JFDA Digitalisation and Electronic Product Information in Jordan

1. Key takeaways

JFDA digitalisation is a second-priority item for 2025–2027: upgrading existing electronic systems and improving their efficiency, and developing new electronic systems and services. Specifically, this includes preparing automated tender technical specifications for up to 160 services, automating the work of the Devices and Consumables Directorate, and developing technical specifications for the electronic issuance of registration certificates. The GRZAN conclusion is that digitalisation will change how submissions are made, and companies should adapt early rather than waiting for each system change to force a scramble. The organisations that fare best under such transitions are those whose document pipelines were already digital and standardised before the systems changed.

The second takeaway: Jordan has already moved first in the field of electronic labelling. Industry sources indicate that the JFDA has promoted an electronic product information (ePI) scheme based on structured data formats, linked with two-dimensional barcode serialisation, together with a re-registration deadline (practical estimate, with January 17, 2025 as the initial node reported by industry). GRZAN must point out that this scheme mainly falls on the pharmaceutical track; whether it applies to devices must be confirmed against official JFDA announcements before any company builds its labelling plan around it. Mixing a pharmaceutical-track deadline into a device labelling roadmap without confirmation is exactly the kind of assumption that costs a re-registration cycle.

The third takeaway: current electronic processing is already in substantive operation. Registration applications are filed through the Cosmo system (application.jfda.jo/Cosmo), where the application form is uploaded with electronic attachments, and the JFDA notifies the attendance date by SMS — a hybrid model of “electronic appointment plus in-person submission”. Companies therefore already operate in a partly digital environment today, not in a paper-only one, and the remaining paper steps are the ones most likely to disappear first.

2. Legal basis

Provision locators are subject to the official chapter notes of the Jordanian Government Budget Department and JFDA portal publications; ePI-related dates reflect industry reporting and must be re-verified against official JFDA announcements.

3. Expert insights

Insight one: the scale of automating 160 services shows how deep the digitalisation goes. The JFDA plans to push automation for up to 160 services directed at visitors and service users. At this scale, most administrative procedures relevant to companies will be re-engineered, and existing operating habits need to be updated in step, because a procedure learned today may run through a different system tomorrow. Internal work instructions that name specific submission steps should therefore be written so they can be updated without rewriting the whole procedure.

Insight two: automating the Devices and Consumables Directorate directly changes the submission experience. The automation programme explicitly includes “automating the work of the Devices and Consumables Directorate”. The current hybrid model — electronic upload plus in-person delivery of originals — may in the future contract into fully electronic processing, which would remove the last paper-based step from the device registration workflow.

Insight three: electronic issuance of registration certificates is a concrete landing point. The JFDA is developing technical specifications for electronically issuing registration certificates. Changes in certificate form will affect how companies archive certificates and present registration credentials to customers, distributors and tender committees. Electronic certificates also change verification practice, since counterparties will increasingly check credentials against official systems rather than against paper copies.

Insight four: ePI and serialisation are areas where Jordan is ahead of the region. Jordan is moving quickly on electronic labelling by regional standards, and industry reporting mentions its linkage with structured data formats and two-dimensional barcodes. The GRZAN judgement is that even if the current focus is mainly on the pharmaceutical track, labelling digitalisation for devices is a clear direction (practical estimate).

Insight five: digitalisation lowers geographic barriers but raises documentation discipline requirements. Electronic submission reduces travel for in-person filing, but at the same time demands more disciplined file formats, naming and metadata from companies; otherwise submissions will be bounced at the system level before any reviewer even looks at the content.

4. Practical recommendations

First, require the AR to build electronic document management capability. Pre-stage document packages in the formats required by the Cosmo system to shorten the interval between appointment and submission. The more of the package that exists before the appointment date arrives, the less the in-person step still costs.

Second, prepare in advance for fully electronic processing. File formats, naming rules and metadata should be standardised ahead of time, so the transition does not force a retrospective cleanup of the entire archive. Standardisation done now is an investment; standardisation done after the switch is a recovery operation.

Third, keep tracking ePI and serialisation. Confirm through the AR with the JFDA whether and when they will apply to devices (practical estimate), rather than assuming either that they will never apply or that they already do.

Fourth, follow the issuance rules for electronic registration certificates. Once certificate form changes, update the internal processes for managing credential documents without delay.

5. Verification checklist

• □ The AR’s capability for electronic document submission and management is confirmed
• □ File formats, naming rules and metadata are standardised
• □ Progress of the JFDA electronic services automation programme is tracked
• □ Whether ePI and serialisation requirements apply to devices is confirmed through the AR (practical estimate)
• □ Changes in electronic registration certificate issuance rules are monitored and internal processes updated
• □ Digitalisation priorities are verified against Government Budget Department chapter notes and JFDA announcements

Regulatory information verified as of October 29, 2026.

How GRZAN can help. GRZAN provides medical device and IVD registration, quality system, authorised representative and local testing support for the Jordanian market. Our team manages adverse event reporting and recall coordination with the JFDA, and supports post-market vigilance obligations. Business enquiries: info@grzanglobal.com