Transit to Iraq through Jordan.
Cargo arrives at Aqaba by sea or at Queen Alia Airport by air, crosses Jordan on a transit declaration under a guarantee we post, and is handed over at the Karameh–Trebil crossing.
Transit is not import into Jordan. The cargo never enters the Jordanian market and no Jordanian duty is collected on it — it is discharged, sealed, and moved under customs control from the moment it lands to the moment it leaves.
The stretch we cover ends at the Karameh–Trebil crossing. We handle the whole Jordanian side: discharge, the transit declaration, the guarantee, the truck, and the border formalities — and we hand over at the frontier. Everything past the crossing is the consignee's or their agent's in Iraq.
The difference
Transit is not import with a longer leg.
What catches shippers out is that the procedure differs from the first step, not that it is the same file sent further.
- The declarationA transit declaration is filed, not an import one, and it names both the entry point and the exit point.
- DutyNo Jordanian duty is collected on cargo passing through, because it never enters the local market.
- The guaranteeIn place of duty a guarantee is posted, and it is not released until the cargo is proven out through the crossing.
- ControlThe consignment stays sealed and tracked from the port or the airport to the point of exit.
Which is why a transit shipment cannot be run on an import file: the declaration differs, the liability differs, and the file closes on the way out, not on the way in.
The route
Two doors in, one door out.
Cargo enters Jordan by sea at Aqaba or by air at Queen Alia Airport, and both routes meet at the same crossing.
- Arrival by seaAqaba is Jordan's only seaport, with container, RoRo and break bulk terminals.
- Arrival by airQueen Alia Airport when the cargo cannot wait — spare parts, equipment, urgent consignments.
- Declaration and sealThe transit declaration is filed and the guarantee posted, and the consignment is sealed before it moves.
- The truckLoaded onto a truck licensed for transit, with the route fixed before departure.
- The crossingExit formalities on the Jordanian side at Karameh; Trebil is its Iraqi counterpart.
- HandoverHandover happens at the crossing, and the guarantee file closes when the consignment exits.
The sea leg from Aqaba to the crossing takes three days. The air leg is shorter, and we do not quote a figure for it here before we have confirmed one.
The cargo
Five families, and what changes for each.
Transit does not change the cargo, but it changes what has to be fixed before it moves.
- Dry cargoContainers and general cargo — the backbone of the lane, running the standard route end to end.
- ReeferAn unbroken cold chain between quay and crossing, with border time built into the plan rather than added to it.
- Cars and vehiclesArriving by RoRo or in containers, with chassis numbers fixed on the declaration before loading.
- Project cargoOut-of-gauge pieces whose route is fixed before the price, not after it.
- Heavy equipmentMachinery moved on flatbeds, lashed and documented before it travels.
Dangerous goods move by prior arrangement, because the approvals come before the booking rather than after it.
Papers and scope
What travels with the truck, and where our part stops.
A transit file is narrower than an import file, but every paper in it has to match what the truck will actually carry.
- Commercial invoiceA value and a description that match what the transit declaration will state.
- Packing listPiece count, weights and dimensions as they will be loaded, not as they were planned.
- Sea or air waybillDepending on the entry point; the consignment is tied to the declaration through it.
- Certificate of originWhere the destination asks for it — that is the Iraqi side's requirement, not Jordan's.
- Transit declarationWe file it ourselves through our own clearance company, and post the guarantee with it.
Our part ends at Karameh. Clearance inside Iraq and the onward move are the consignee's or their agent's — we say so here so that it is not discovered later.
FAQ
Transit to Iraq — answers.
What is the difference between transit and importing into Jordan?
Import brings the cargo into the Jordanian market and duty is collected on it. Transit only passes it through: a different declaration, no Jordanian duty, and a guarantee that is only released when the consignment exits the crossing.
Do you deliver inside Iraq?
No. We deliver to the Karameh–Trebil crossing and hand over there. Clearance inside Iraq and the onward move are handled by the consignee or their agent.
How long does the run from Aqaba to the crossing take?
Three days on the sea route, from discharge to the crossing. The air route is shorter, and we will not put a figure on it before confirming one.
Who posts the customs guarantee?
We do. Our own clearance company files the transit declaration and posts the guarantee with it, so you do not have to arrange it yourself.
Can cargo arrive by air and continue in transit?
Yes. It lands at Queen Alia Airport and continues by truck to Karameh under the same transit declaration.
Do you move refrigerated cargo in transit?
Yes. The cold chain is planned from quay to crossing, with border time counted inside the plan rather than after it.
Do you move cars and heavy equipment to Iraq?
Yes — by RoRo, in containers, or on flatbeds depending on the unit. The route is fixed before the price.
Which papers do we start with?
The commercial invoice, the packing list and the waybill. We check them before arrival rather than after, because a correction before arrival is a document and after it is a delay.
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