nickbert
American expat in Mongolia
Forum posts
46
About me
American
Lives in Ulaanbaatar
Speaks English & (very limited) Mongolian
Registration: 01 October 2011
Childcare/playgroups by sktr
Hi, I am moving to UB in July with my 1.5 year old. I have searched the internet but can not seem to find any international/expat childcare centres or structured playgroups. Could anyone give me some insight on this topic. Thank you in advanced.
I don't personally know a lot of the expat families here, but some of us with small kids do send them to a private kindergarten ('tsetserleg' in Mongolian). That's what we do with our 4 year old daughter and she loves it. There are ... Read More
Intercultural relationships in Mongolia by Priscilla
Hello, We invite you to share some fun anecdotes and information regarding intercultural marriages and relationships in Mongolia. This will provide some insight to current and future expats regarding relationship norms in mixed relationships and ...
I don't doubt it; thankfully none have dared comment where my wife or I could hear. Interestingly, the only times I've heard anyone in Mongolia speak negatively of mixed race Mongolians was when the other half was Chinese (even then it was ... Read More
Intercultural relationships in Mongolia by Priscilla
Hello, We invite you to share some fun anecdotes and information regarding intercultural marriages and relationships in Mongolia. This will provide some insight to current and future expats regarding relationship norms in mixed relationships and ...
Sadly, instead of just censoring some of the more inflammatory posts the admins decided to delete the whole thread, which I think could have been helpful for visitors and expats moving to Mongolia. But oh well... It`s a very controversial topic, ... Read More
Feasibility for Expat to open a restaurant in UB by Metto81
Hey all, I'm an American citizen with dual nationality. I've successfully opened a high end American restaurant in Alexandria Egypt and now I want to bring our concept overseas. I've been studying Mongolia for about a year now and think ...
I'm probably not the best person to ask as my work involves working at home on a computer rather than being out and about and talking with a lot of people. That being said, one of the opportunities or under-filled niches I see are making ... Read More
Feasibility for Expat to open a restaurant in UB by Metto81
Hey all, I'm an American citizen with dual nationality. I've successfully opened a high end American restaurant in Alexandria Egypt and now I want to bring our concept overseas. I've been studying Mongolia for about a year now and think ...
I'm not a legal expert and I'm only going by what I was told (which seems to sometimes change depending on which official you talk to), so take this for what it's worth. My limited understanding is that there are no special restrictions ... Read More
Expats unite by Metto81
Hi fellow expats, I know we are a minority in Mongolia but much like this country we are free and wild with a lot of good vibes to offer. The beautiful thing about Mongolia is that you only have one city where almost all of us congregate and ...
Hamish- Eh, no worries, between being married with kids and my own projects I don't often have the time or opportunity to go out and grab a beer in the evenings. That's something I'm going to try to work on this summer, though... ... Read More
Summer Intern on her way! by Celadon
I am a contributor on another expat sub-forum on expat.com, may I post a question here? My college student daughter will be a journalist intern in Ulaanbaatar this summer. She has a stipend to cover living expenses. She will be writing in English ...
I bet your daughter will do just fine here, especially if she learns a little Mongolian (English is getting a lot more common here but knowing a little Mongolian is still quite helpful). And most things she'll need are not that hard to find ... Read More
Vehicle storage in Ulan bator by LouiseHight
Hi We recently had the most amazing few weeks in Mongolia - brought a car and travelled around the country wth our kids and translator! We now have the issue of storing the vehicle somewhere safe until we come back next year. Can anyone living in UB ...
To be honest, my apartment has a garage so I've never had this car storage problem. I don't think I'll be much help, but here goes. First off, I'm assuming you registered your car here and paid any necessary deposit or taxes/duties? ... Read More
Mongolia's most expensive cities by Priscilla
Hello everyone, What are the most expensive cities to live in Mongolia? What are the costs of things such as rent, utilities, weekly groceries, dining out, etc.? What is the lifestyle like in these cities, for expats and locals? What are ...
Thanks... good to know the smaller cities have comparable internet speeds. I was actually pleasantly surprised in my road trips last summer to see the level of availability for mobile internet service. There were a lot of gaps in service, sure, ... Read More
Mongolia's most expensive cities by Priscilla
Hello everyone, What are the most expensive cities to live in Mongolia? What are the costs of things such as rent, utilities, weekly groceries, dining out, etc.? What is the lifestyle like in these cities, for expats and locals? What are ...
