About: Embassy, Immigration, Investor, Mongolia, Visa
1. Mongolia Visa category as defined by Mongolian Embassy. 2. Validity of visa. 3. Mongolian Visa issue date . 4. Name of visa holder 5. Traveler’s passport number. 8. Traveler’s citizenship. 11. Number of allowed entries to Mongolia (subject to visa validity dates). 12. Maximum duration of stay in Mongolia per each entry. 13. Mongolian Consulate that issued a visa. 16. Date of Mongolian visa expiration 18. Purpose of entry to Mongolia (type of Mongolian visa)
Getting a visa for Mongolia is relatively easy if you come as a tourist but harder if you come for business.
There are various types of Visas available depending on your needs.
You should try to obtain a visa at the Mongolian Embassy of the country in which you are in but if there is no embassy you can then get the visa at the train station or airport. If you do have a Mongolian Embassy in your country but have either forgotten to get a visa or have not had the time it is possible to get it at your point of entry but it is not certain.
If, while in Mongolia, you wish to change the status of your visa, you must imperatively leave Mongolian territory, go to the nearest border, apply for your visa there and then only return to Mongolia on your new visa. It is not possible to get a new type of Visa in Mongolia. Chinese and Russian Citizens have different requirements for their visa applications.
Mongolian Transit Visa – (short stay only)
Mongolian Transit Visa only allows you to take the Trans-Siberian train that runs between Irkutsk and Beijing. You are not allowed to leave the train (only to stretch your legs at the Ulaanbaatar train station) and you are not allowed to stay in Mongolia for longer than the duration of your passage through Mongolia (usually maximum 48 hours). You can obtain a transit visa from your nearest Mongolian Embassy and maybe at the border but this is not recommended. You will need to show proof of purchase of a train ticket to obtain your transit visa.
Mongolian Tourist Visa – Type J (1 month or 3 months)
A tourist visa of a month is easy to obtain, simply go to your local Mongolian Embassy, fill in the form, pay your dues and come back later to collect it.
Requirements:
- 2 Passport Photographs
- Filled in Application Form
- Visa Fee (usually around 50USD)
- A valid passport with at least 6 months of validity left it in.
- An invitation letter from your tour company or your host in Mongolia (only for visas of more than 30 days)
It is possible to extend a tourist visa once you are in Mongolia by a month and then get an exit visa which gives you an extra 10 days to leave the country. This must be done at the Discover Mongolia Office in UB and must be done before your visa expires. Don’t do it too many times otherwise the immigration department gets suspicious and thinks you might be working in Mongolia on a tourist visa.
If on the other hand you wish to obtain a visa that is valid for more than 30 days (but less than 90) you will need to get an invitation letter from your tour company or your host in Mongolia.
Tourist Visas for Mongolia do not allow you to conduct any type of business in Mongolia, attend conferences, seek employment or hold business meetings. You are not allowed to earn anything either.
Tourist Visas for Mongolia are issued within the same day (if you go to the embassy early enough and pay the rush fee) or within 3 days. I have heard that some embassies require a hotel reservation or proof of transport leaving Mongolia (plane ticket) as well as invitation letters. This very much depends from embassy to embassy.
Important notice: You must register at the City Immigration office within 10 days of arrival if you are intending to stay longer than 30 days in Mongolia.
Mongolian Business Visa – Type B (30, 60 or 90 Days)
Business visa are a little bit more difficult to obtain than Tourist visas. The company or event that you are going to be meeting or attending has to contact the immigration office, make and official request and send a letter to the department of immigration, once approved it gets sent on to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and they will send it on to the relevant embassy, you cannot send the letter yourself. Once the letter arrives at the embassy you can then go and apply for your visa.
Once you arrive in Mongolia, you will need to convert this visa into a year long multi-entry visa (130USD).
This visa does not allow you to work for or be employed by a Mongolian company or a foreign company established in Mongolia. It only lets you attend conferences and seminars, do some fact finding and hold small business meetings, anything for which you are not paid in short. You will not be allowed to make your own investments or work for your own company, to be able to work in Mongolia as an independent entity you will need an investors visa (type T).
Important notice: You must register at the City Immigration office within 10 days of arrival if you are intending to stay for longer than 30 days.
Mongolian Work Visa – Type HG (length as needed, max 1 year)
This is the same basic requirements as your business visa, the company for which you are going to work for must go to the immigration office to have their request approved, once this is done the request is passed on to the ministry of foreign affairs who will fax the relevant embassy. Your company will then be obliged to pay a fee every month for your visa (about 150USD). The cost of the visa will depend on how long your visa will be required for.
