Home-based business operators remain hesitant of official registration

AMMAN — With the growing interest in home-based businesses, there still remains hesitation when it comes to obtaining work permits, according to sector operators.

A number of facilities are provided to individuals when they license their home-based businesses. For example,  individuals who apply for a work permit are exempt from paying fees for work permits for three years, according to Director of the Professional Licensing Directorate at the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM), Adel Sahaiba.

Sahaiba added that “GAM has granted around 700 work permits to home-based businesses.” 

He also pointed out that it is still difficult to keep track of the number of people working from home, and that GAM seeks to support and regulate such businesses to become legitimate.

Moreover, a handbook for starting a home-based business, which was commissioned by GAM, the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Supply and other entities, showed that home-based enterprises are a key component of the Jordanian economy. 

The handbook revealed that registering and licensing home-based enterprises provides legal protection, organises administrative and financial aspects of the project and makes it easier to obtain technical or financial support.

Um Tareq, a Jordanian woman in her 50s who runs a food-based business from her home, told The Jordan Times that she has been managing her business for three years now. However, Um Tareq has not obtained a business licence because she feared it would entail additional financial burdens.

“I started my business with the lowest possible costs, and like many other women, I hesitated to license my home kitchen,” she said, adding that she would have licensed her business if the legal and technical requirements and procedures were simplified.

“I started with my home business to support my family, and I really could not afford to pay any fees,” said Samah Ammar, another Jordanian woman who sells handcrafted and homemade items from her home.

Ammar noted that as of now, she has not registered her home-based business, as she does not want new financial commitments after acquiring her work permit.