How to bring your car to Mongolia

Greetings Bhavna!

Firstly, wonderful to make your acquaintance. I am not an expert on this, however will weigh in. I am an American Engineer and contracted through Rio Tinto, an international mining corporate. I signed a contract which will place me in UB between 1-½ - 2 years, depending on progress. I am in a unique situation, and maintain an apartment in the State Department Store area which in my opinion is in the best location of the city, for a westerner such as myself. Rio Tinto, being a large player in UB, contracts through HELP CAB taxi service to shuttle all of its professional staff about (which I am one). I admit I have become somewhat spoiled. I simply call ahead, they pick me up (gratis) and shuttle me anywhere I wish to go. We are given a pass code prior to pick up, and must submit a company ID before being ferried off.

I too was looking at the possibility of purchasing or having one of my personal vehicles shipped, however, it was greatly discouraged by the Embassy and those whom I spoke to. The UB traffic is some of the worst I have seen, only surpassed by the quality of drivers 😉 
When I was searching how to ship my vehicle from the USA, there were two options, either an ocean carrier (slow boat to China) where you drive your vehicle onto the ship, or container shipment. Keep in mind that Mongolia is a landlocked country so the vehicle will arrive at port of Tianjin, where it is then loaded into a truck or railroad car and continue its journey to Mongolia from there. It is basically the same process as shipping to other central Asian destinations. The primary and best path (IMHO) is through China, at the port of Tianjin as your vehicle will be containerized and shipped via train to the Mongolian Border. Once the vehicle arrives, it will then again be placed in Mongolian carriers because of variation of track size between China and Mongolia. The car will then arrive to Ulaanbaatar. Keep in mind, this is expensive. A customs agent will need to be retained. Also, the exporter will purchase their shipping container (not worthwhile to send them back to China).  The tax rate depends on the age and engine size of your vehicle. Vehicles less than 3 years old are taxed lower than vehicles 3 to 10 years old. Vehicles older than 10 years are ridiculously taxed. There is also a scale for engine capacity.

Re: Registration. Show your passport with valid tourist visa. You will need to complete an entry form and customs declaration. Additionally, you will need to purchase third party insurance for your car. You will then bring your vehicle to customs for registration, and Walla! – you are done.
It is a simple matter to purchase a vehicle if you choose to do so. Be careful as they will try to cheat you. Keep in mind that the climate and condition of roads here are some of the worst I have seen. As stated before, the garden variety UB driver is horrible! They are generally old rust-buckets more geared to Demolition Derby. I strongly recommend NOT bringing your personal vehicle or purchasing one while here. I highly recommend taking the bus or taxis here. The public transportation is actually very good in UB. Get familiar with your most traveled points of destination and ask a local who works in a hotel, restaurant, etc., how much the fare should be. Otherwise you will be paying far above what everyone else does.

Well Bhavna, I wish you the very best. If you ever want to have a cup of coffee at Café Amsterdam (popular café in UB and the best Wi-Fi) let me know. It would be my pleasure to answer any questions for you or advice on places of interest, resources, etc.

Hamish

Hi Hamish,

thank you for your precious inputs, very much appreciated.

Bhavna