Mongolia on GuideMeet

Rules for overlanding in Mongolia

Updated October 2026

Our summary of the country advice published by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Viaggiare Sicuri) on 4 January 2026.

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Which driving licence do I need in Mongolia?

• All vehicles — An International Driving Permit on the 1968 Vienna Convention model is what the ministry lists for Mongolia. Check what applies to the licence you hold.

An International Driving Permit states the categories it covers: check yours covers what you will actually drive. A car licence does not cover a motorcycle, and a heavy camper or a truck can need a higher category.

At the wheel

• Roads — The internal road network is not well developed: a little over 10,000 km of paved roads against some 1,800 km of railway. Drive with maximum care, above all outside the capital, where crashes — usually not very serious — are frequent, especially in bad weather.
• Tolls — A toll of around 1,000 tugrik is charged for the use of some rural and regional roads.
• Vehicles for off-road tracks — If you use a local agency for internal travel, make sure the vehicles are in excellent condition and genuinely suitable for off-road tracks, and that the agency guarantees assistance in an emergency. Rescue vehicles can have trouble reaching the most isolated and difficult parts of the country.
• Entering overland — If you enter Mongolia by road rather than by air — by car, motorcycle or bicycle — the ministry says to get information before the trip from the diplomatic authorities of each country you will cross.
• Zamin-Uud crossing — Passenger traffic by road is again allowed at Zamin-Uud (Erlian), the main crossing for road and rail links with China.

What catches travellers out

• Russian visa — If you plan to continue into Russia from Mongolia, get the visa before you leave: Russian consular offices in Ulaanbaatar no longer issue entry visas to foreigners who are not resident in Mongolia. Visa-free tourist entry has recently been introduced for China; in other cases you need to arrange that visa at home too.
• Local currency only — A 2009 law requires the local currency for all commercial transactions inside the country. Many businesses will ask for and accept USD or EUR, but the ministry advises against it so you do not run into the penalties in that law. You also cannot leave the country with more money than you declared on entry.
• Archaeological finds — Exporting archaeological or culturally valuable items is prohibited, and offenders can be arrested.
• Drugs — Possession, use and illegal dealing are punished very severely, with prison and heavy fines.

Vehicle, drones and permits

• What insurance do I need to drive in Mongolia? — A vehicle entering Mongolia temporarily or in transit must be covered by driver's liability insurance arranged in the border area, under a joint procedure set by the government member in charge of border protection and the Financial Regulatory Commission. Carry proof of this cover to show at the crossing. (legalinfo.mn — Law on Driver's Insurance, Article 26.4)
• Can I bring and fly a drone in Mongolia? — A drone under 25 kg can generally fly without an operator certificate, by day and within visual line of sight, no higher than 120 metres above the ground and no closer than 4 kilometres to any aerodrome, with the consent of anyone or any property overflown. A drone of 25 kg or more needs an Unmanned Aircraft Operator Certificate from the Civil Aviation Authority of Mongolia. (Civil Aviation Authority of Mongolia — Advisory Circular AC102-1, Unmanned Aircraft Operator Certification)
• Off-road driving and protected areas — Inside a protected area covered by a land-use agreement, a vehicle must enter and leave only by the routes fixed in that agreement. In a Strictly Protected Area, an aircraft — a drone included — may not land or fly low without the reserve administration's prior permission. (legalinfo.mn — Law on Special Protected Areas, Articles 12.8 and 38.2)

Before you rely on this

This is our summary of advice written by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Italian travellers, published on 4 January 2026. We summarise in good faith, but we cannot guarantee it is accurate, current or complete, and we take no responsibility for decisions made on the basis of it. Rules change without notice and are applied by officials at the border, not by websites. Always read the original source and the travel advice your own government publishes for Mongolia before you travel. Where a guide's profile shows “Licence verified”, we found that licence in the official public register; otherwise GuideMeet has no way of checking whether an individual guide meets any standard mentioned here — ask them directly.

The points in "Vehicle, drones and permits" come from official sources of the country itself, cited next to each one.

Source: Viaggiare Sicuri — Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, updated 4 January 2026. Last checked by GuideMeet on 7 October 2026.