Travel to Mongolia
Entry and residence requirements
Since September 2013, holders of a German passport that is valid for at least six months from the date of entry no longer need a visa to enter Mongolia. This applies to tourists with a stay of up to 30 days. If you want to stay longer, you have to apply for an extension of your stay (up to 60 days) at the Mongolian immigration authorities.
Non-tourists who wish to stay longer than 30 days must apply for a visa at the Mongolian embassy in Berlin, presenting an invitation that must have been confirmed by the immigration authorities in Ulaanbaatar. After entering Mongolia, you must register with the immigration authorities within seven working days, and after two weeks with the mayor of the respective administrative unit.
For stays of more than three months, a permit is required, for which a deadline of 21 calendar days after arrival applies.
According to topb2bwebsites, the Mongolian honorary consuls in Germany do not have the right to issue visas.
In December 2015, the Mongolian Foreign Ministry announced the lifting of visa-free travel to Mongolia for 42 countries, including Spain and Austria.
The measure, which came into effect on January 1, 2016, was justified with the necessary safety precautions in connection with the ASEM summit 2016 in Ulaanbaatar.
German citizens were not affected by the measure.
The Foreign Office offers a good, constantly updated overview with country-specific safety instructions, general travel information, entry regulations for German citizens, special customs regulations, special criminal law regulations and medical information.
For several months now, the Federal Foreign Office has been regularly publishing current information about the Covid 19 pandemic in Mongolia.
Travel and traffic
Travel in the country is possible by plane, train, car and bus.
The only international airport in the country is the airport in Buyant-Ukhaa “Chinggis-Khaan”. The new airport in Central Aimag, 50 km from Ulaanbaatar, is scheduled to start operations by May 2019.
The new airport in Tuv-Aimag was opened in 2020, it was also given the name of the old airport at Buyant Ukhaa “Chinggis-Khaan”, but due to Corona the international airport, 25 km from Ulaanbaatar, still fulfills its purpose.
Most aimags are by airto reach, the runways are gradually being paved. In 2016, all 21 aimags should be able to be reached by plane, and all should be connected to Ulaanbaatar via asphalt roads. Due to the difficult economic situation, these plans have not yet been implemented.
In the center of Ulaanbaatar and on the arteries in all four directions, there is constant traffic chaos on weekdays. On the one hand, this is because the volume of traffic is constantly increasing – private vehicles, vehicles of international organizations and companies, those of the government and authorities – on the other hand, careful and considerate driving is not yet widespread.
However, this improves from year to year. At least on the main roads and at intersections, the road traffic regulations are observed, also because there are additional traffic police everywhere at the intersections.
Nevertheless, pedestrians would do well not to blindly rely on zebra crossings and traffic lights.
The traffic light regulation on the main roads and in the intersection areas works without serious complaints.
More and more cyclists move through Ulaanbaatar and mainly on the sidewalks. If possible, pedestrians should avoid them in good time.
A speed limit of 60 km / h applies on roads and paths within built-up areas, 80 km / h is allowed on country roads.
There is a zero per mill limit.
Foreign drivers are well advised to meticulously adhere to all regulations that are best found out on the spot.
The traffic cops like to stop you, sometimes for no apparent reason.
Local public transport is carried out by buses, including four trolleybus routes. Buses also run between Ulaanbaatar and the aimags. At the bus stations, the drivers wait until the bus is very busy, then it starts. There are large private companies with a fleet of intercity buses and minibuses, but also a large number of small businesses who only own one minibus.
In the meantime, you can no longer pay in cash on the buses, but only by card – Ulaanbaatar Smart Cards, which can be purchased and topped up at kiosks all over the city. A ticket costs 3,600 Tugrug, a bus trip in the city area costs 500, -.
The number of taxi companies has increased continuously. Ordering taxis by phone is no longer a problem these days. As easy as a few years ago, when a car could be stopped at every corner, it is no longer as easy today to get hold of a “wild” taxi. The car owners have become more cautious and no longer need to chase every Tugrug. The costs are billed per kilometer. All taxi companies have 24-hour hotlines.
You can travel safely and comfortably by train. Overall, Mongolia has a rail network of 1,908 km in length. The routes are not electrified, they are driven by diesel locomotives. The largest route network is the Trans-Mongolian Railway with branch lines. The second largest is the route from Choibalsan to the Mongolian-Russian border with a connection to the Trans-Siberian Railway. Only goods are transported on this route. Twice a week the Trans-Siberian Railway runs from Moscow to Ulaanbaatar, daily trains from Irkutsk (Russia) to Ulaanbaatar and once a week a train from Beijing to Ulaanbaatar.
Inland trains run from Ulaanbaatar to Darkhan, Sukhbaatar, Erdenet, Zamyn-Uud, on the Mongolian-Chinese border, to Choir and Sainshand.
43 percent of all passenger traffic is still handled by rail, but cars are increasingly being used by railroad (two railroad companies operate in Mongolia: the Russian-Mongolian joint venture “Ulaanbaatar-Eisenbahn” and the still young Mongolian state-owned company “Mongolian Railways”) Competitor. The innovation government had not only launched an ambitious railway program, but also a motorway construction program. One point of criticism of the innovation government, which was replaced by the “government of decisions” in December 2014, was the fact that not a single kilometer of new rail line had been laid.
Countless travel companies in Mongolia and worldwide offer trips – study trips, round trips, adventure trips, themed trips to the sights in the “Land of the Eternal Blue Sky”.
