Thanks to its cultural diversity and fabulous landscape, Mongolia is a much sought-after country for travellers and tourists from all over the world. Nevertheless, it is not possible for a foreign citizen to enter Mongolia without a visa. Who does this rule apply to?
Nationalities requiring a visa to travel to Mongolia
Some nationalities are exempt from visa requirements before travelling to Mongolia. However, apart from privileged persons and nationalities that are not eligible for a Mongolian e-visa at all, the list of eligible nationalities is very long.
These are : Albania, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Botswana, Brunei, Burundi, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, China, Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Cuba, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, India, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Kuwait, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Moldova, Montenegro, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nauru, Nepal, Nicaragua, Northern Macedonia, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, São Tomé and Príncipe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, South Sudan, Suriname, Tanzania, Timor-Leste, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Vatican City, Venezuela, Vietnam, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Warning, in January 2023 the Mongolian authorities have decided to exempt 34 nationalities from visa requirements as part of their tourism programme. These nationalities can travel for tourism only to Mongolia for up to 30 days, visa-free, until the end of 2025.
To travel to Mongolia, anyone from one of these countries must have a visa before travelling. They may be international travellers, tourism enthusiasts or sports enthusiasts. There are also some nationalities who can travel to Mongolia without a visa on departure, but will only be issued with a visa on arrival. This is a privilege enjoyed by citizens of countries such as Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, United Arab Emirates, Netherlands, Romania and others.
Documents required to obtain a Mongolian e-Visa
Before you can obtain a Mongolian e-passport, you need to collect three documents. These are the passport identity page, your identity photo and the hotel reservation. Then you need to send these documents online and in colour with optimum quality.
When you place your order, you will be asked a number of questions. These include marital status, occupation, personal telephone number, business telephone number, emergency contact number and first and last name.
It will take a few days for your application to be processed before you receive your visa. It will be sent to you by email as an electronic file that you will need to print out.
Foreigners must register within 7 days of entering Mongolia. Registration is carried out at the Immigration, Naturalisation and Aliens Agency in the capital, Ulaanbaatar.
Validity of the Mongolian electronic visa
The validity of the e-visa depends on the type of visa chosen. The visa can be for tourism, transit or to attend a sporting or cultural event. A tourist visa entitles the holder to stay in the country for 30 days and is valid for 150 days from the day it is issued. An electronic, sports event or cultural visa also has the same validity. But the validity of a transit visa is a little more limited, as it only allows a traveller to make a stopover in Mongolia.
What's more, you can extend the validity of your visa for a further 30 days. Applications can now be made on internet then at an immigration office after agreement has been reached. In general, even after obtaining a contract extension, a foreigner's stay in Mongolia cannot exceed 180 days. If you want to stay in Mongolia for longer, you will need to take the necessary steps to obtain a work permit, which will allow you to reside in the country..
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