Country guide — North Africa and the Middle East

Expat insurance and health insurance in Jordan

Quiet residential street in an Amman neighbourhood, light stone facades typical of Jordanian architecture, no recognisable people

In short

In Jordan, no health insurance is legally required for the tourist visa (issued on arrival or online, about 40 JOD, valid one month), but France Diplomatie considers it 'essential' given the cost of private care and the lack of a social security agreement between France and Jordan. The country has a healthcare system reputed to be among the most developed in the Middle East, organised into parallel tracks — the Ministry of Health (public sector), the Royal Medical Services military hospitals, and a dense private sector concentrated in Amman — with no single fund comparable to French social security. About 70% of the Jordanian population has health cover, spread across these non-unified schemes (civilian, military, private), with no automatic affiliation mechanism for a foreign resident with no link to the army, the civil service or a local employer. For any stay of more than three months, an HIV test is mandatory, a positive result potentially leading to deportation. Without suitable private or international cover, private clinic fees — the normal route to care for a foreign resident — remain entirely at the patient's expense.

Source : France Diplomatie — Jordan, Travel advice, Health

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Key figures

1,676 French nationals registered with the consular register in 2025, up 2.70% year on year.
Life expectancy at birth: 77.98 years in 2024 (World Bank).
Current health spending: 7.66% of GDP in 2023 (World Bank).
About 70% of the Jordanian population covered by health insurance, spread across non-unified civilian, military and private schemes (National Health Council of Jordan, 2017).

Local healthcare system

Jordan does not have a single universal scheme comparable to French social security. The system rests on several parallel tracks: the Ministry of Health (MOH) runs a public network of about 1,245 primary care centres and 27 hospitals; the Royal Medical Services (RMS), the medical arm of the Jordanian armed forces, operates 11 military hospitals including King Hussein Medical City in Amman, open to civilians under conditions; public teaching hospitals, such as Jordan University Hospital, complete the academic offering. The private sector, concentrated in Amman, has 56 facilities accounting for about 36% of the country's hospital beds; it is the normal route to care for a foreign resident, with a level of equipment and international service reputed to be among the best in the Middle East. The World Bank has ranked Jordan as the top medical tourism destination in the Arab region and among the top five worldwide. Despite this developed offering, the population's health cover remains spread across several non-unified schemes (civilian, military, private insurance), with no automatic affiliation mechanism for a foreigner with no link to the army, the civil service or a local employer.

Legal and visa obligations

Short tourist stay: passport valid for at least 6 months after the date of entry, visa issued on arrival or online (about 40 JOD for a single entry, or via the Jordan Pass), valid one month. No insurance is required on entry, but France Diplomatie recommends it as "essential" (medical costs and repatriation).
Police registration: any stay of more than 14 days must be reported to a local police station within that period, under penalty of a 200 JOD fine.
HIV test: mandatory for any stay of more than three months; a positive result carries a risk of deportation.
Locally hired employee: according to specialist expat guides, the employer must register the employee within 15 days of starting the job to open access to public health services; however, no generalised legal requirement to take out private insurance has been identified in publicly available sources, unlike in other Gulf countries.
Private health insurance: with no single fund and no France-Jordan agreement, it remains in practice essential to access the private sector, the normal route to care for a foreign resident.

No specific penalty identified for lacking health cover, but a payment guarantee or upfront payment is almost systematically required before any planned hospitalisation in the private sector.

Cost of some medical procedures

Orders of magnitude from specialised sources, not official fee schedules.

Cost of some medical procedures in Jordan, public and private sector
Procedure	Public sector	Private sector
GP or specialist consultation (private practice)	—	rate varies by facility, not publicly published
Blood test or ultrasound	—	rate varies by facility, not publicly published
Brain MRI	—	rate varies by facility, not publicly published
Appendectomy + hospitalisation	—	rate varies by facility, not publicly published
Uncomplicated delivery	—	rate varies by facility, not publicly published
C-section delivery	—	rate varies by facility, not publicly published
Emergency care and night of hospitalisation	—	rate varies by facility and severity, not publicly published

Social security agreements with France

No bilateral social security agreement exists between France and Jordan: Jordan does not appear on the CLEISS list of countries that have signed a coordination agreement with France, nor on the CLEISS list of "holiday" factsheets covering unplanned care abroad.

