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From searching around the Interwebs I can find information about getting a Mongolian visa in the Chinese border town of Erlian, Inner Mongolia, but not so much for getting one at the capital of Inner Mongolia, Hohhot.

For Erlian there are forum/blog posts saying the consulate officially opens at 8am but they won't actually accept visa applicants until 9am. Your passport will then be ready for pick up in the afternoon, about 3pm, just before the consulate closes.

Does it also take so long in Hohhot? I was hoping it might only take an hour or two.

(I'm only asking about the expedited/same-day visa service for which the fee is higher.)

hippietrail
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1 Answers1

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Your visa application may well be processed immediately, on the spot!

At least if you're from a developed country and applying in the low season. I'm Australian and applied in late November. I can't guarantee it will be the same for all countries or in the summer.

The bad news if you're applying in the winter is that you will have to wait outside the consulate in below zero temperatures for twenty minutes or more!

The guard will check your ID or passport (he doesn't speak English) and issue you a number when you first arrive, and will call for this number when it's your turn to enter.

Inside is warm but not large so only half a dozen or so people are allowed in at once. Once you're inside there should be an English speaking staff member and everything goes very efficiently.

You must pay in cash, RMB only, right at the service window. There will be no receipt.

hippietrail
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