Australian and New Zealand passport holders planning an adventurous escape to Ulaanbaatar can keep their checkbooks closed for at least another year. On 24 February Mongolia’s Cabinet confirmed that its 30-day visa-free entry programme—due to lapse on 31 December 2025—has been extended through the end of 2026 as part of the ‘Years to Visit Mongolia’ tourism campaign.
The scheme, which now covers 34 nationalities, has delivered a 52 per cent jump in Australian arrivals since it was introduced in 2024. Tourism officials say the extension was timed to capture rising interest around the July Naadam Festival and newly opened Trans-Mongolian luxury rail services connecting to Beijing.
For Australian businesses eyeing Mongolia’s resources and renewable-energy sectors, the announcement removes a layer of administrative friction. Work and investor visas are still required for commercial activity, but executives can conduct initial due-diligence visits without paperwork, reducing lead times in competitive bidding processes.
![Mongolia extends visa-free entry for Australians until end-2026]()
Travel advisers caution that the 30-day clock starts on the day of entry and that only one in-country extension is permitted—critical information for mining and engineering consultants whose site visits frequently overrun. Health-insurance coverage remains mandatory and is checked on arrival.
If you’re unsure how the visa-free rules mesh with future work-permit or insurance needs, VisaHQ’s Australia portal (https://www.visahq.com/australia/) can walk you through every step. The service tracks the latest Mongolian regulations, arranges the compulsory health-insurance proofs, and can file work, investor or extension applications on your behalf—saving both leisure travellers and corporate mobility teams valuable time.
Air capacity is another constraint: only three weekly flights connect Seoul to Ulaanbaatar during the southern-hemisphere winter. Corporate mobility teams should therefore lock in seats early and monitor announced—but not yet confirmed—seasonal charters from Sydney via Taipei. The visa-free extension is a win, but operational planning is still essential in this frontier market.
The scheme, which now covers 34 nationalities, has delivered a 52 per cent jump in Australian arrivals since it was introduced in 2024. Tourism officials say the extension was timed to capture rising interest around the July Naadam Festival and newly opened Trans-Mongolian luxury rail services connecting to Beijing.
For Australian businesses eyeing Mongolia’s resources and renewable-energy sectors, the announcement removes a layer of administrative friction. Work and investor visas are still required for commercial activity, but executives can conduct initial due-diligence visits without paperwork, reducing lead times in competitive bidding processes.
Travel advisers caution that the 30-day clock starts on the day of entry and that only one in-country extension is permitted—critical information for mining and engineering consultants whose site visits frequently overrun. Health-insurance coverage remains mandatory and is checked on arrival.
If you’re unsure how the visa-free rules mesh with future work-permit or insurance needs, VisaHQ’s Australia portal (https://www.visahq.com/australia/) can walk you through every step. The service tracks the latest Mongolian regulations, arranges the compulsory health-insurance proofs, and can file work, investor or extension applications on your behalf—saving both leisure travellers and corporate mobility teams valuable time.
Air capacity is another constraint: only three weekly flights connect Seoul to Ulaanbaatar during the southern-hemisphere winter. Corporate mobility teams should therefore lock in seats early and monitor announced—but not yet confirmed—seasonal charters from Sydney via Taipei. The visa-free extension is a win, but operational planning is still essential in this frontier market.
