Moving from Portugal to Jordan (2026): Complete Guide

Relocating from Portugal to Jordan is a two-country customs journey, not a single shipment. Your goods first have to leave the European Union under EU export rules enforced by Portugal’s tax and customs authority, then enter the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan under a completely separate national system run by Jordan Customs. The two halves use different forms, different thresholds and different exemptions, and the paperwork on one side does not automatically satisfy the other. This guide covers both directions of the corridor — the Portuguese departure side and the Jordanian arrival side — plus a short note on moving back the other way. It is written for someone who is genuinely resident in Portugal (Portuguese, Jordanian or third-country national) and is now setting up home in Amman, Aqaba or elsewhere in Jordan.

Key takeaways

• Your Jordanian immigration status decides your customs bill. Jordan’s duty-free household-goods exemption is designed around returning Jordanian nationals and expatriates, not foreigners on a work residency (Jordan Customs, via the national Government Services Portal).
• The Portuguese authority for your export is the Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira (AT), and the declaration is filed electronically through the EU Automated Export System (AES) (European Commission — Taxation and Customs Union).
• When you emigrate you must update your Portuguese tax address (morada fiscal) with AT — the deadline is 60 days when your status changes from resident to non-resident (Portal das Finanças).
• Jordan clears used furniture and personal effects through ASYCUDAWorld using the Single Administrative Document (SAD) (UNCTAD ASYCUDA programme; U.S. Government Jordan Customs guide).
• Sea freight leaves Portugal from ports such as Sines, Leixões, Lisboa or Setúbal; Jordan has only one seaport — Aqaba — plus Queen Alia International Airport for air freight (Ports of Sines and the Algarve Authority; UN Logistics Cluster — Jordan Port of Aqaba).
• Pets need an export health certificate issued by DGAV on the Portuguese side (DGAV) and an import permit from Jordan’s Ministry of Agriculture on the arrival side (Ministry of Agriculture).
• Carrying €10,000 or more in cash out of the EU must be declared to Portuguese customs (EUR-Lex — Regulation (EU) 2018/1672; Your Europe).

1. Your Jordanian status sets the customs rules

Before you book a single container, work out how Jordan will classify you on arrival, because that — not the contents of your boxes — determines whether you pay duty.

Jordan grants a used-household-goods and personal-effects exemption principally to returning Jordanian nationals and expatriates. The exemption is built around Jordanians who have lived abroad continuously (the qualifying rule centres on at least twelve months outside the Kingdom) and who have never used the privilege before, evidenced by a valid Jordanian passport with national ID number and a cancelled residency abroad (Jordan Customs, Government Services Portal). If you are a foreign national moving to Jordan for work, you enter on a different footing: you must first obtain a work permit through the Ministry of Labour and a residency permit (the annual Iqama) through the Public Security Directorate’s Borders and Residence Department under Residency Law No. 24 of 1973 (Public Security Directorate — Borders and Residence Department). That residency status is what your customs broker will use to frame the import, and foreigners generally do not receive the same one-off national exemption, so budget for the possibility of duty on your consignment. Certain temporary imports follow yet another track, obtained by written request to the Customs Department (U.S. Government Jordan temporary-entry guide). Confirm your category in writing with Jordan Customs before shipping.

2. The Portugal export side

The authority. Portugal’s customs and tax administration is the Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira (AT), operating through the Portal das Finanças (Portal das Finanças). Every commercial and personal export leaving Portuguese soil for a non-EU country passes through AT’s customs offices.

The export declaration. Because Jordan is outside the EU, your removal is a formal export. Since the Union Customs Code modernisation, EU export and exit formalities are handled electronically through the Automated Export System (AES), which processes the export declaration, the exit summary declaration and the exit notification (European Commission — AES; European Commission — Exportation). In practice your international mover or customs agent lodges this declaration for you; personal-effects removals are declared, but a private household move is not charged EU export duty. Keep a detailed, itemised inventory — customs on both ends expect specific descriptions, not a single line saying "furniture."

