Border crossings to Jordan ???

I am travelling with a friend to Israel on 1st March and spending 3 days in Jerusalem before crossing the border into Jordan.
My problem is that we originally planned to cross by Allenby / King Hussein bridge, but seeing as they do not issue visa on arrival at this crossing we decided to get the visas in London. However this can take 2 months to process ????? There is another option to fast track but it costs another £40 on top of the already expensive £39 to do this.
Our plan is now down to 2 options.

1. Cross at the more northerly Sheik Hussein crossing.
   The questions that I have are, How do we get from Jerusalem to this crossing? Is the bus the best option? How long will it take, and how much approx? How long to cross the border and is there anything specific to this crossing that I should know? How do we get from here to Amman ? Is it possible to catch a bus to Irbid then on to Amman ?

2. Obtain a visa in Israel to cross at Allenby.
   I know that there is a Jordan Embassy in Tel Aviv, but this is quite a bit out of the way. I have also heard that there is a Jordan Consulate in Ramallah that can issue visas in half a day. Does anyone know if this is true and what is the procedure ? How long is it to Ramallah and which bus, sherut, taxi, etc. Then how easy is it to get from Ramallah to Allenby ? Also is there no consulate or office to obtain a visa in Jerusalem ?

We are both British passport holders. Also we have to be in Amman so the Southern Aqaba crossing is not an option.
I know that I have asked a lot of questions but any help will be appreciated.
Many thanks in advance. Ronnie.

Hi Ronnie,

I'm about to do this crossing so am interested in what responses you get, and will let you know when I've done it!

For the moment, I can confirm that it is not possible to get the visa in Jerusalem, but it is very easy to get to Ramallah - just take the bus from the East Jerusalem bus station (outside Damascus Gate, opposite the Garden Tomb) and you're there in 45 minutes.

Will keep you updated!

Laura

I recommend taking the bus from Nazareth to Amman through the northern border. Here is more info on that bus: http://jesustrail.com/hike-the-jesus-trail/transportation/city-to-city-bus-schedules-timetables#Amman</a> which costs 75 shekels/£13. I've always gotten through the border really quickly, 30 min or less. The bus driver is anxious to get going so helps push everything through quickly.

From Jerusalem to Nazareth it is a 2-hour bus ride which costs about 40 shekels/£7. Allenby border crossing can be very chaotic and I've heard a lot of stories of people being held up there for hours and hours, so it may not even take you any longer to go the northern way and you don't have to worry about visas.

Edited by: yallah

There is only one direct bus a day from Jerusalem to Nazareth. If the time isn't convenient for you, take a bus to Afula (major public transport hub) and change there for Nazareth. All timetables here (select "include connections").

There are two direct buses from Jerusalem to Nazareth on week days (4pm and 6:15pm), but it's true that these won't be much use to the op unless they want to spend a night in Nazareth. Via Afula is a good idea. There's also a direct (and fast!) sherut from Tel Aviv if the op wants to check out TA.

You can obtain a visa in less than half a day at the Jordan consulate in Ramallah. Take the bus 18 at the East Jerusalem bus station near Damascus Gate, it will take you straight to Ramallah's main square, Manara - it's a 40 mn drive. From there take a taxi and tell the driver you want to go to the Jordan consulate. Take the phone number of the consulate with you in case the driver doesn't know how to go, but chances are he will. While your visa is being made you can have lunch in Ramallah and walk around.

If you're going from Jerusalem to Amman it does not make sense to go through the northern or southern border. Amman is a mere 1h30 drive from Jerusalem if you don't include the time spent crossing the border (about one hour in that direction).

Okay so I did the crossing today without a hitch. Here's how it went:

Yesterday I went to the Jordanian embassy in Tel Aviv to get my visa. I took a passport photo with me plus 200NIS cash to pay for a single entry visa. I took the 61/161 from Ben Yehuda St, though heaps of buses go to Ramat Gan where the embassy is. The exact address is level 10, 14 abba hilel, ramat gan (אבא הלל 14, רמת גן). I arrived at 1pm and the visa was ready by 2pm, you wouldn't want to get there any later though as they'll pack up for the day. Charming people there and it was super easy (I too have a British passport).

Then today I took the 405 from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem Central bus station, then the 961 from platform 21 to Allenby. This bus also continus on to Bet Shean, so it's also the one you take to get to the northern border. The first trip took 1 hour and cost 18NIS, though a two-person ticket costs 30NIS, and the second trip cost 12NIS and took 45 minutes. From there the bus would take no more than another 45 minutes to hit Bet Shean.

The space between the bus stop and the first border crossing was pretty surreal - just me and my suitcase walking down a deserted highway. Turns out that you need to be in a car to cross the border, so I had to hop in a taxi anyway. I was probably ridiculously overcharged for this service ( 50NIS) but given that I was in the middle of nowhere and needed to cross a border that was about to close my bargaining position wasn't great. A friend whom I met at the border had taken a taxi to the border from Jerusalem for 100 NIS, it would cost more for more people but that might actually be your best bet.

At the border you need to pay the exit tax of 127NIS, you can pay it by card or in other currencies but the exchange rate is awful. I was there at lunchtime Friday and there was actually noone around, whole thing was done in 10 minutes, but I know it can be busier.

After you're out of Israel, a bus (3JD plus 1.25 for luggage) takes you to the Jordanian side, you get processed and then take a taxi or bus to wherever you want to go.

Hope that helps. Basically I'd say that whatever you choose to do, it's not that hard (certainly not as hard as I expected), and you should just ask people for help and it will be fine. Have an amazing trip!

Thanks a lot for all your replies folks. They have been a great help. We still haven't made our minds up completely yet which route we shall take, but it seems pretty easy whichever way. Once again, thanks. Ronnie