In short: You log in to JoFotara at portal.jofotara.gov.jo with three fields: tax number, username and password. Your connection details are under device integration, then new integration, as the main user: the user number is your Client ID, the secret key is your Secret Key, and the income source sequence is your activity number.
In this guide
- The portal's names and your cashier app's names
- Before you start: two accounts, not one
- Logging in: three fields, not two
- If you forget your password
- What you see after logging in
- How do I get my Client ID and Secret Key?
- Device integration: where your connection details live
- What is the activity number?
- Enter them without copy mistakes
- Protect the connection, and switch it off when needed
- How Ghalleh handles your connection details
Your business is registered on JoFotara, your cashier app is asking for a Client ID and a Secret Key, and the portal does not show either phrase anywhere. That is normal. The portal labels them in Arabic and keeps them on a screen only the main user can open. This guide takes you from the login screen to copying your connection details into your app, using the button names from the Income and Sales Tax Department's published guides. Screens change as the portal is updated, so if yours looks different, the department's guides on istd.gov.jo are the reference.
The portal's names and your cashier app's names
Cashier and accounting apps use English names, the portal uses Arabic ones. This table lines them up before you start.
| On the portal (Arabic label) | In your cashier app | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| User number (رقم المستخدم) | Client ID | The identifier for this specific connection, a long string of letters and numbers |
| Secret key (المفتاح السري) | Secret Key | The password for this connection. Anyone holding it with the user number can send invoices in your business's name |
| Income source sequence (تسلسل مصدر الدخل) | Activity number or income source sequence | The number that decides which of your activities the invoices belong to |
| Tax number (الرقم الضريبي) | TIN or tax number | Your business's number with the department, printed on every invoice |
Before you start: two accounts, not one
Getting into JoFotara involves two separate accounts. The first is your business's account on the Income and Sales Tax Department's e-services, which needs an active tax number plus a username and password there. The second is your account on the JoFotara portal itself. You create it the first time from the department's e-services, choosing a new username and password, and it becomes your business's main user.
The main user holds full rights: it sees every invoice, adds users and creates connection credentials. Sub-users can only issue and view invoices. If your business has not finished registering yet, start with our JoFotara registration guide and come back here.
Logging in: three fields, not two
- Open the portal yourself
Type portal.jofotara.gov.jo into your browser, or go through istd.gov.jo and its national e-invoicing registration and connection icon. Never sign in through a link someone sent you. - Fill in all three fields
Tax number, then username, then password. - Mind the username
It is the one you chose when you created your portal account, not your tax number. Typing the tax number into both fields is the most common reason people cannot get in. - Press the login button
The home screen opens under the heading E-invoices, with your tax number and business name at the top.
If you forget your password
The login screen has a forgotten password link. Click it, enter your tax number, and the system texts a verification code to the phone number registered against that tax number. Enter the code, type and confirm a new password, and save.
Note that the code goes to the phone on file with the department, not necessarily the phone in your pocket. If you changed numbers years ago and never updated your details, the code will never arrive, and the fix is updating your business details with the department first. The portal home screen also has a link for updating taxpayer details.
What you see after logging in
The main user's home screen has four buttons. Here is what each one does.
| Button | What it does | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| View invoices | Lists every invoice under your tax number, whether issued on the portal, in the mobile app or by a connected system | Where you confirm your POS invoices arrived, search them, export to Excel and print any invoice |
| Device integration | Creates the credentials your cashier app needs to send invoices | Where your Client ID and Secret Key live. Main user only |
| Add sub-user | Adds users who issue invoices by hand on the portal, each tied to an income source sequence | Only needed if you will issue invoices on the website itself |
| Settings | Adds a logo per income source sequence to appear on invoices | Optional, and unrelated to the connection |
Labels are translated from the department's published Arabic guides. Their layout may change with portal updates.
How do I get my Client ID and Secret Key?
- Sign in as the main user
Not a sub-user. Sub-users do not see the device integration screen at all. - Open device integration
If you have never connected anything, it tells you that you have no devices yet. - Press new integration
A window titled add integration opens. - Name the connection and pick the activity
Enter a username that tells you what this connection is for, such as Main branch till, and pick the income source sequence for the activity you will invoice under. - Press add and read the warning
You may see a warning that the taxpayer will not be able to issue invoices on the platform after connecting devices. If you rely on issuing some invoices by hand on the portal, ask your accountant before you continue. - Copy both values with the Copy button
In the new row, the user number is your Client ID and the secret key is your Secret Key. Copy each with the button next to it rather than typing it.
