Organize your move to Mongolia

1) We mostly brought just clothes, our laptops, several smaller electronics items, a few critical books, a Berkey water filter, some stuff & toys for the toddler, and some personal effects. We also limited it to only what we could bring with us on the plane (2 bags and a carry-on each). Try bringing as little as possible; most things you can find in Ulaanbaatar if you know where to look. And if you're from an area that uses a 110V standard, you probably don't want to bring appliances or any electronics that aren't also compatible with 220V standard. We also brought a step-up/step-down 1000W transformer with us, which is handy for the couple things of ours we brought that aren't 220V compatible.

2) Actually I think we did well in that there's nothing we brought that we regret or anything major that we wished we brought but didn't. Most things are available here (though sometimes expensive), and IMO it's best to buy stuff here rather than ship a bunch of stuff. The only thing I MIGHT have done differently is bring extra small electronics and computer stuff; you can usually find such things here, but often at a price 25-50% more expensive.

3) Probably best to not bring furniture or appliances because it's costly to ship from most places and most stuff you can buy here. If you have a shipping allowance or a shipping container reserved already, then knock yourself out and bring what you like... just don't send any big appliances that can't handle 220V and would require a huge transformer.

4) I haven't found out about any foods banned here thus far. There are a number of foods that are impossible or hard to find here though, mostly perishable sorts of things that don't ship well. If there's something you really like that you suspect they won't have here, learn to make it from scratch.

5) If you prefer to drive a smaller car or you have a car you're really fond of, it's best to leave it at home and buy something here. Small cars aren't ideal for driving most places here and most cars wear out quickly here, plus the shipping fees and import taxes altogether are not much different between big and small cars. If you bring any car, an SUV would be best as they're rather expensive here and they'd be easiest to sell when you leave. Also the model is important. Toyota/Lexus and Nissan/Infiniti models are popular here and probably easiest to sell and to get proper maintenance. Hyundai's are common here too, but from my brother-in-law's experience don't hold up as well as Toyota's in this climate. I don't see many Hondas or American cars here.

6) General advice:
- Get a good HEPA filter for your apartment if you're living in UB city. The winter pollution is pretty awful.
- Learn at least some survival phrases in Mongolian; more often than not the other person doesn't speak much English (though that is changing and more of the younger generation is learning English).
- As with anywhere, when you're out in the city keep a careful watch on your surroundings and your belongings. It's not just pickpockets you should watch out for, but also crazy drivers, missing manhole covers, uneven and broken sidewalks, and pedestrians in a hurry.
- Try to make driving something you don't NEED to do to get around or to/from work. If possible try to find a place within walking distance within work and places to shop and buy groceries. It's still nice to have a car, but between the bad traffic in UB city and the crazy driving, being able to choose whether to drive or not is really useful.
- And lastly, learn from my mistake and don't try to order a beer with lunch on the 1st of the month; turns out the local law is that on the 1st of the month alcohol is not served.  Whoopsie ;-)

- Nick

Hi nickbert!

Thanks a lot for your help

Regards
Armand

Hi, just for the preparation part:

Few people know that Miat is the airline with the lowest fare on overluggage. In Europe they charge 9 Euro / about 12$ for one kg or two pounds. They connect Berlin, Moscow and (in near future) Paris and London.

What to bring:

Clothes - but not everything, some underwear and socks for a week, my music instrument (as cabin luggage), plenty of books like a dictionary or study material and a laptop, thick winter boots for the -40°C nights in my size (44), ski jacket and trousers. The largest size for shoes is 43 - if you have something bigger, bring it with you.

I've put that stuff in boxes and one suitcase, and all of that arrived securely.

The flight:

I've bouhgt an fully flexible 12 months ticket. The price is even lower compared to 2x oneway. My invitor had an office clerk who delayed my visa approval stuff by 2 months, got finally fired and so I've got the approval for my visa at Nov 7th instead two months earlier. The flight was scheduled for Oct 30th, but wihtout a visa? I've done a phone call and Miat changed it.

Accomodation:

I live in a privat room of a small guesthouse and pay about 180$, that is a 15 m2 room located near the state department store. The guesthouse has actually no guests except me and it's nice to be part of a family, talking everyday and so I improve my Mongolian every day. 1 room appartments are at about 400-500$, but must be paid 1 year in advance.

Also appartment owners often try tricks so never try to get an appartment on your own, ask a guesthouse to find one.

Some appartment owners give their appartment in bail for 10 million Tugrik credit, and instead of an interest rate you have the flat for free. Costs for electricity, water and other public services is about 60.000 T or 45$ a month (central radiation, warm & cold water, electricity, garbage collection) and are not included in such a deal.

Because traffic situation is pretty bad the purpose of the visit determines where to live. If do studywork or work in the inner city get an appartment there and pay some more - and walk to your favorite places. Riding a car, taxi or bus isn't faster, between 8 am and 9 pm there is a constant traffic jam on the peace avenue and around. It can take one hour by bus or car from the Train station to the Sukhbaatar square.

Preparation:

Because I am on a "part time contract" I do my sabbatical in a period without work - basically I stretch the salary of 2 1/2 years to 3 1/2 years of time, get about 70% of my original salary and so I have also a health insurance that covers the expenses according to european standards. Those who do similar things and who are citizens of the EU are required to have a form for the reimbursement / refund of the medical treatment fees.

Those who havent should have a health insurance that covers a flight to home for really severe incidents like accidents or diseases which aren't cureable or aren't treated "here" like Hepatitis B.

I was in Mongolia 7 times and started to learn Mongolian language 6 years ago. Also there was a girlfriend who helped me a little bit with her mothers tounge.

People who haven't been in Mongolia yet should get informed about the culture, customs, and some no-go things like hugging people in public.