Khaberni - The Cabinet approved in its session held today, Sunday, chaired by Prime Minister Dr. Jafar Hassan, the land use planning and mapping system for the year 2026.
The system aims to preserve agricultural lands outside the regulatory boundaries, control their uses, and limit random industrial and population expansion on fertile agricultural areas, alongside supporting agricultural projects.
The system specifies the classification of lands outside the regulatory boundaries in terms of their suitability for agriculture according to the land use map, regulates their uses, limits changes in their designated use or their conversion, and ensures the provision of geographical spatial information related to lands, thereby facilitating decision-makers and reducing time, effort, and costs on relevant institutions and authorities.
The Council of Ministers also approved the temporary vehicle entry system into the Aqaba Special Economic Zone for the year 2026.
The system aims to encourage investment in the Aqaba Special Economic Zone by allowing registered institutions in the area temporary entry of vehicles, including investing in the information technology, telecommunications, agricultural, and commercial sectors, as well as encouraging investors to employ Jordanian labor.
The system considers the balance between the actual investment size of the registered institution in the Aqaba Special Economic Zone and the number of vehicles allowed for entry, fulfilling the institution's need for various types of vehicles that facilitate its operation and assist in managing its investment, while encouraging the use of electric vehicles.
The system includes provisions related to regulating the procedures for granting temporary entry for vehicles, their conditions and terms, which facilitate investors and support their investments, contributing to enabling and expanding them, thus providing job opportunities for Jordanians.
The Council of Ministers also decided to approve the extension of its decision related to providing discounts and exemptions on building and land tax (roofs), education tax, sewage contribution, verification fees, revenues, compensations, road refuse, and the rents and their proceeds due to municipalities and the Greater Amman Municipality until the end of the working day on 31/3/2026.
The decision aims to facilitate citizens and economic activities and enable them to settle their obligations during this period, in addition to supporting municipalities and the Greater Amman Municipality and enabling them to collect their financial revenues; as the previous decision has contributed and to a large extent facilitated citizens and economic activities in settling their due obligations.
The Council of Ministers also decided to approve the settlement of 1003 cases between taxpayers and the Income and Sales Tax Department, following the recommendations of the committee responsible for studying these settlements according to the governing laws.
This decision is a continuation of the routine procedures carried out by the government to enable economic activity owners, taxpayers, and investors to correct their tax statuses if they have any violations, as part of easing their burden and ensuring the sustainability of their work and activities.
In the framework of completing the procedures related to the implementation of the national service program, the Council of Ministers approved the instructions for the prerequisites and conditions for postponing the national service for nationals residing outside the kingdom for the year 2026, to be effective immediately upon publication in the Official Gazette.
These instructions apply to the national obligated to service and residing outside the kingdom for non-educational reasons, where the hosting countries issue valid residency documents according to their national legislations, whether for work, training, joining a family member, or other reasons.
It is required for the postponement of national service for the national residing outside the kingdom that their residency period outside the kingdom is not less than four consecutive months or six non-consecutive months within one calendar year, from the date of the call to national service, provided official documents proving residency are submitted as required.
The approved documents for the delay include a residency permit, a document or residency deed valid at the time of the application, issued by the competent authorities in the country of residency and its official agencies, showing the type of residency and its details, including residencies validated on the passport of the obliged residing outside the kingdom, or certified copies thereof, or special residency cards as needed.
Also included are approved documents: a permanent or temporary employment contract duly authenticated, a lease for a property or apartment, or any document proving ownership of the property or apartment for residential or work purposes in the country of residency, authenticated according to the originals, and a renewal request for residency documents if necessary, and proof of submitting a new residency document request in countries where the departure or exit of the applicant leads to the cancellation of his residency, in addition to the endorsement of the competent authorities in the country of residency such as the Ministry of Interior or the Immigration and Passports Department for any of the documents, data, or information provided and its reinforcements as needed, as well as the authentication of the Jordanian missions abroad or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Affairs for any of the documents, data, or information provided.
