China Mongolia
China 
MongoliaLast reviewed July 2026
Crossing the border
China and Mongolia share a land border you can cross by car. Keep your passport, national driving licence and International Driving Permit together, and check opening hours and any toll or vignette requirements before you travel.
Driving rules in Mongolia
- Drive on the right.
- Zero-tolerance alcohol policy.
- Few paved roads outside the capital.
- Carry passport, IDP and home licence.
What to see when you arrive in Mongolia
- the Gobi Desert
- the Genghis Khan Equestrian Statue
- the Gorkhi-Terelj National Park
- the monastery of Erdene Zuu
- Lake Khövsgöl
Once you're driving in Mongolia
Destination-specific detail sourced from national road authorities, motoring clubs and rental policies — the things that catch cross-border drivers out.
Driving on a foreign licence
Mongolia is a 1968 Vienna Convention country and requires a valid IDP alongside your home licence; the IDP is valid for up to one year. Rental firms in Ulaanbaatar typically want both documents plus your passport.
Tolls & road charges
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 the cities
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.
Fines & camera enforcement
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
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.
Driving in the capital
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.
Sources: internationaldriversassociation.com · travel.state.gov · travelchinaguide.com · globalpetrolprices.com