Canada licence 
MongoliaCan you drive in Mongolia with a Canada license?
Short answer: to drive in Mongolia with a Canada license you need an International Driving Permit in the 1968 Vienna format, carried together with your Canada license.
Yes — to drive in Mongolia on a Canada licence you should carry an International Driving Permit together with your Canada licence. Mongolia expects foreign drivers to hold an IDP.
Canadian drivers should carry an International Driving Permit alongside their provincial licence when driving abroad. Your International Driving Permit is a certified multilingual translation of your existing licence, prepared in the 1968 Vienna format and carried alongside your national licence.
What driving in Mongolia is like
The route from Ulaanbaatar through the Bogd Khan mountains to Terelj National Park (Gorkhi-Terelj) is a classic accessible drive. For most visitors the real draw is the freedom to reach places trains and tours don't, on your own schedule, with the open road generally capped around 80–100 km/h highways. Getting behind the wheel is the easy part: your International Driving Permit is a certified translation of your Canada licence, carried alongside it, so rental staff and officials in Mongolia can read your credentials at a glance.
What applies to Canada licence holders in Mongolia
| Canada licence in Mongolia | |
|---|---|
| Do you need an IDP? | Yes — carry one alongside your licence |
| IDP format required | 1968 Vienna |
| Your Canada licence script | Roman (Latin) alphabet |
| Canada is party to | 1949 Geneva |
| Drives on the | Right-hand side |
| Minimum driving age | 18 |
| Emergency number | 102 (police), 103 (ambulance) |
| Top speed limit | 80–100 km/h highways |
| Currency | MNT |
Driving rules in Mongolia you should know
- Drive on the right.
- Zero-tolerance alcohol policy.
- Few paved roads outside the capital.
- Carry passport, IDP and home licence.
Local driving facts in Mongolia
Emergency number: 102 (police), 103 (ambulance) (112 also connects from most mobiles). Typical maximum for cars on the fastest road class: 80–100 km/h highways. Posted limits always take precedence.
Tolls & road charges in Mongolia
There is no nationwide electronic toll system; a few paved intercity highways (such as sections out of Ulaanbaatar toward the airport and Zuunmod) have manual cash toll booths charging small tugrik amounts. Most of the country is unpaved with no tolls.
Parking in Mongolia
Central Ulaanbaatar has paid attended parking lots and metered street bays; pay the attendant or kiosk in tugrik, and illegally parked cars are ticketed or towed. Parking is scarce and chaotic around Sukhbaatar Square and the State Department Store.
Penalties & enforcement in Mongolia
The drink-drive limit is a strict 0.02% BAC and default speed limits are 40 km/h in town and 80 km/h on rural roads; police issue on-the-spot fines, often payable in cash. Rental companies pass any traffic or camera fines back to the renter.
If you have an accident in Mongolia
Dial 102 for police and 103 for ambulance (the unified 112 is being rolled out). Report any accident to police and leave the vehicles in place until officers arrive, as a police report is needed for insurance and to leave the country.
City driving in Mongolia
Ulaanbaatar runs an odd-even licence-plate restriction 08:00-20:00 on weekdays (plates ending 1/6 banned Monday, 2/7 Tuesday, 3/8 Wednesday, 4/9 Thursday, 5/0 Friday); weekends are unrestricted, and gridlock plus aggressive driving are severe.
Winter driving in Mongolia
No formal winter-tyre law, but studded/winter tyres are essential in practice from roughly October to April given extreme cold (down to -40C), ice and snow; carry chains, fuel reserves and survival gear for rural winter driving.
Fuel in Mongolia
Petrol is sold by octane grade - A-80, A-92 and A-95 - plus diesel; A-95 was around 4,000 tugrik/litre in 2026. Stations are attended; outside Ulaanbaatar they can be 200+ km apart and may accept only cash, so carry small tugrik notes and always top up.
Sources: internationaldriversassociation.com, travel.state.gov, travelchinaguide.com, globalpetrolprices.com