Cash and valuables. If you personally carry €10,000 or more (banknotes, cheques, prepaid cards or gold count), you must declare it to Portuguese customs on departure; the same duty applies to unaccompanied cash sent in your cargo (Regulation (EU) 2018/1672; Your Europe — carrying cash).

Tax-residency exit. Emigrating changes your Portuguese tax position. You must update your morada fiscal with AT, and where the change turns you from resident into non-resident the deadline is 60 days; the change only takes final effect once you enter the confirmation code AT mails to your new address (Portal das Finanças — change of address). If you hold the old Non-Habitual Resident (NHR) status — a regime closed to new entrants from 2024 under transitional rules — note that it is personal to your Portuguese tax residency and its remaining years are forfeited once you cease to be tax-resident; it cannot be paused or transferred (Portal das Finanças — NHR). Because you will become a non-resident of a third country, confirm with AT whether you must appoint a Portugal-based tax representative for any Portuguese-source income you keep.

3. Ports and transit times

Portugal offers several deep-water gateways. The Port of Sines, run by the Ports of Sines and the Algarve Authority (APS), is the country’s largest and its main deep-water container hub (APS); Leixões (Matosinhos, near Porto), Lisboa and Setúbal are the other working ports depending on where in Portugal you live. Air freight typically leaves from Lisbon or Porto airports.

On the Jordanian side, all sea cargo funnels through Aqaba on the Red Sea — Jordan’s only seaport — while air freight arrives at Queen Alia International Airport in Amman (UN Logistics Cluster — Jordan Port of Aqaba). From Aqaba, goods travel inland by road to Amman for clearance or delivery.

Transit times (freight-industry estimates, not official figures). There is no short direct sea lane between Portugal and Aqaba; containers usually transship through a Mediterranean or Red Sea hub, so plan on roughly 3–6 weeks port-to-port for sea freight and a few days to about a week for air freight, before customs clearance. Treat these as planning estimates from the removals trade — actual schedules depend on sailings, transshipment and the season, and no government body guarantees them.

4. The Jordan import side

Jordan clears imports electronically. Declarations are lodged on the Single Administrative Document (SAD) through Jordan’s ASYCUDAWorld system, which risk-scores each entry into a green (release), yellow (document check) or red (document and physical inspection) channel (UNCTAD ASYCUDA). Jordan Customs also publishes tariffs and conditions through its Customs Integrated Tariff System (CITS) (U.S. Government Jordan Customs guide).

The specific service for a household move is "Clearance of Expatriates’ Furniture (personal belongings, household furniture and used electrical appliances)", listed under Jordan Customs on the national Government Services Portal (Government Services Portal). Core practicalities that recur across Jordan Customs guidance:

• Goods must be used, showing traces of ownership, and must match the household and status of the owner — not new stock.
• The shipment must arrive within six months of the owner’s entry into Jordan.
• A detailed statement/inventory of all incoming goods is required; anything beyond the declared list is treated under the Customs Law.
• For a returning national the exemption is normally once only, and documentary proof of ending residency abroad (a legalised Jordanian lease or title, an endorsed work contract, or children’s school registration) is expected (Government Services Portal).

A licensed Jordanian customs broker files the SAD on your behalf, which is standard practice for personal effects.

5. Pets

Leaving Portugal. DGAV (Direção-Geral de Alimentação e Veterinária) is the competent authority for taking a pet out of Portugal to a non-EU country. Your dog or cat needs the baseline EU controls — microchip identification and a valid rabies vaccination — and an export health certificate issued by DGAV, applied for through the Certific@+ platform and built on the veterinary attestation form Mod. 1452/DGAV, completed to the destination country’s requirements (DGAV — leaving Portugal for a non-EU country). The physical certificate is collected in person from the designated DGAV office before travel.

Entering Jordan. Jordan’s Ministry of Agriculture is the authority that sets and issues live-animal import requirements (Ministry of Agriculture). For a pet travelling as cargo you need an import permit from the Ministry of Agriculture, an ISO microchip, valid rabies vaccination (given at least 30 days before travel) and a government-endorsed veterinary health certificate; because rules change, confirm the current permit lead time and certificate validity window directly with the Ministry before you fly. Align the Portuguese export certificate with Jordan’s stated conditions so the two documents match.

