IOM Trains Mongolian Officials to Combat Fraudulent Travel Documents in Landlocked Country

Mongolia has received a significant boost from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to strengthen its migration management system and combat the growing trend of fraudulent travel documents.

Detecting and Examining Fraudulent Travel Documents

A two-day technical workshop was held in Sukhbaatar, northern Mongolia, where 20 officials were trained on advanced techniques for detecting and examining fraudulent travel documents. The workshop brought together experts from Germany and Thailand to share their expertise with Mongolian officials.

Rise of Fake Travel Documents

Mongolian labor migrants continue to head overseas in increasing numbers, while foreign workers are also flocking to the country. Unfortunately, this surge has led to a corresponding rise in the use of fake and forged travel documents. Many irregular migrants transit through Mongolia, using counterfeit visas or other falsified documents to evade detection.

Combating Fraudulent Travel Documents

To combat this growing problem, IOM’s workshop is part of a broader project aimed at supporting migration management policy and border official training in Mongolia, which is funded by the IOM Development Fund (IDF). The workshop builds on an earlier training session held in December 2014 in Ulaanbaatar, where participants learned about fraudulent document examination and security features of travel documents.

Equipping Officials with Essential Skills

According to Bukhchuluun Purevdorj, former Director General of Mongolia’s Migration Department, the latest workshop is crucial for equipping Mongolian officials with the skills they need to tackle this issue. “Mongolia’s immigration services are gaining valuable knowledge from international experts, sharing experiences and building a platform of collaboration between IOM and our migration services,” he emphasized.

Contact Information

For more information on this initiative, contact Oyunbileg Rentsendorj at IOM Mongolia at orentsendorj@iom.int or +976 7014 3100.