Chapter One
Presentation of Goods to Customs Authorities
 

Article 34:

A summary declaration shall be presented for each commodity entering the Kingdom or leaving therefrom.Such goods shall be presented without delay to the customs authorities at the nearest customs house as specified by the Department.

Prohibition and Restriction
 

Article 35:

Ships of whatever load capacity shall be forbidden from anchoring at seaports other than those assigned for them except under a maritime emergency as a result of a force majeure. In such case, the captain of the ship shall inform the customs house or security post without any delay.
 

Article 36:

The ships whose load capacities are less than two hundred maritime tones each shall be forbidden from ferrying,within the sea customs limit, restricted or prohibited goods or goods subject to heavy duties� or the specific� prohibited goods prescribed in Article 2 of this Law.

Article 37:

Ships of load capacity less than two hundred maritime tones each and which ferry goods mentioned in Article ( 36 ) of this law shall be denied entry into the sea customs zone and shall also be forbidden from sailing inside the zone or changing their course inside it except under conditions created by maritime emergency or force majeure.In such case, the captain shall inform the nearest customs center or security post without any delay.
 

Article 38:

 Airplanes shall be forbidden from taking off or landing at airports where no customs houses are available except under force majeure. In such case the captain shall at once inform the nearest customs house or security post and submit a report on that to the Department attested by the party which was notified.
 

Article 39:

1. The specified prohibited goods shall be seized even if they were declared by their real nomenclature unless they were licensed in advance to enter or leave the country.
    

2. Other prohibited goods whose real nomenclature are declared shall not be seized but shall be returned to outside or inside the Kingdom whenever necessary.
    

3. The official customs formalities shall not be allowed for any commodity whose importation or exportation depends on the issue of a license or permit or a certificate or any other document before obtaining the required document.

Article 40:

Foreign goods which carry marks, names or signs which may suggest that they are locally produced whether on the products or their pickings or their rapings, shall be considered as prohibited. The prohibition shall be also applicable in conditions where duties are outstanding.
 

Article 41:

The entry of foreign goods which do not meet the terms incorporated in the Laws and regulations for the protection of origin and ownership shall be forbidden unless the pertinent authorities agree to remove such prohibition.

Article 42:

The Director may impose special rules for the packing of certain goods for the purposes of simplifying inspection procedures.

Sea Transport
 

Article 43:

1. Every commodity arriving by sea shall be registered in the cargo Manifests even if the commodity is to be dispatched to free zones.
    

2. One Manifest shall be prepared for full cargo to be signed by the ship master or its agent at the port of loading, and should include the following information:-
   
   

   1. Name of the ship, nationality and registered tonnage.
   2. Kinds of goods and their total weight and the weight of unpacked goods if there were any. If the goods are prohibited they should be mentioned by their real nomenclature.
   3. The number of packages and pieces and description of their covers, marks and numbers.
   4. Name of the shipper and consignee.
   5. The harbors from which the goods were shipped.
       

3. Upon entering the customs zone, the captain of the ship must submit, at the first request from the Department's officials, the original cargo manifest for endorsing and deliver a copy thereof to the Department's officials.
    

4. Upon the entry of the ship into the harbor the ship's captain should deliver the following to the customs house:
   
   

   1. The cargo manifest and its preliminary translation when necessary.

   2. The manifest of supplies in the ship, and the crew's luggage and belongings.

   3. A list of the passengers names

   4. A list of the goods which will be unloaded at this harbor.

   5. All documents and bills of lading which the Department may request for the purpose of applying customs regulations.
       

5. The manifests and documents shall be presented within thirty six hours of the ship's entry into the harbor. Official holidays are not to be included in this period.
    

6. The Director shall determine the form of the cargo manifest as well as the number of copies which should be presented.
    

Article 44:

Should the manifest belong to a ship which does not make regular trips or has not a shipping agent at the Jordanian harbors or if it is a sailboat, it should be endorsed as thus by the customs authorities at the shipment harbor.
 

Article 45:

1. Cargoes of ships and all other water means of transport shall not be unloaded except at the premises of harbors which include customs houses. The unloading of any commodity or its transfer from one ship to another shall not be permitted except through a written approval from the concerned customs house and in the presence of its officials.

2. The unloading and transfer from one ship to another shall be carried out during office hours and within the conditions determined by the Department.

