Retiring in Mongolia: Right of Stay, Tax on Your Pension and Access to Healthcare

Under a temporary exemption, French tourists stay up to 30 consecutive days without a visa on each entry; the extension of 30 days at most is requested on the spot, in person or at immigration.gov.mn, at least five working days before expiry, against payment. If the trip is not a tourist one, the visa remains compulsory, and French nationals on a long stay register within 48 hours of their entry. This framework suits seasonal stays, not stable residence.

The Immigration Agency publishes residence permit services for official or private stays: application, extension, change of category, entry and departure notification, reissue of the card. No official page read details a category dedicated to retirees or the resources required of a pensioner: do not rely on conditions circulated by private websites, and have the scheme in force confirmed by the Mongolian embassy in France and by the Agency (1800 1882) before any settling project. The guide to receiving your pension abroad completes this overview.

France and Mongolia signed in Paris, on 18 April 1996, a convention to avoid double taxation, in force since 1 December 1998 and applicable to income of years beginning on or after 1 January 1999, with a protocol that forms an integral part of it (BOFiP). French administrative doctrine recalls the general rule of treaties: private retirement pensions are taxable in the beneficiary’s State of residence, whereas public pensions are in principle taxable by the State that pays them, with exceptions depending on nationality and residence. The article of the convention devoted to pensions is authoritative: check it for your scheme.

• State pensions: the State pensions portal lists the countries where withholding tax does not apply because of a treaty; Mongolia is not on it. The annual withholding scale, revised each year, has three rates (0%, 12% and 20%), applied to the gross amount reduced by the health insurance contribution (COTAM, 3.2%), then by the 10% allowance.
• Private and social security pensions: taxation falls to France or Mongolia depending on the article of the convention. Where a convention reserves taxation to the State of residence, BOFiP describes, for certain conventions, a tax residence certificate and proof of taxation handed to the payer before payment to set aside French withholding: confirm the applicable procedure with the tax office for non-resident individuals.
• Social contributions: a retiree whose tax residence is outside France is not liable for the CSG and the CRDS (French social levies), but a health insurance contribution is still taken from their French pensions (CLEISS, the French Social Security Centre for European and International Liaison).
• Taxation in Mongolia: a resident is anyone who stays 183 days or more during 12 consecutive months, or receives at least 50% of their taxable income from Mongolian sources; Mongolian-source income of a non-resident is taxed at 20% (income tax law, unofficial translation from the legal portal).

To avoid a double burden, report your departure to your pension fund and to the French tax administration, and have your situation validated by a professional who knows both systems.

Form S1 is reserved by the CLEISS for retirees of the French scheme who settle in the European Union, the European Economic Area or Switzerland. In Mongolia, no social security agreement exists: the retiree arranges their cover alone. Mongolian social health insurance is compulsory and its coverage reaches nearly 90% of the population, but the official pages consulted do not describe access for a foreign retiree who is not an employee. See the glossary entry on form S1 and the guide form S1: how to use it.

• CFE: the offer intended for retirees, with no medical questionnaire, requires a pension from a French basic scheme; it covers only care received abroad. Waiting period: none if you join before departure or within three months of settling; otherwise three months before age 45 and six months beyond.
• International insurance: to be chosen on the ceiling, evacuation, the handling of medical history and chronic care; see CFE or private insurance.

The breakdown by status is on the page on healthcare reimbursement in Mongolia, and the local offer on the page on the healthcare system in Mongolia.

For a retiree, three topics weigh more than in other destinations. First, winter: it lasts nearly eight months, with about -40 °C in Ulaanbaatar, and France Diplomatie recommends protecting yourself from cold and altitude depending on the destination. Next, infrastructure: it is described as rudimentary outside the capital, communication problems slowing transfers to Ulaanbaatar, and private hospitals are strongly recommended despite potentially extremely high costs. Finally, medicines: for regular treatment, bring enough to cover the whole stay, because local equivalents are not always available or reliable.

Before settling, take stock of your medical history and how it is covered, because a medical questionnaire can lead to exclusions: see the guide to the medical questionnaire and medical history.

Assurance retraite asks every retiree living abroad to prove they are alive once a year, whatever their nationality. The proof-of-life certificate is completed by the local authority of the country of residence or validated through the “Mon certificat de vie” application; it must be returned within two months, failing which payment is suspended until it is received. Also report your address and bank details to your fund. The guide to quarters worked abroad and the page on retirement insurance abroad help you prepare the settlement of your rights.

A retiree who settles in Mongolia faces multiple formalities: registration within 48 hours of entry for a long stay, application or extension of a residence permit with the Immigration Agency (change of category, sponsoring organisation or registered address, passport update, reissue of the residence card), and registration on the register of French people living abroad with the embassy. A 2017 law requires foreigners to carry their passport at all times; other identity documents and a copy can be kept in a safe place.

For driving, the international licence is compulsory and the French licence must also be shown; car insurance has been compulsory since October 2012, and a local driver is recommended outside the capital. In case of difficulty, the consular section of the French embassy in Ulaanbaatar answers on the same number as the embassy (+976 11 32 45 19); the “Urgence – Difficulté” section of its website specifies the steps.

No official source read sets a standard budget for a foreign retiree in Mongolia; inflation and the exchange rate appear in the economic benchmarks block of this page. Heating weighs on the budget of a winter of nearly eight months, and the need for a local driver for travel outside the capital, on often unpaved roads, is among the costs to plan for.

Ulaanbaatar, where the French embassy, the French school, the Alliance française and the reference healthcare establishments are located, remains the only workable base for a retiree. The rules of life are of interest to residents: passport to be carried at all times, alcohol prohibited in public and on the first day of each month, smoking banned in all public places, narcotics severely punished. See the page on living in Mongolia. For a retirement project, Expavy helps you compare expat health insurance contracts suited to your age and medical history.