Device integration: where your connection details live
The device integration screen is a table, one connection per row: the username you entered, the user status, the user number, the secret key and the income source sequence. Come back to it whenever you need to copy the details again, so there is no reason to keep them on paper.
The main user can create more than one connection and switch any of them off with the status switch in its row. Give each connection a name that says where it is used, such as Main branch or Zarqa branch, so that a year from now you know which row belongs to which shop.
What is the activity number?
Activity number is what many apps call the portal's income source sequence. Each activity registered under your tax number has its own sequence, and an invoice belongs to the activity whose sequence it carries. You pick it from the list when you create a connection, it then shows in that connection's row, and you copy it from there into your app.
If your business has a single activity, the list has a single option. If it has several, pick the activity this shop sells under, because an invoice sent with a sequence other than the one the connection was created for is rejected. The full explanation is on the income source sequence page in our glossary.
Enter them without copy mistakes
- Use the Copy button and paste. Typing by hand mixes up look-alike characters such as l, I, 0 and O.
- Make sure there is no stray space at the start or end. One extra space is enough for the system to refuse the connection.
- Do not swap the fields: the user number goes in Client ID, the secret key in Secret Key.
- Select the same income source sequence in your app that you chose when creating the connection, and the tax registration type your accountant confirmed.
- After saving, sell a real item for a small amount, then open view invoices on the portal and check the invoice is there and the receipt printed with a QR code.
Protect the connection, and switch it off when needed
According to the portal guide, only the main user can create connection credentials, and any connection can be switched off from the same table. That gives you a clean way to handle problems. If a device goes missing, an employee who knew the key leaves, or the details were sent somewhere they should not have been, switch the old connection off, create a new one and enter the new details in your app.
Treat the secret key like your online banking password. Do not post it in a group chat, do not write it on a note by the till, and only give it to whoever is entering it in the app.
How Ghalleh handles your connection details
In Ghalleh you connect JoFotara from settings in four steps: your tax registration (registered for sales tax, or income tax only), then your tax number and name, then the device link where you enter the Client ID (the portal's user number), Secret Key and income source sequence, then a final check before you switch it on. With employee roles and permissions, those settings stay with the owner or a manager rather than everyone at the counter.
From then on Ghalleh sends every invoice to JoFotara at the moment of sale and prints the QR on the receipt, whether you sell from a phone, a tablet or a Windows PC. If the internet drops you keep selling, Ghalleh stores the invoices and resends them automatically when the connection returns. If an invoice still cannot be sent after the automatic retries, it is marked and you get an alert.
Ghalleh is available now on Google Play, and the Windows version is on the download page. The trial is 14 days free with every feature and no card, so you can copy your credentials, make your first sale and see it under view invoices before you pay. If you do not subscribe after it, the shop becomes read only and your data stays saved.
Everything about JoFotara on one page: the JoFotara e-invoicing guide.
Common questions
What is the JoFotara login address?
The JoFotara portal is portal.jofotara.gov.jo, and you can also reach it from the Income and Sales Tax Department's site, istd.gov.jo. You sign in with three fields: tax number, username and password. Type the address yourself and never use links sent to you in messages.
Where do I find my JoFotara Client ID and Secret Key?
Sign in as the main user, open device integration, press new integration, name it and pick your income source sequence. In the row that appears, the user number is the Client ID and the secret key is the Secret Key.
What is the activity number on JoFotara?
It is the income source sequence: the number that decides which activity registered under your tax number an invoice belongs to. You pick it when creating a connection, it shows in the connection's row on the device integration screen, and it must match what you enter in your cashier app.
Why can't I see device integration on the portal?
Most likely you signed in as a sub-user. The device integration screen is for the main user only, the account created first for your business. Sign out and sign back in with it.
Can I still issue invoices on the portal after connecting my POS?
When you create a connection, the portal warns that the taxpayer will not be able to issue invoices on the platform after connecting devices. If you need both methods, check with your accountant or the department before you connect.