The filming permit
All filming in Jordan runs through the Royal Film Commission. We prepare the application, the synopsis and the location list, and follow it through the RFC and the governorate.
Filming in Petra
The most famous facade on earth is a working film set.
A city carved into rose-red rock by the Nabataeans two thousand years ago, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1985 — and a location that rewards the productions that plan it properly. This page covers what that planning actually involves: permits, access, visitors and seasons.
The location
Indiana Jones rode through the Siq in 1989. Producers have followed ever since.
The Treasury played the temple of the Grail in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, and the site returned in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen — alongside decades of documentaries, commercials and television. What the camera finds here exists nowhere else: a kilometre-long slot canyon that opens onto carved monumental facades.
Base in Wadi Musa, minutes from the gate. Around three hours from Amman, two from Aqaba — and ninety minutes from Wadi Rum, which is why most productions shoot both.
Permits & clearances
An antiquity first, a location second. The paperwork reflects that.
The park authority
Petra Archaeological Park has its own approval layer, its own rules about what may be rigged where, and entrance fees for every member of the crew. We coordinate all of it, including lock-offs of specific areas where the production needs them.
Aerials
Drones over the antiquities are heavily restricted and cleared case by case — often not at all. We tell you what your shot list realistically allows before you build the storyboard around an aerial.
Petra takes the longest of any Jordanian location — allow three to four weeks. Start the paperwork before you book flights, not after.
On the ground
No trucks past the gate. Plan for it and it's fine.
Moving the kit
- Vehicles stop at the visitor centre — from there the Siq is on foot
- Equipment moves in by porter and cart; we plan loads and crew calls around it
- Power inside the site is planned, not found — batteries and quiet generators
- Heavy or specialist kit is staged in Wadi Musa, minutes away
Working around visitors
- The first hours after gate-opening are the quiet ones — and the best light in the Siq
- Specific areas can be locked off for a production, arranged with the park
- Little Petra, twenty minutes away: similar architecture, far fewer people
- Hotels for the whole unit in Wadi Musa, from crew rooms to five-star
Seasons
When to come — and when not to
- March to May and September to November are prime: mild days, clean light on the rock.
- Midsummer is hot and hard on a walking crew — shootable, but we schedule early and late.
- Winter brings cold mornings and occasional heavy rain — on those days the Siq can close for flash-flood safety, so the schedule carries weather cover.
- Petra by Night — the candlelit Siq and Treasury — runs on set evenings and can be worked into a schedule.
Worth knowing
Your Petra spend counts toward Jordan's cash rebate
The Royal Film Commission's rebate returns 25% to 45% of qualifying spend inside Jordan to international productions. What you spend on crew, fees, hotels and services around Petra qualifies. We assess your project against the points system and handle the paperwork.
How the rebate works →Questions producers ask
Petra, answered straight
How long does the permit take?
The longest of any Jordanian location — the park adds its own approval layer on top of the RFC permit. Allow three to four weeks. We confirm the realistic timeline for your dates before you lock a schedule.
Can I fly a drone?
Over the antiquities, rarely — heritage clearance comes on top of the aviation and filming approvals, case by case. We tell you honestly what your shot list allows before you plan around aerials.
Can we avoid tourists in shot?
Yes, with planning: early gate hours, arranged lock-offs of specific areas, or Little Petra twenty minutes away — similar Nabataean architecture, a fraction of the visitors.
Planning a shoot in Petra?
Tell us the project and the dates. We will come back within 24 hours with what the permits, the access and the season mean for your schedule — before you commit to anything. Shooting Wadi Rum too? Read the Wadi Rum guide — they pair on one schedule.