I haven't lived in other cities here apart from UB, but I have noticed in my recent road trips here that the restaurants definitely seem to be cheaper in other cities than UB (20-40% cheaper maybe?). The Mongolian food offerings in the places ... Read More
How many current users are in UB now? by Tsenguun.a.z
I have signed up for this site about an year ago but there was only one topic that got any comments. Compared to other websites expats use this one seems lacking in many ways. I want to do a survey of sorts to determine how many users are using ...
I guess I'll break the silence. I live in UB, and yes it's hard not to notice the low level of activity in this forum. I don't think this is due to anything specific with the site owner; it seems their admins do appear to make some ... Read More
Naturalisation and citizenship in Mongolia by Bhavna
Hello everyone, What are the requirements for acquiring citizenship in Mongolia? For example, length of residence, language requirements, employment etc.. What formalities are involved in the process? What is the policy on dual-citizenship ...
I would agree with most of what ojutan stated, particularly with the difficulties in the process of getting residency as well as the advantages he mentioned. The bureaucracy is simply a huge pain in the rear end, and there's no getting around ... Read More
Naturalisation and citizenship in Mongolia by Bhavna
Hello everyone, What are the requirements for acquiring citizenship in Mongolia? For example, length of residence, language requirements, employment etc.. What formalities are involved in the process? What is the policy on dual-citizenship ...
From what I remember reading a while back, to gain Mongolian citizenship one needs to understand the customs and language (I have no idea how they test that), be a permanent resident for at least 5 years, be able to support yourself financially, and ... Read More
Do you speak Mongolian? by Priscilla
Hi everyone, It is widely agreed that speaking Mongolian is essential for a successful integration in Mongolia. Do you agree? Share your experience! Do you speak Mongolian? If so, where did you learn this language? Where can one attend a language ...
After a little more than a year total of living and visiting in Mongolia, my current knowledge of Mongolian is probably about the level of a smart 3-year-old toddler who just happens to know how to read very well (the Cyrillic version, not the older ... Read More
It's hard find a job in web design and development field in Mongolia? by haryia
Hello!! I want to move to UB at the end of march, How much can be hard find a job in web design and development field? ( or something similar, graphic design, teaching computer graphic, web etc..I did that in a lot of volunteer project around Europe ...
I don't have first hand experience in that field here, but I get the sense that it's probably a mixed bag. There is no doubt a fast growing market for web designers here, but also consider that the local size of this field and the overall ... Read More
Dating in Mongolia by HkxColonCleanse
Hi everyone, As a spin-off on the marriage thread, I was wondering if any of you kind people could give a glance into your dating experiences as foreigners in Mongolia, with Mongolian men and women. Are there any things that would be useful to ...
:lol: During a business trip in China a few years ago, some of the Chinese salesmen I talked to who had visited Mongolia previously had pretty much made the same comments about Mongolian women. One of them talked at great lengths about it and ... Read More
Dating in Mongolia by HkxColonCleanse
Hi everyone, As a spin-off on the marriage thread, I was wondering if any of you kind people could give a glance into your dating experiences as foreigners in Mongolia, with Mongolian men and women. Are there any things that would be useful to ...
I've been married to a Mongolian for 7+ years with about 1-1/2 years total spent in Mongolia, and sometimes I feel I'm only scratching the surface of the culture. Even more so when it comes to the (big) differences in the attitudes and ... Read More
Getting married in Mongolia by Armand
Hi all, We invite all the ones who got married in Mongolia or who are about to get married in Mongolia to participate in this thread :) What are the formalities to get married in Mongolia? Is it the same for a couple of foreigners of for a ...
anunacat, You don't HAVE to register the marriage in Mongolia (as far as I know).... though it might be helpful if you two are or plan to live in Mongolia or if you want your children (if any) to have Mongolian citizenship. Otherwise, I ... Read More
Buying a vehicle in Mongolia by Mavutu
Hello, I'm interested in buying a vehicle in Mongolia. Is it possible to buy something legally? Will I need a Mongolian license, or is an international drivers license sufficient? Will it need to be insured in Mongolia? Thank you in ...
