Originally Posted by
arabiamark
As for the visa-free entry, I was told that I was only allowed in the hotel and airport grounds. I don't know how well they police this, but that was the official requirement as of late last year. I suppose you could get away with taking a taxi to the Dead Sea or downtown. But if anything happens to make you 'show your papers' (accident, altercation, or just a curious police officer) then you could be in some trouble.
This makes sense. It does seem like the purpose of the transit card is just to allow you to stay at the hotel for one night.
I suppose one could ask at the hotel front desk, then assess the risk of going AWOL. Alternatively, when you enter the country through Passport control, you could just get a real visa (20 JD, about $28 US). They only accept cash, in JD. There's a currency exchange in the far back corner of the arrivals hall, and right next to it is an ATM.