Mongolia
Writing a letter of recommendation yourself to extend your visa
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Johan Kruseman
Updated on 4 August 2024
Updated on 4 August 2024
Feeling tired from a super funny night of club hopping, it was a good day to extend my visa. In Mongolia, you can roam around carefree for 30 days, but for the 31st day, you’ll have to face the bureaucracy. I took a number and waited until it became clear that those who waited for their number to be called only got their turn after everyone who just stood in line. Counter three was there to tell you that you needed a Letter of Recommendation, a copy of your passport, and an application form.
Because the Letter of Recommendation (which can be perfectly written by yourself) must show that you really want to stay longer than 30 days, I wrote “because I love Mongolia so much, I’d like to stay more than 30 days” on paper, accompanied by place, date, salutation, and signature to show that I meant it. Funny enough, you had to pay for the still blank A4 paper, equivalent to 1.5 cents (at counter one), as well as for the copy of your passport (counter two) and the official application form (back at counter one).
Armed with all the necessary ingredients, I proudly went to counter five for the final step... or so I thought. Pay and stamp. However, payment had to be made at the bank around the corner. So, I explained that I wanted to stay a few more days and handed over €1.80 per day, and with the payment receipt in hand, I went back to counter five. Counter five carefully reviewed all the documents and nodded that it would probably be fine. Relieved, I took a seat on a bench among the other travelers who found Mongolia more beautiful than 30 days. After an hour of waiting, everyone on the bench had been replaced by new Mongolia lovers, but my name hadn’t been called yet, and since a 1.5-hour lunch break would start half an hour later, I checked with counter five if it was done, and he happily smiled at counter six if he had another Johan Kruseman. As a courtesy, he retrieved it himself so that I didn’t have to go to counter six. In the end, I was really glad I didn’t have to wait for my number at every counter because then I would have needed the full 30 days to apply for the visa extension.
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Traveled route: Ulaanbaatar, Kharkhorin, Hatgal, Khorgo, Tstetserleg, Red Waterfall, Zamiin-Uud
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Did this story inspire you to go to Mongolia? Read more on what Mongolia has to offer, what the best months are for visiting and check the handy links for backpacking there.
