Licence amendments facilitate Amman home-based businesses

AMMAN — The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) has issued a total of 351 licences for home-based businesses since regulations were amended in 2017, which reduced costs and simplified procedures to allow more people to start businesses. 

In a statement shared with The Jordan Times, GAM noted that the “intellectual professions” category saw the highest number of licences issued at 271, followed by manual food preparation at 58, handicrafts at 17 and home services at five. 

The municipality exempted holders of the licence from waste and advertisement fees, noting that the amendments also reduce registration fees from JD30-200 to JD20-50.

The regulations stipulate that only 15 per cent of a house’s total space can be used for a business, provided that it covers no more than 25 metres and occupies only interior space.

The regulations also commit licence holders to public health and environmental protection standards, prohibiting the use of any tools that could disturb neighbours during working hours, the statement said.

Furthermore, licence holders must attach a sign with the licence number and the profession name to the doors of their houses, the statement added.

GAM has given district governors the authority to issue licences for home-based businesses without having to refer to organisational committees, the statement said, noting that licence procedures are priorities and should be completed within three days of the date of application submission. 

However, the municipality stipulated that licences related to food preparation cannot be issued without the approval of the Jordan Food and Drug Administration, along with other approvals specified in regulations and laws governing the sector, according to the statement. 

Home-based businesses have been categorised into four areas: Intellectual (49 professions), handicrafts (10 professions), food preparation (6 professions) and home services (6 professions).