No totalisation of insurance periods, no export of rights between the two schemes.
No form equivalent to SE 401/350/351 used with other countries: a seconded employee gets no automatic continuation of the French scheme recognised by Jordan.
A resident with no local paid employment and no link to the Jordanian army or civil service has no access to any public health scheme: only the Caisse des Français de l'Étranger (CFE) or private insurance provide cover.
On returning to France after a stay in Jordan, only care already paid for locally can be the subject of a retroactive reimbursement request to the French fund, outside any coordination agreement.

Which insurance for my profile

General matrix — does not recommend any specific product or insurer.

Which insurance by profile, for Jordan
Profile	Regulatory constraint	Points of attention
Working holiday visa	No working holiday agreement between France and Jordan (Jordan is not among the partner countries of the French programme)	Not applicable as things stand
Student	No public student insurance scheme identified for foreigners	Take out private student insurance before departure
Seconded employee / short mission	No recognised continuation of the French scheme, no coordination agreement	Private cover or CFE to organise before departure, including repatriation
Locally hired employee	Access to public health services conditional on employer registration; no single health fund	Check with the employer which scheme the position falls under (civilian, military, private); private supplementary cover recommended for access to the private sector
Retiree	No access to a public health scheme without local employment or a link to the army or civil service	CFE or international health insurance essential
Family with a non-working spouse	A non-employed spouse is covered by no local scheme	Individual private cover needed for each family member

Hospitals and care network

King Hussein Medical City (Wadi As-Seer, Amman) — Royal Medical Services military hospital complex, 5 hospitals totalling 1,414 beds, open to civilians under conditions, regional reference centre for laboratory tests.
Jordan University Hospital (University of Jordan campus, Amman) — public teaching hospital with over 500 beds, the first hospital in the Arab region accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI).
King Hussein Cancer Center (Amman) — independent non-profit oncology centre, 352 beds, JCI and College of American Pathologists accredited, the only facility of its kind in the Middle East, partnerships with MD Anderson and St Jude.
Jordan Hospital (Queen Nour Street, Amman) — 300-bed private multi-specialty hospital founded in 1993, a teaching hospital affiliated with American medical schools (including George Washington University).

Practical steps

Before departure, whatever the purpose: take out health and repatriation insurance, as no France-Jordan agreement steps in.
Tourist stay: passport valid for at least 6 months after the date of entry; visa on arrival or online (about 40 JOD, or Jordan Pass), valid one month.
Stay of more than 14 days: mandatory registration with the local police within that period (200 JOD fine otherwise).
Stay of more than 3 months: mandatory HIV test; a positive result carries a risk of deportation.
Locally hired employee: check with the employer that registration is actually done within 15 days of starting the job (access to public health services).
Within 6 months of settling: register with the roll of French nationals living abroad (French embassy in Amman), free and recommended.

Frequently asked questions

Is health insurance mandatory to enter Jordan as a tourist?

No, no insurance is required for the tourist visa issued on arrival or online. France Diplomatie nonetheless considers it essential, given the cost of care in the private sector.

Is there a social security agreement between France and Jordan?

No. Jordan is not among the countries that have signed a social security coordination agreement with France (CLEISS), nor among those with holiday factsheets covering unplanned care abroad.

Is the Jordanian healthcare system reliable?

Yes: Jordan is reputed for one of the most developed healthcare systems in the Middle East and for its medical tourism, ranked by the World Bank among the top destinations worldwide. The private sector, the normal route to care for a foreign resident, nonetheless requires cover or a payment guarantee before any planned care.

Is a French employee hired in Jordan automatically covered by local health insurance?

Not automatically: there is no single health fund in Jordan. Cover depends on the scheme the employer falls under (civilian, military, private) and the registration carried out by the employer; supplementary private insurance remains recommended.

Is the HIV test really mandatory to settle in Jordan?

Yes, for any stay of more than three months. A positive result can lead to deportation.

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Written by Expavy

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