This border crossing has a certain reputation for being rather difficult and long. However, when I crossed from Jordan to Palestine in September 2023 it was not too bad. I have to note though that this was partly thanks to my white privilege. The Arab looking guy next to me had to give the names of his father and grandfather to the immigration officer while I was only asked very basic questions. The Israeli border officials definitely make life harder for Arab people.
There is plenty of up-to-date information in the Google maps review of the border crossing posts, so I will keep this short.
Here is what I had to pay in terms of border fees and transportation to get from Amman to Jericho:
1,3 JOD (~1,7€) Uber to Abdali Jett bus station in Amman
11 JOD (~14,5€) Jett bus to the King Hussein border
10 JOD (~13,2€) exit fee Jordan to Israel
7 JOD (~9,2€) + 1,5 JOD (~2€) per big bag for the Jett bus from Jordan border post to Israeli border post
16 NIS (~4€) bus from Israeli border to Jericho border
So basically, you first take the Jett bus to the border post on the Jordan side. You can book your Jett bus ticket online or at the office, paying cash or by card. At the border post, you get off the bus with your baggage, pay the exit fee in cash (everyone has to pay it – even if you stayed longer than a couple of days, have the Jordan pass, etc.), get your passport checked and receive a little paper with a stamp. They do not stamp your passport at this exit because Jordan sees itself as a caretaker of the West Bank. The border officials then keep your passport and little paper and only give it back to you in the bus you have to take to get from the Jordan exit to the Israel entry post. So you wait for them to tell you that the bus has arrived, then board the bus with your baggage and they will then hand you back your passport in the bus. You have to pay this bus in cash in Jordanian dinar. So keep enough dinar with you! I did see a currency exchange bureau at the border, so you could make use of that if needed. The bus ride in between borders is short. A soldier boarded the bus at some point and checked all of our passports again on the bus. At the Israel side, there is a ‘check in’ for big bags. If you only have carry on luggage you do not need to do that. Otherwise, you queue and it’s like at the airport really. There are security checks of your bags and the border officials might ask some questions about where you come from, where you are going, what you are intending to do in Israel, if you have been here before, etc. If you are Arab looking, the questions might get quite personal as well from what I have heard. In the building there are toilets and there is free wifi at some point as well. The border officials then give you your entry permit on a little piece of paper (no stamping involved) and you can get your big bag back. Outside of the building, you can get a shared taxi to Jerusalem or get a bus to Jericho. It’s best to have some shekels with you already. Otherwise, there is a small bureau de change as well. If you are going to Jericho, you can buy a bus ticket at the booth outside the border post building and the bus will then drop you at the Jericho border. Jericho is administered by the Palestinian Authority, so there is a third border you have to cross. This one is very straight-forward though. They take the baggage from the bus, you get your passport and Israeli visa checked and then get your bags back. Outside of this border post building there are plenty of taxi guys hanging around who will most likely approach you and ask if you need any help. I borrowed the phone of one of the guys to call my host who came to get me from there by car.
In case you need more information about travelling by public transport in Jordan to get to Amman, you can read more here. To take the Israeli public transport in Palestine and Israel it’s best to download the Rav-Pass app. You cannot pay cash in the bus. With the Rav-Pass app you can pay very easily by connecting to the wifi on the bus and scanning the code in the bus. Note however that the wifi doesn’t always work outside of cities.