Mongolia and the Republic of Austria Sign Social Protection Agreement
The “Agreement on Social Protection between Mongolia and the Republic of
Austria” was officially signed on May 26, 2025, as part of the
state visit of Mr. Alexander Van der Bellen, President of the Republic of
Austria, to Mongolia at the invitation of Mr. Khurelsukh Ukhnaa, President
of Mongolia.
During the visit, the agreement was signed by Mr. L.
Enkh-Amgalan, Minister for Family and Labour
Social Protection of Mongolia, and Mr. Nikolaus Marschik, Secretary General for
Foreign Affairs at the Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs
of the Republic of Austria.
The Government of Mongolia has been actively pursuing measures to
ensure social protection for Mongolian citizens residing and working abroad.
One of these measures includes signing bilateral social protection agreements
with countries that have significant Mongolian communities, thereby creating a
legal framework that guarantees equal rights for Mongolian citizens to access
pensions and benefits on par with citizens of the host country.
As of 2024, 2,668 Mongolian citizens reside in Austria, of whom
1,696 are employed. Conversely, around 30 Austrian nationals currently reside
in Mongolia.
Once the agreement
enters into force, it will allow individuals to avoid double payment of social
insurance contributions in both countries. It will also enable the aggregation
of contribution periods made in both countries to qualify for pensions such as
old-age, disability, and survivor’s benefits—thus significantly strengthening
the social security of citizens.
For example, if a Mongolian citizen has paid social insurance
contributions for 12 years in Mongolia and 13 years in Austria and has reached
the pensionable age in both countries, these contribution periods will be
combined into a total of 25 years. The individual will then be entitled to
receive pension payments from both countries proportionate to the duration of
contributions made in each.
The agreement will come into effect once it is ratified by the
parliaments of both countries.
Mongolia currently has social protection
agreements in effect with six countries: The Russian Federation, the Republic
of Korea, Hungary, the Republic of Poland, the Republic of Turkey, and the
Czech Republic. Furthermore, negotiations are underway to establish new
agreements with the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Commonwealth of Australia,
and to update the existing agreement with the Russian Federation.