Mongolia Customs Information

The Customs General Administration sits within the Ministry of Finance.  It is governed by the Customs Law of Mongolia - 2008. During an emergency the law allows for the movement of goods across the border without the normal customs procedures.  When a shipment arrives it may be released before all customs procedures are completed and the paper work for clearing can be done after the fact. It was indicated that there would be no need to apply to the Ministry of Finance for exemption of taxes as would be the normal procedure in non-emergency situations.  To clear goods, consignees contact the Customs General Administration of Mongolia directly.  The Customs General Administration would then alert the port of entry to facilitate customs clearance. 

There is an agreement by the government that during a humanitarian emergency customs and all other agencies at entry points would operate 24 hours a day. Taxes and duties that apply to standard shipments are - 10%VAT and 5% import tax. At each point of entry there are representatives from Customs, Immigration, Border Protection and Agency for Specialized Inspection. UN Agencies and a number of the INGO's in Mongolia have Special Status Agreements with the Government for tax exemption on humanitarian shipments.

Duties and Tax Exemption

For contact information regarding government custom authorities, please follow the link below: 4.1 Mongolia Government Contact List

Emergency Response:

[Note: This section contains information which is related and applicable to ‘crisis’ times. These instruments can be applied when an emergency is officially declared by the Government.  When this occurs, there is usually a streamlined process to import goods duty and tax free.]

Exemption Regular Regime (Non-Emergency Response): 

[Note: This section should contain information on the usual duties & taxes exemption regime during non-emergency times, when there is no declared state of emergency and no streamlines process (e.g. regular importations/development/etc.).

Exemption Certificate Application Procedure: 

Exemption Certificate Document Requirements

If freight charges are not included in the invoice then the invoice for freight charges must be presented also.

Customs Clearance

1. Organisation prepares a letter requesting tax exemption for their shipment.
2. All necessary documents are presented to the general customs in Ulaanbaatar. They will then issue a letter of exemption.
3. All necessary documents and the letter of exemption from general customs is to be presented to the respective customs centre (ie: Ulaanbaatar Airport). The respective customs centre will issue a customs clearance form that is to be presented for release of goods at the dispatch point.
4. At the dispatch point a customs official will be appointed who will take you to your shipment and release it.

Clearance of goods through customs take a minimum of 10 days.

General Information 

Customs Clearance Document Requirements

NOTE: Food, medicine, seed and second hand clothing must be inspected by the General Agency for Specialized Inspection. A sample from each shipment must be lab tested. The General Agency for Specialized Inspection has a representative at each border crossing these are the Department of Border Specialized Inspection (quarantine). If a large shipment of food or medicine is to be imported the consignee can contact the agency and arrange for a sample to be tested in advance. Additionally items such as food, medicine, hospital equipment and second hand clothing requires an import license that must be applied for at the Ministry of Health. If grain is being imported into Mongolia or transited through, a fumigation certificate must be provided.

Transit Regime

Goods being transited through Mongolia will be registered at the port of entry by the customs office. This shipment will then be tracked by the Customs General Administration of Mongolia. Once it gets to the port of exit it will be stamped and the file will be close.  This is all done through an online system that links the various customs offices around the country.  A freight forwarder is responsible for the safety of the goods.

For information on Mongolia Customs contacts and focal points, please see the following links: 

4.1 Mongolia Government Contact List

4.2 Mongolia Humanitarian Agency Contact List

For information on Mongolia Customs additional details, please see the following documents: 

Mongolia Customs Information by Entry Points

Mongolia International Entry Points

Note: The information provided in the attached documents, which has been taken from the old DLCA, does not match the structure of the new LCA and is therefore provided separately