6. Vehicles, money and things people forget

• Vehicles. Importing a car into Jordan is a separate, duty-heavy process handled under Jordan Customs’ vehicle rules and is not covered by the household-effects exemption — get a specific quote and confirm eligibility before shipping any vehicle (Jordan Customs guide).
• Money. Declare €10,000+ leaving the EU (Your Europe) and check Jordan’s own cash-declaration threshold with Jordan Customs on arrival.
• The paperwork trail. Keep passport, Jordanian visa/residency evidence, the itemised inventory, and (for returning nationals) proof of ended residency abroad — these underpin the whole clearance.
• Timing. Line up your Jordanian residency and the six-month import window so your goods do not land before you are legally settled.

How Flyto handles your Portugal to Jordan move

Flyto runs strong in-house European operations — our own offices, warehouses, teams and vehicles across Northern, Central and Southern Europe handle the collection, packing and export paperwork on the Portuguese side directly. For the long-haul leg and the Jordanian arrival we combine a carefully chosen partner and subcontractor network with trusted local partners in Jordan for customs clearance and delivery. We do not claim to do every step ourselves — the value is that we manage the whole corridor end to end, so nothing falls between the two customs systems.

Frequently asked questions

Do I pay import duty on my used furniture in Jordan?
It depends on your status. Returning Jordanian nationals and expatriates who meet the conditions can clear used personal effects duty-free once; foreign nationals on a work residency generally do not get that national exemption and should budget for possible duty. Confirm your case with Jordan Customs (Government Services Portal).

How long do I have to bring my shipment into Jordan?
Used household goods and personal effects should arrive within six months of the owner’s entry into Jordan (Government Services Portal).

What do I need to do about tax when I leave Portugal?
Update your morada fiscal with AT within 60 days of becoming non-resident, and remember that NHR benefits end when your Portuguese tax residency ends (Portal das Finanças).

Which port will my container use?
It leaves from a Portuguese port such as Sines, Leixões, Lisboa or Setúbal and arrives at Aqaba, Jordan’s only seaport, or via Queen Alia International Airport by air (APS; UN Logistics Cluster).

Can I bring my dog?
Yes, with a DGAV export health certificate on the Portuguese side (DGAV) and a Ministry of Agriculture import permit plus microchip, rabies vaccination and endorsed health certificate for Jordan (Ministry of Agriculture).

What about moving back, Jordan to Portugal?
The mirror image applies. Goods are exported from Jordan through Jordan Customs’ ASYCUDA/SAD system (UNCTAD ASYCUDA) and shipped from Aqaba or Queen Alia Airport. On the Portuguese/EU side you re-enter under AT, where a genuine transfer of normal residence can qualify for relief on used personal property brought in from a third country (Portal das Finanças — travellers’ guide), and a pet must meet DGAV’s rules for entering Portugal from outside the EU — microchip, rabies vaccination and the required third-country health certificate (DGAV).

Sources

• Autoridade Tributária e Aduaneira — Portal das Finanças
• Portal das Finanças — change of tax address (morada fiscal)
• Portal das Finanças — Non-Habitual Resident (NHR)
• Portal das Finanças — Travellers’ Guide (PDF)
• European Commission — Automated Export System (AES)
• European Commission — Exportation procedures
• EUR-Lex — Regulation (EU) 2018/1672 on cash controls
• Your Europe — rules on carrying cash in/out of the EU
• DGAV — taking pets out of Portugal to a non-EU country
• DGAV — entering Portugal from outside the EU
• Ports of Sines and the Algarve Authority (APS) — Port of Sines
• Jordan Government Services Portal — Clearance of Expatriates’ Furniture
• U.S. Government — Jordan Customs Regulations (Country Commercial Guide)
• U.S. Government — Jordan Temporary Entry
• UNCTAD ASYCUDA — Jordan digital customs
• UN Logistics Cluster — Jordan Port of Aqaba
• Jordan Public Security Directorate — Borders and Residence Department
• Jordan Ministry of Agriculture