Mongolia maintains 30 day visa free access for 34 countries through Dec. 31

Mongolia has carried its 30-day visa-free tourism regime for 34 countries into 2026, keeping the same terms that were set to expire on Dec. 31, 2025.

What carried over from the 2023 to 2025 window

The scheme first ran from Jan. 4, 2023 through the end of 2025 under the "Years to Visit Mongolia" initiative. Without the extension, citizens of the 32 European countries on the list plus Australia and New Zealand would have needed a consular visa or e-visa from Jan. 1. Instead, the government renewed the exemption for the calendar year and the Immigration Agency of Mongolia is running it on the same terms as before: ordinary passports only, tourism purposes only, up to 30 days on arrival with no prior application or fee.

Eligible travelers can still request one extension of up to 30 additional days from inside the country, filed through the Immigration Agency's online portal before the initial stay expires. That caps a single visit at roughly 60 days.

What the exemption doesn't cover

The waiver applies only to short-stay tourist categories. It doesn't replace visas for work, study, media assignments, business activity or residence and it doesn't stretch to a second extension. Nomads planning multi-month bases in Ulaanbaatar still need the appropriate visa and anyone hoping to keep resetting the clock through repeat entries should expect scrutiny at the border. Long-haul planning through residency channels is covered in the Mongolia guide.

The 2027 cliff is the part to plan around

Travel advisories tracking the policy report that most of these 34 nationalities will need to switch to an e-visa from Jan. 1, 2027, at a cost of roughly $50 per entry. That gives the current visa-free window a firm 12-month runway.

Who this actually catches:

• Repeat visitors building itineraries around the Naadam festival or the Gobi season: any trip that starts in 2026 but crosses into January 2027 needs an e-visa for the return leg or a second entry.

• Digital nomads on 60-day trips should file the in-country extension before day 30, not on day 30, because the Immigration Agency treats late requests the same as an overstay.

• Tour operators quoting 2027 packages to European and Oceanian clients need to price the e-visa fee in now.

Australians, New Zealanders and the 32 European nationalities on the list can otherwise book Mongolia for 2026 without a consular step.