Just Landed in Mongolia? Your First 7 Days

Ulaanbaatar has fast, cheap 4G/LTE with expanding 5G, but coverage drops sharply the moment you leave towns and paved roads, so download offline maps before any countryside trip. Prepaid SIMs are sold with passport registration at telco branches and airport kiosks, and eSIM is available on some plans. Fixed home broadband from Univision or your building's provider is inexpensive and generally reliable in the city.

Typical cost: Roughly 15,000-30,000 MNT/month for a prepaid bundle with 10-30GB of data; small ~1GB top-ups cost a few thousand tögrög. Home fibre broadband runs about 30,000-60,000 MNT/month depending on speed.

The tögrög (MNT) is cash-heavy: cards and QR work well in Ulaanbaatar supermarkets, malls and mid-range restaurants, but markets, taxis, ger-district shops and anywhere rural are cash only. Visa and Mastercard are accepted at terminals in the city, though it is unwise to rely on plastic outside the capital. The tögrög floats and has weakened over recent years, so check the live rate rather than an old figure.

Opening an account: Khan Bank, Golomt Bank, TDB (Trade and Development Bank) and Xacbank open accounts for foreigners. You typically need your passport, an Immigration Agency registration or residence document, and often a work contract or employer letter. Khan Bank has by far the largest branch and ATM network, including in provincial towns, which makes it the easiest first account.

Cash: Carry tögrög cash every day. Contactless and QR payments through bank apps and SocialPay are common in the centre, but small vendors, ger-district shops, buses and provincial trips still expect notes. Keep a mix of denominations, as change for a 20,000 MNT note is not always available at small stalls.

Tipping: Tipping is not traditional and never obligatory. Upscale Ulaanbaatar restaurants may add a 10% service charge; otherwise rounding up or leaving 5-10% for genuinely good service is appreciated but entirely optional. Taxis and casual eateries do not expect anything.

Foreigners whose stay exceeds 30 days must register with the Mongolia Immigration Agency within 7 days of arrival. This is a legal obligation, separate from obtaining a residence or work permit, and applies regardless of nationality. Your employer, sponsor or landlord usually assists with the paperwork. Failure to register results in fines and, in practice, being stopped and temporarily denied exit at the airport when you try to leave, so treat the deadline as firm and keep the registration slip until departure.

Deadline: Within 7 days of arrival for any stay exceeding 30 days.

Where: Mongolia Immigration Agency office near Chinggis Khaan International Airport in the Khöshigt Valley south of Ulaanbaatar, or handled on your behalf by your employer or sponsor.

Ulaanbaatar has cheap public buses paid with a U-Money transit card, but severe traffic congestion, no metro and licence-plate-based driving restrictions on some days. Ride-hailing apps and licensed taxis are the practical way to get around. Informal taxis, where any private car stops for a fare, still exist everywhere but are best avoided by newcomers who cannot yet judge routes, prices or drivers.

From the airport: Chinggis Khaan International Airport in the Khöshigt Valley is about 50km south of the city, roughly a 45-70 minute drive depending on traffic. Use a pre-booked hotel car, an app-hailed ride, or a licensed metered taxi; expect around 60,000-90,000 MNT by car. A public airport shuttle bus runs to the city centre far more cheaply for those travelling light.

Most expats rent furnished flats in central Ulaanbaatar districts such as Sükhbaatar and Chingeltei, or in the newer Zaisan area south of the river, close to Peace Avenue amenities. The single most important thing to confirm is heating: insist on a flat connected to the citywide district heating system rather than one relying on metered electric heaters, which are expensive and inadequate in deep winter. Check hot water, insulation and secure building entry too.

Typical rent: A furnished one-bedroom in central Ulaanbaatar runs roughly 1,300,000-2,500,000 MNT/month; modern serviced or diplomatic-standard apartments cost considerably more. Rents outside the centre or in older Soviet-era blocks are noticeably cheaper.

Deposit norm: Usually one to three months' rent as a deposit, often paid in cash, plus the first month up front. Insist on a written contract, clarify exactly who pays utilities and heating, and photograph the flat's condition on move-in to protect your deposit.

Public hospitals are cheap but under-resourced, crowded and mostly Mongolian-language, and serious or complex cases are frequently evacuated to Seoul or, less often, Beijing. Ulaanbaatar has a handful of private and international-standard clinics that expats rely on for day-to-day care, and standards vary sharply between facilities. Anything beyond routine treatment can be limited, which is why evacuation cover matters.

How to access it: For English-speaking care, use private providers such as Intermed Hospital, SOS Medica Mongolia or GrandMed Hospital. You generally pay upfront and claim on insurance, so keep every receipt. Bring your own supply of any regular medication, as pharmacy stock is inconsistent and specific brands may be unavailable.

Insurance: Comprehensive international health insurance that explicitly includes medical evacuation is strongly recommended given the limited local capacity for serious conditions. Employers often provide a policy; if yours does not, arrange private cover with an evacuation clause before you travel or immediately on arrival, and carry the 24-hour assistance number.

• Accept offered food or drink, often milk tea (süütei tsai) or fermented mare's milk (airag), with your right hand or both hands, and take at least a sip rather than refusing outright, as hospitality is taken seriously.
• Remove your shoes when entering a home or ger, and never step on the threshold of a ger or lean on its support columns.
• Give and receive items, money and business cards with the right hand, supported at the elbow by the left, or with both hands, as a sign of respect.
• Inside a ger, move clockwise, sit where directed, and do not point your feet at the stove, the altar at the back, or other people.
• If you accidentally touch or bump someone, especially their foot, offer your hand or a quick apology; a light handshake traditionally patches up the small offence.
• Greet and defer to elders first, use both hands or a supported arm when passing them anything, and accept that seniority shapes seating and speaking order.
• Learn a few Mongolian phrases such as sain baina uu (hello) and bayarlalaa (thank you); the effort is warmly received even when your accent is off.

• Winter air pollution in Ulaanbaatar is among the world's worst from November to February; get an air-quality app and use a good mask or an indoor purifier on bad days.
• Do not whistle indoors, touch someone's head, or point at people or sacred objects with a single finger, as these are considered rude or unlucky.
• Be cautious with stray and guard dogs, especially in ger districts and the countryside, where dogs are working animals rather than pets and can be aggressive.
• Avoid heated political debate with strangers, and be aware that petty anti-foreigner hostility can rise late at night around bar and nightclub areas.
• Take the winter seriously: black ice, unlit streets and open manholes cause real injuries, so wear grippy boots and watch your footing after dark.