Ben, I was told as of about two weeks ago (when I was at the Traffic Police building to renew my Mongolian Driver's License) that currently International Driver's Licenses are NOT valid in Mongolia. Only Mongolian Driver's Licenses ... Read More
Domestic Helper - Allowed in UB? by MOVINGMOVING
Hi We are considering a job offer in UB and would like to find out if we can to bring our foreign domestic helper (from Philippines) to UB and if so, what is the process? If not, can one obtain a live-in helper in UB and if so, what is the cost? ...
I don't know how difficult it is to bring a foreign domestic helper into Mongolia, but I know it can be done. I know a Filipino woman who was working as a nanny in Ulaanbaatar, who I had talked with every so often when taking my kid to the local ... Read More
aif pollution UB by kaefer
Hi there, I moved to UB a week ago and I am really "impressed" about the air pollution (although I knew about it before...). Thus, I wanted to ask those of you who are familiar with it for a while what you are doing to keep your lungs ...
Hi there, I moved to UB a week ago and I am really "impressed" about the air pollution (although I knew about it before...). Thus, I wanted to ask those of you who are familiar with it for a while what you are doing to keep your lungs working:-).We ... Read More
Dating in Mongolia by HkxColonCleanse
Hi everyone, As a spin-off on the marriage thread, I was wondering if any of you kind people could give a glance into your dating experiences as foreigners in Mongolia, with Mongolian men and women. Are there any things that would be useful to ...
Well I'm not sure my experience is that relevant since in my case it is my wife who's Mongolian, plus we dated while in the US and she had already been living there for 8 or so years. But I didn't first meet some of her family until after about 4 ... Read More
Getting married in Mongolia by Armand
Hi all, We invite all the ones who got married in Mongolia or who are about to get married in Mongolia to participate in this thread :) What are the formalities to get married in Mongolia? Is it the same for a couple of foreigners of for a ...
The official written rules say that the tests need to come from your country of origin - so that is the "official" requirement. Unofficially, they will accept tests done here.Huh, I didn't expect that would actually be the official rule. Though the ... Read More
Getting married in Mongolia by Armand
Hi all, We invite all the ones who got married in Mongolia or who are about to get married in Mongolia to participate in this thread :) What are the formalities to get married in Mongolia? Is it the same for a couple of foreigners of for a ...
I fully suspect the answer you get depends on who you talk to. A number of times dealing with bureaucrats in a few different departments I've suspected that they make up the rules on the fly if they don't know for sure (or make up new rules if they ... Read More
winter boots by kaefer
Hi, I will arrive in UB in January. Thus, I would like to know if it is better to bring some really warm winter boots from Europe or if it is better to buy warm boots directly in Mongolia. I am happy about every recommendation! Best Julia
Julia, My limited experience is that the selection of boots and shoes is pretty decent in Ulaanbaatar, though if you have larger feet the selection is not so good. It probably wouldn't make a big difference either way, but given you plan to ... Read More
Power Supply by RayT
I need to purchase necessary equipment to ensure my 'Canadian' electronics (120v-60Hz) will work in Mongolia (220v-50Hz). If someone has already a proven solution, please let me know. I plan to bring in a few things (desktop video editing computer, ...
Ray, The selection of monitors seems quite good, and while the prices appear to be a little higher than in the USA it was not obscenely high (5-25% higher?). I have not paid much attention to the desktop PC's around, but I have seen a lot of ... Read More
Power Supply by RayT
I need to purchase necessary equipment to ensure my 'Canadian' electronics (120v-60Hz) will work in Mongolia (220v-50Hz). If someone has already a proven solution, please let me know. I plan to bring in a few things (desktop video editing computer, ...
Hello Ray, Many of your electronics will already work here (most computers & monitors, smartphone & iPod chargers, SOME camera chargers) as many consumer electronics have power supplies configured to work in both voltage/frequency environments. ... Read More
Driving license in Mongolia by Armand
Hi all, Can a foreigner take the driving test in Mongolia? What are the formalities to get a drivers licence in Mongolia? Do you need special or extra documents being an expatriate? How much does it cost? Thank you for participating ...
