Jordan Naturalized 21 Investors in Q2 on US$33 Million and 767 Jordanian Jobs

Jordan naturalized 21 investors in the second quarter of 2026, approving more than US$33 million in investment and creating 767 jobs for Jordanians, the Cabinet was told on Sunday. Six additional investors received residence permits in the same quarter for investment approaching JOD 2 million (approximately US$2.8 million), bringing cumulative approvals under the programme to 687.

"The quarter's averages run to at least US$1.5 million per naturalized investor, and roughly 36 Jordanian employees per file," the Cabinet briefing said, underscoring the scale of capital and employment tied to each approval.

Prime Minister Jafar Hassan chaired the session at which the statistics were presented. The figures reflect files assessed under the rules the Cabinet adopted in July 2025, which replaced three broad categories with eight distinct investment routes and set an annual ceiling of 500 investors. Those rules require a three‑year holding period on qualifying assets and a temporary three‑year Jordanian passport ahead of full citizenship.

Every route under the programme obliges investors to create jobs and register them with the Social Security Corporation (SSC). Investors who applied via the operating‑business track must maintain at least 90% of their mandatory Jordanian workforce on the SSC's monthly rolls for three consecutive years—an explicit labour retention condition designed to anchor employment outcomes.

Regulatory changes after Q2

• The government revised the framework on 15 July 2026, after the quarter closed, increasing the Amman Stock Exchange route threshold to JOD 1.5 million and extending its lock‑up period from three years to five.
• The revision also limited single‑company exposure to 10%, made the Ministry of Investment the sole administrative window for investor files, and cut thresholds for ventures located in governorates outside Amman.
• Paid‑up capital requirements for launching a new business were clarified: JOD 700,000 (approximately US$990,000) inside Amman and JOD 500,000 (approximately US$705,000) outside the capital.

Those post‑quarter adjustments tighten market and concentration risks linked to stock‑market investments, lengthen asset lock‑ups and centralise application handling. The changes are likely to affect the composition of future approvals by raising entry requirements for some routes while easing them for ventures outside Amman.

Context and implications

With 21 naturalizations in Q2 and six residence permits tied to nearly JOD 2 million in investment, the programme continues to generate measurable capital and jobs. At the reported averages—about US$1.5 million per naturalized investor and roughly 36 Jordanian employees per file—the authorities are presenting the scheme as a source of both foreign direct investment and domestic employment.

But the mid‑July amendments signal a policy shift toward tighter safeguards: higher thresholds for certain routes, longer lock‑ups and concentration limits aim to reduce financial and reputational risk while steering investment toward regional development by lowering thresholds for governorate projects. Making the Ministry of Investment the single window should streamline oversight but may also bottleneck application processing during periods of high demand.

Looking ahead, the annual cap of 500 investors remains a ceiling policymakers can use to manage intake. The balance between preserving the programme's investment and job creation benefits and managing financial, labour‑market and governance risks will shape approvals as the government implements the revised framework through the remainder of 2026.