The postponement request is submitted by the obliged himself, by reviewing the accredited Jordanian mission in the country he resides, or through his special electronic record, or through reviewing the electronic platform designated for receiving postponement requests from those residing abroad, or in case the obliged comes to the kingdom bringing the documents, data, and information required, or by directly reviewing the directorate by the relatives of the obliged.
The postponement of national service for the obliged residing outside the kingdom is for a period of one year, renewable upon meeting the prerequisites and conditions stated in these instructions, and he may submit a renewal request for postponing the national service by the same mechanism as stated in these instructions one month before the end of the delay period, accompanied by the necessary documents, data, and information, provided it is recently issued.
If the postponement or renewal request is not approved, the request is considered rejected and the legal status of the obliged is determined according to the provisions of the law.
The decision to postpone national service is suspended if the residency is withdrawn from or canceled for any reason from the obliged residing outside the kingdom, or if it expires and is not renewed in accordance with the laws and regulations in force in the country of residency, and also if any of the submitted documents, data, or information is proven incorrect or the residency conditions specified in these instructions are violated, and in this case, the obliged residing outside the kingdom must join the national service when called under penalty of responsibility, unless another reason for the postponement is available.
The obliged residing outside the kingdom who holds citizenship of one or more other countries or has temporary travel documents or a passport is not exempted from duty of national service, and is treated like any other obliged postponing the national service if the prerequisites and conditions specified in the law and these instructions are met.
As part of the government's efforts to settle all the arrears accumulated over previous years for various entities, the Council of Ministers approved an agreement to settle the debt owed to the University Hospital for medical treatments.
According to the agreement, the government will pay approximately 6.8 million dinars to the University Hospital from the budget to make the total payments to the hospital from the government approximately 10.6 million dinars (10,632,915 dinars) for the medical exemptions debt during the years 2024 and 2025.
The decision is part of the government's efforts to settle all the backlogs accumulated by it over the next three years as part of a clear plan, since its formation in September 2024, it has paid more than 620 million dinars of about a billion dinars that had previously accumulated, and will continue with these procedures until all backlogs are settled.
The decision also aims to enable hospitals to sustainably provide their health and treatment services to citizens efficiently, where the Council of Ministers also two weeks ago approved an agreement to settle the debt of King Abdullah University Hospital for medical treatments, through paying 10 million dinars to the hospital, and committing to pay 3 million dinars monthly starting from the beginning of this year until the full amount estimated at about 39.600 million dinars is paid.
As part of updating the public sector, the Council of Ministers approved the reasons for the draft administrative organization system of the Ministry of Culture for the year 2026; in preparation to send it to the Legislation and Opinion Bureau to complete the issuance procedures according to the originals.
The draft system aims to update and organize the work of the Ministry of Culture, clarifying the tasks and responsibilities through aligning the administrative structure with the national strategic plans and the vision of economic update and government directions, besides enhancing transparency, accountability, improving internal coordination and decision-making mechanisms.
The draft system seeks to streamline the work of cultural centers and programs and provide more comprehensive and effective cultural services to simplify procedures.
A Directorate of Child Culture will be introduced based on the importance of this age group, and to enhance the ministry's role in shaping children's awareness and educating them, in addition to introducing a Directorate of Capital Culture like other governorates.
The Council of Ministers also approved the reasons for the draft administrative organization system of the Jordanian Radio and Television Corporation for the year 2026; in preparation to send it to the Legislation and Opinion Bureau to complete the procedures according to the originals.
The draft system aims to improve the efficiency of work at all technical and administrative levels of the institution, enhance its role in the fields of media and digital transformation, organize the administrative structure to prevent conflicts of authority and duplication, clarify the administrative hierarchy and scope of supervision to organize the internal communication process in the institution and distribute responsibilities and tasks professionally.
The draft system also aims to enhance the role of the institution as an entity involved in training and development and preparing media competencies.
