 16 of 2019 (establishing the National Cybersecurity Center); National Cybersecurity Framework (mandatory for public sector and critical infrastructure); Cybercrime Law No. 17 of 2023; Personal Data Protection Law No. 24 of 2023

Jordan has a dedicated Cybersecurity Law (No. 16 of 2019) that created the National Cybersecurity Center (NCSC) as the central authority responsible for developing strategy, issuing mandatory frameworks, and overseeing national cyber defence. A mandatory National Cybersecurity Framework imposes specific technical controls on public-sector entities and critical infrastructure operators, with incident notification obligations as short as two hours. The 2025-2028 National Cybersecurity Strategy, approved in early 2025, codifies 42 programmes across 51 projects covering secure digital environment, governance, national capability-building, and international cooperation.

Framework: Investment Environment Law No. 21 of 2022 (Jordan); Investment Environment Bylaw No. 7 of 2023; Companies Law No. 22 of 1997 (as amended); administered by the Companies Control Department (CCD) under the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply

Jordan permits 100% foreign ownership in most economic sectors under the Investment Environment Law No. 21 of 2022 and its implementing Bylaw No. 7 of 2023, which abolished the previous JOD 50,000 minimum capital requirement for non-Jordanian investors. Registration is handled through the Companies Control Department (CCD) and typically takes 2-3 weeks, but a published negative list restricts or prohibits foreign participation in certain sectors such as security services, stone quarrying, customs clearance, and bakeries.