Within ten days of your arrival in Mongolia, you will need to convert your visa into a year long multi-entry visa (130USD), register with the labour office and ask for a long term residency permit. You will be liable for the payment of taxes for all income earned in Mongolia and will also be liable for the payment of Mongolian social security amongst other things.
Mongolian companies have a quota for the number of expat workers they are allowed to have. Please also note that a business visa means that you are then dependent on your sponsoring company for the visa. If you stop working for that company or they no longer like you, it is easy for them to cancel your visa.
If you are coming to work in Mongolia full time, you may also apply for an H type visa for your dependents (children or wife / husband). The process is basically the same and both can be done together. If you are coming with a partner to which you are unmarried than this is a much more difficult process with no clear solution at this stage.
Important notice: You must register at the City Immigration office within 10 days of arrival if you are intending to stay for longer than 30 days.
Mongolian Foreign Investors Visa – Type T (1 Year)
An Investors Visa is the hardest one to get but it is also the best visa to be on in Mongolia if you are coming for the longer term.
In order to obtain an Investors Visa you need to own at least 30% of a foreign invested company and have a FIFTA card. Once you have done all of those things you need to go with all your company documents (including your tax certificate and your FIFTA certificate and card). The immigration office, if they approve your visa, will then send a note to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who will inform the embassy of your choice where your visa will be delivered. An invitation letter also needs to be sent from the ministry of foreign affairs to the embassy that will issue your visa.
Once you arrive in Mongolia you will need to convert your Type T Single entry visa into a year long multi-entry visa (130USD) within 10 days of arrival. You will also need to obtain a long term residency permit.
Of course an investors visa means that you need to keep a clean taxation record, pay all your taxes and generally behave well otherwise it can be revoked. Only 3 type T visas are allowed per Foreign Invested Company.
Important notice: You must register at the City Immigration office within 10 days of arrival if you are intending to stay for longer than 30 days.
Mongolian Spouse or Resident’s Visa, Type H (1 year)
Type H visas are for spouses and immediate families of long term workers in Mongolia that have a type HG Mongolian visa. If you are married to a Mongolian National or if you have lived in Mongolia for a long time (over 5 years) you may be eligible for a long term resident visa. For more information about this process, you need to address yourself to the Mongolian Immigration Office. At the time of writing, the procedure for this is still unclear.
Important notice: You must register at the City Immigration office within 10 days of arrival if you are intending to stay for longer than 30 days.
Mongolian Official Visa Type O – A (Diplomatic, NGO, Official)
If you are a diplomat, working for an NGO or coming to Mongolia on official Government affairs than you could be eligible for a TYPE O visa which are normally free. The conditions to obtain a type O Mongolian visa will depend on your circumstances, check with your embassy, NGO representative of Government official to check how you can go about obtaining such a visa and what is required. Type A Mongolia visas are for visitors with an official passport coming to Mongolia for no longer than 30 days and Type O visas are for NGO’s, International Humanitarian Organisations and other such long term workers.
Important notice: You must register at the City Immigration office within 10 days of arrival if you are intending to stay for longer than 30 days.
Countries which are exempt of tourist visa requirements:
• USA, Kazakhstan –no visa required for a visit not exceeding three months
• Malaysia, Israel – no visa required for a visit not exceeding one month
• Philippines – no visa required for a visit not exceeding three weeks
• Singapore – no visa required for a visit not exceeding two weeks
• People’s Republic of China, Vietnam, Bulgaria, Thailand, Romania and Chile –If you have a diplomatic or official passport you don’t need a visa for a short visit
• Russia, Laos, Yugoslavia, Czech, Slovak, Mexico -If you have a diplomatic or official passport you don’t need a visa for a visit not exceeding three months
• Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Turkey and Republic of Korea – f you have a diplomatic or official passport you don’t need a visa for a visit not exceeding one months
• India –you will need a Mongolian visa but will not have to pay the visa fee
• Hong Kong –no need visa for a visit not exceeding 14 days (ID cards are accepted to indicate residence in Hong Kong)
• Cuba –no requirements for a visa if the visit does not exceeding one month
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Please Note: This article is written in good faith and is intended to be a helpful tool, the author makes no guarantees as to its accuracy nor takes responsibility if the process this information relates to has changed. It is always advisable that you do your own research and find various sources of information, in particular pertaining to laws and regulations.
If you have recently gone through this process yourself and would like to add or comment to the text above, please contact me so that I may make the necessary changes.
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About: Embassy, Immigration, Investor, Mongolia, Visa
