F.1-Jordan Overview Jordan Overview
The U.S.-Jordan Free Trade Agreement (FTA) entered into force on December 17, 2001. The FTA eliminates duties and commercial barriers to bilateral trade in goods and services originating in the United States and Jordan. The FTA also includes – for the first time ever in the text of a trade agreement – provisions addressing trade and environment (Article 5), trade and labor (Article 6), and electronic commerce (Article 7). Other provisions address intellectual property rights protection (Article 4), balance of payments (Article 11), rules of origin (Article 14), safeguards (Article 10) and procedural matters (Articles 16 and 17). Because the United States already has a Bilateral Investment Treaty with Jordan, the FTA does not include an investment chapter.
In order to take advantage of the benefits for U.S. goods under this agreement, exporters will need to understand how to determine that their goods originate or qualify for preferential duty treatment under the U.S.-Jordan FTA Rules of Origin.
Some may find the process of qualifying one’s goods to be rather complicated. US exporters will find information here to help guide them through the process. Users of this site should keep in mind, however, that the text of the U.S.-Jordan FTA and the customs regulations of Jordan are the only definitive resources regarding qualification.
Under the U.S.-Jordan FTA, Jordan is obligated to adopt stronger protection and enforcement provisions for copyrights, trademarks, patents, and trade secrets. The FTA will also open the Jordanian services market to US companies. These changes, among others, will provide US and Jordanian businesses with a market base that is more accessible and easily navigated.
The Department of Commerce's Market Access and Compliance offices monitor this Agreement to ensure that Jordan fully complies with its trade obligations. If you encounter problems under the U.S.-Jordan FTA, please contact our Agreements Compliance office.
Reports and Statistics
Before and After the U.S.-Jordan FTA:
Overall Trade in Goods between the United States and Jordan grew from $728 million in 2000 to $1.91 billion in 2005, an increase of 162%.U.S. exports to Jordan grew from $316.6 million in 2000 to $643 million in 2005, an increase of 103%. U.S. exports to Jordan in 2004 were $495 million.
U.S. imports from Jordan grew from $73 million in 2000 to $1.2 billion in 2005, an increase of 1,543%. U.S. imports from Jordan in 2004 were $ 994 million.
Note: Most of the U.S. imports from Jordan come from Qualified Industrial Zones, which pre-date the FTA and allow for duty free access into the United States as long as there is Israeli input into those products.
In 2005, Jordan was our 54th largest trading partner (exports and imports combined).
Benefits of the FTA:
Services: The FTA opened up trade in services, giving American service providers excellent opportunities in Jordan’s financial, education, audio-visual, courier, and other services.Government Procurement: Jordan applied to accede to the WTO Agreement on Government Procurement on July 12, 2000. The FTA notes that Jordan and the United States will enter into negotiations with regard to Jordan accession to the GPA. Jordan has not yet completed its accession to the GPA.
IPR: In the FTA, IPR commitments constitute 29 paragraphs, or one-quarter of the entire document. However, although Jordan has revised its IPR laws and had been a leader on IPR protection in the region, the laws and regulations underpinning IPR protection lack coherence, and lead to sub-optimal and ad-hoc solutions to commonly recognized IPR protection problems. Jordan was accorded a transition period until December 2004 before being required to fully implement FTA IPR provisions, but has not yet done so. Jordan must still meet all its commitments on patents, trademarks, copyright, plant varieties, and special measures on pharmaceuticals and agricultural chemical products.
Additional Resources
U.S-Jordan Free Trade Agreement text
United States Trade Representative page
U.S. Commercial Service in Jordan
US Embassy in Jordan FTA Website
Textile, Apparel, Footwear, Leather and Travel Goods Information
USDA Overview Prepared by the International Trade Administration. With its network of 108 offices across the United States and in more than 75 countries, the International Trade Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce utilizes its global presence and international marketing expertise to help U.S. companies sell their products and services worldwide. Locate the trade specialist in the U.S. nearest you by visiting http://export.gov/usoffices.