Article 46:

Subject to the provisions of Article 71 of this Law, the master of the ship or its representative or agent shall be responsible for any shortfall in the number of pieces or packages or the contents thereof, or in the quantity of unbound, loose or bagged goods until the delivery of such goods at Customs stores or warehouses or by the owners thereof, where they are allowed to take said delivery. The Director shall have power to issue directives specifying tolerance percentage, in relation to any excess or shortfall, in respect of unbound loose or bagged goods, as well as the percentage of partial shortfall in goods due to forces of nature or weak packages causing the contents thereof to break loose. Such directives shall be published in the official Gazette.

Article 47:

In the event of any shortfall in the number of pieces or packages unloaded, compared to the contents of the freight declaration ( cargo manifest ), or shortfall in the quantities of unbound, loose or bagged goods exceeding the tolerance percentage specified in the directives issued by the Director, the master of the ship or his representive shall justify such shortfalls through supporting documentation which confirms that such shortfall existed outside the maritime customs territory. Should it prove impossible to immediatly submit such evidence, the captain or his representices shall be granted a period of six months, from the date of drawing the report or receipt of delivery, to submit such evidence, following the submission of a bond guaranteeing the rights of the Department. The Director shall have the power to issue directives as to how reports of receipt deliveries shall be drawn and the extension periods granted therein.Such directives shall be published in the Official Gazette.

Land Transport
 

Article 48:

The goods imported by land should be driven from the border to the nearest customs house. The transporter should adhere to the appointed routes leading directly to this customs house. The transporter of the goods shall be forbidden from overpassing the customs center without a license or depositing the goods in other buildings and places before driving them into this house.
 

Article 49:

1. The transporter of the goods and the escorters thereof shall present upon their arrival at the customs house a bill of lading or a document which substitutes the cargo manifest signed by the driver of the transport means and the representative of the transport company if there is such a company and prepared in accordance with terms prescribed in Article 43 of this Law, and added to it the value of the commodity. When necessary, the Director may decide on some exceptions from this rule.
    

2. The bill of lading or the document shall be accompanied by documents confirming its contents in accordance with the terms determined by the Director.

Air Freight
 

Article 50:

When crossing the Kingdom's borders, airplanes shall fly within the air routes appointed for their flight.
 

Article 51:

The goods transported by the airplanes should be recorded in a cargo manifest signed by the pilot and prepared in accordance with the terms prescribed in Article (43) of this Law.
 

Article 52:

The pilot should present the cargo manifest and other lists prescribed in Article ( 43 ) of this Law to the Department's staff upon their request. He shall also deliver these documents to the airport customs houses, together with translated copies when necessary, immediately following the airplanes arrival.
 

Article 53:

It shall be forbidden to unload the goods or throw them out of the planes during flight. The pilot, however, may order the throwing of the goods if this was necessary for the safety of the plane. In such a case, he shall inform the Department upon landing.
 

Article 54:

The provisions of Articles 45, 46, 47, of this Law shall apply to land and air transport. Drivers, pilots and transport companies shall be responsible for any shortfall in case of land and / or air transport.
 

Mail and Postal Parcels Transport
 

Article 55:

The importation or exportation of goods through maile or by postal parcels shall be carried out in accordance with Arab and international postal agreements as well as the internal legal provisions in force.
 

Export and Re- Export
 

Article 56:

Every ship or car or plane or any other transport means, whether loaded or not, shall be forbidden from leaving the country before presenting to the Department a manifest corresponding to the rules of Article 43 and obtaining a departure permit except in cases of exclusions given by the Department.
 

Article 57:

Goods intended for exportation should be brought to the concerned customs house and a detailed declaration of them should be submitted. Transporters heading to the land borders are forbidden from bypassing customs houses without obtaining departure permits or taking routes which enable them to evade these houses. The rules decided by the Department shall be observed with regard to the goods which are subject to the control of the customs zone.
 

Article 58:

Foreign goods entering the Kingdom may be re - exported abroad or to a free zone in accordance with the conditions, procedures and guarantees determined by the Director.
 

Article 59:

Authorization may be given in certain cases to transfer goods from one ships to another or to take out goods not brought into stores from quays to ship boards according to conditions determined by the Director.
 

 Chapter Eight

Common Provisions
 

Article 60:

1. The manifest or its substitute should not include several sealed parcels or parcels put together in any way to look as if they were one parcel. Instructions issued by the Director shall be applied with regard to containers, crates and trailers.
    

2. The Director or whomever he authorizes may permit that single consignments of goods be divided when there are reasons justifying the partition provided that no loss whatsoever be sustained by the Treasury. The Director shall have the power to issue directives to this effect.

Please note that the authentic text for the customs law 20/1998 is arabic language and this is the non-official translation