Expat insurance and health insurance in Mongolia

France Diplomatie describes Mongolia's medical infrastructure as basic, particularly outside Ulaanbaatar: communication difficulties between medical facilities slow down care and transfers to the capital when needed. The public network is structured around large hospitals inherited from the Soviet period, first and foremost the First Central Hospital of Mongolia, the main reference public facility in Ulaanbaatar, founded in 1925.

Consular authorities primarily recommend using Ulaanbaatar's private hospitals and clinics, whose fees can be very high for certain serious or traumatic conditions that only these facilities can treat. The Intermed Hospital, Mongolia's only facility accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI, since 2016), has around 90 beds, 16 specialist consultation departments, a 24/7 emergency department and national and international medical evacuation capacity. The SOS Medica Mongolia clinic, open in Ulaanbaatar since 2004 in partnership with International SOS, is the reference facility for the diplomatic and expat community, with a family medicine service, an emergency unit and partly English-speaking staff.

For the most serious conditions, medical evacuation to South Korea, China or Europe remains, according to the sources consulted, the most common practice recommended by international insurers, given insufficient local technical facilities; Mongolia's vast territory and low population density also make any emergency response slow and uncertain outside the capital.

Two health risks are specific to the country: winter air pollution in Ulaanbaatar, a city situated in a basin that traps smoke from coal plants and household heating (fine particle PM2.5 concentrations that can reach several dozen times the WHO recommended threshold, with a documented impact on respiratory diseases, particularly in children), and extreme cold, Ulaanbaatar being one of the coldest capitals in the world with temperatures that can drop to -40°C in winter. France Diplomatie also flags, depending on the season, risks of tick-borne encephalitis (spring-summer), plague (present in 17 of the 21 provinces) and rabies linked to wildlife, notably from eating marmot.

• Temporary visa exemption for a tourist stay not exceeding 30 consecutive days, decided unilaterally by Mongolian authorities and extended until 31 December 2026; beyond that deadline or for any other reason for stay (work, business), a visa remains mandatory. As this exemption is reviewed year by year, its validity should be checked on France Diplomatie before every departure.
• Possible extension of a further 30 days, on request filed at least five working days before the stay expires, with an office of the Mongolian immigration agency or online via immigration.gov.mn.
• Registration with authorities required for extended stays, within 48 hours of arrival according to the sources consulted; to be checked case by case with the Mongolian immigration agency or the French embassy.
• Health/repatriation insurance considered essential by France Diplomatie, needing to cover medical costs, hospitalisation and medical evacuation, as none of these costs are covered by the French embassy.
• No European Health Insurance Card: as Mongolia is a member of neither the European Union nor the European Economic Area, the EHIC doesn't apply there, whatever the length of stay.
• Seconded employee : with no France-Mongolia agreement, staying on the French scheme falls solely under French law (unilateral secondment), for a period of 3 years renewable once, with no exemption from any contributions owed in Mongolia.

Without health insurance cover, care is billed at full rate by the facility, public or private, a rate that varies by facility and isn't published uniformly; the risk is above all financial, with no help from the French embassy for medical costs.

France and Mongolia are linked by no bilateral social security agreement: CLEISS lists Mongolia neither among the countries where EU coordination regulations apply, nor among those with a bilateral agreement with France. There's therefore neither a European Health Insurance Card, nor an A1 or S1 form enforceable with Mongolian authorities, nor any direct reimbursement mechanism between the two systems.

• Temporary stay: no EU or bilateral coordination applies; only health/repatriation insurance taken out before departure covers costs locally, France Diplomatie considering this cover essential.
• Secondment from France: with no agreement, French law provides for unilateral secondment of 3 years renewable once. The employee stays registered with the French scheme, with contributions paid in France, but with no exemption from any contributions owed in Mongolia. Care received locally is reimbursed retroactively by the French fund, within French rates, on presentation of receipts and form S3125.
• Long-term move: no local health scheme is automatically accessible to foreign residents, and no transfer of rights from France is provided for. Voluntary CFE registration remains possible.
• Retiree: no coordination mechanism allows claiming rights acquired in France; international health insurance remains necessary for any extended stay.

1. Before departure: notify French agencies of your departure (CPAM, CAF, France Travail, pension funds).
2. Before departure: take out health/repatriation insurance covering all medical costs and medical evacuation, considered essential by France Diplomatie.
3. Check on France Diplomatie, before any departure, the validity of the temporary visa exemption (a measure revised each year, currently planned until 31 December 2026).
4. For a stay over 30 days: request an extension at least five working days before expiry, with the Mongolian immigration agency or online via immigration.gov.mn.
5. On arrival: ensure the registration required with authorities for any extended stay beyond 48 hours.
6. Seconded employee: arrange unilateral secondment with your employer through your French fund before departure (maximum duration 3 years, renewable once).
7. Keep receipts for care and form S3125 for any retroactive reimbursement request with the French fund (secondment case).
8. Register with the roll of French nationals living abroad (French embassy in Ulaanbaatar).