I was told that with my US driver's license, that is sufficient if I'm just visiting. But long-term or permanent residents here like me are required to get a local license if we want to drive here. It was a traffic policeman that told us this, ... Read More
Getting married in Mongolia by Armand
Hi all, We invite all the ones who got married in Mongolia or who are about to get married in Mongolia to participate in this thread :) What are the formalities to get married in Mongolia? Is it the same for a couple of foreigners of for a ...
I didn't get married in Mongolia, but in order to get our US marriage recognized by the Mongolian government we did have to get a Mongolian marriage certificate. This required our US marriage certificate (obviously), an official Mongolian ... Read More
living in Ulaabaatar by iagospear
Dear All, We are in-need of your expert knowledge. Having received a job offer we are thinking about moving to Ulaabaatar. We are trying to find out all cost which we will be facing but it is difficult to get latest information. Does anybody know ...
iagospear- My wife already owned an apartment in UB so we've never had to search for rentals, and I'm not really that familiar with the rental market. One thing I can say is that you probably want to visit any apartment you are interested in IN ... Read More
Travel Vaccination Recommendations
Ray- The American CDC has recommended the same except for the Japanese encephalitus. Their lists of immunizations here: http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/mongolia.htm The typhoid and rabies they recommend for people spending a lot of time ... Read More
Conservation Biologist, new to UB by nac13
Hi there, I arrived a week ago and would quite like to meet others for a drink and a chat. I've found out how and where to pay my bills, shop for food and get a residents permit; I'm just settling in to my job and surroundings. Whether you're in ...
Phil- I haven't seen many long-term expats in town, and I only personally know a few. Many of the ones I've talked to work in Mongolia for a temporary period of time... 6 months to maybe 5 years... then head back home. I haven't been in Mongolia ... Read More
Living in Mongolia by expat.com
You are living in Mongolia, or you used to live in Mongolia. [b]Share your experience![/b] How would you describe life in Mongolia? Has it been complicated to settle down, to find an accommodation and a job? Is it complicated to make friends ...
Martster, I have heard the same things on a couple internet forums, but in the extended time I've been there I have not experienced anything of the sort. Thus far the worst I've experienced was a failed pickpocket attempt, and next to that every ... Read More
How to see Uudam?
I believe that boy was from Inner Mongolia Autonomous Province (in China), not the country of Mongolia. So you can try asking in the China section of this website I guess... Read More
Expat hangouts by sam.jelliman
Hi everyone. I am 22 from England and have been in ulaanbaatar for about a week. I was wondering where most expats hang out (bars/pubs/cafe's) as I have only met 2 people so far I can have a conversation with. I would really appreciate some info on ...
There are relatively large numbers of expats that frequent Millie's Cafe, Cafe Amsterdam, and Grand Khan Irish Pub that I've seen, and the food at Millie's and Grand Khan Irish Pub is very decent. Joe's Corner is a hamburger place that seems to draw ... Read More
Thanksgiving Plans? by LeonSunWuKong
Hi, Everyone, Especially Americans, Does anyone know where I can get a Thanksgiving dinner in Ulaanbaatar? I'd really like to have something semi-traditional, like turkey. Please hurry! Only three more days. Sincerely, Leon
The internet search tool is your friend :-) blueskyland.wordpress.com/2009/11/27/thanksgiving-in-mongolia According to that person's account at least, the US embassy here in UB gets a special shipment of turkeys in November every year. If you have ... Read More
Moving to Mongolia, UB soon by jeanett.michel
Hey!! I`m moving to UB very soon, just waiting for my working visa to be approved. I do have a few friends in UB, but I`m always looking for more. Anyone??
I`ll be in UB on monday=)How was your arrival? Did you have any issues with the Immigration Office in getting yourself established here? My experience was that they are not always the easiest agency here to deal with ;-) - Nick Read More
Organize your move to Mongolia by Julie
Hi all, we invite you to share your experience about moving to Mongolia. Here is a list of questions which might help the ones preparing their move to Mongolia: What would you bring and what would you leave behind? Is it a good idea to ...
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 ... Read More
Moving to Mongolia, UB soon by jeanett.michel
Hey!! I`m moving to UB very soon, just waiting for my working visa to be approved. I do have a few friends in UB, but I`m always looking for more. Anyone??
jeanett.michel, Just so you're aware, there is a world of difference between living in UB in the summer and the winter in terms of air pollution. In the summer the air pollution is not too bad, but in the winter it is horrendous, mostly from all ... Read More