Prostitution laws in MongoliaМонгол Улс
Mongolia prohibits both selling and buying sex. Under Article 6.18(4) of the Law on Infringements (2017), a person who sells sex, or who pays for sex, has the illegally obtained income confiscated and is fined the tögrög equivalent of 50 units. Third-party involvement is criminal: Article 12.6 of the Criminal Code, as rewritten on 10 January 2020, punishes mediating for or drawing a person into prostitution with six months to three years' restriction of movement or imprisonment, and setting up or financing a place of prostitution, organising prostitution or supplying transport or housing for it with one to five years; an organised criminal group faces five to twelve years, and using a person under 18 counts as human trafficking. The same reform repealed the earlier administrative fine for organising prostitution on one's own premises.
Legal model
Selling and buying prohibited. Selling sex is an offence (criminal or administrative), whether or not buying is.
Selling and buying sex are both infringements (administrative offences) under the Law on Infringements, punished with a fine and confiscation of income. Since a 2020 amendment, mediating, drawing others into and organising prostitution, including setting up or financing a place for it, are crimes under Article 12.6 of the Criminal Code.[1][2]
At a glance
| Question | Status | In short |
|---|---|---|
| Selling sexual services | Illegal Administrative offence | Selling sex is an infringement: illegally obtained income is confiscated and the person is fined the tögrög equivalent of 50 units.[1][3] |
| Buying sexual services | Illegal Administrative offence | Paying for sex is an infringement under the same provision as selling: confiscation of illegally obtained income and a fine of 50 units.[1] |
| Brothels and managed venues | Illegal Criminal offence | Setting up or financing a place of prostitution, organising prostitution, or providing vehicles, housing or other means for it is punishable by one to five years' restriction of movement or imprisonment; five to twelve years' imprisonment if committed by an organised criminal group.[1][2] |
| Third parties profiting (procuring / pimping) | Illegal Criminal offence | Mediating for another person's prostitution or drawing them into it is punishable by six months to three years' restriction of movement or imprisonment. If the person whose body is sold is under 18, the act is treated as human trafficking.[2] |
| Advertising sexual services | Illegal Administrative offence | The Law on Combating Pornography prohibits promoting "садар самуун" (a term it defines to include prostitution) through the media, and the Law on Infringements fines promotion through mass media that falls short of a crime. Third parties who advertise for others may also be mediating prostitution, a crime under Criminal Code Article 12.6.[1][3] |
The law in detail
Selling sexual services
Selling sex is an infringement: illegally obtained income is confiscated and the person is fined the tögrög equivalent of 50 units.[1][3]
Law on Infringements, Article 6.18 ("Violation of the Law on Combating Pornography"), part 4: "Биеэ үнэлэн бусадтай бэлгийн харьцаанд орсон, эсхүл бусдын биеийг үнэлэн бэлгийн харьцаанд орсон бол хууль бусаар олсон хөрөнгө, орлогыг хурааж хүнийг тавин нэгжтэй тэнцэх хэмжээний төгрөгөөр торгоно." Translation ours. The underlying Law on Combating Pornography has applied since July 1998; according to search-result extracts of its text, it defines "садар самуун явдал" to include selling sex and prohibits selling sex (Article 4.1).
Confidence: medium. Checked against a copy of the official consolidated text hosted by a government agency, current to amendments of May 2020; the national legal portal (legalinfo.mn) could not be reached to confirm later changes. A further revised Law on Infringements was reportedly submitted to parliament in 2022; whether it has been adopted was not confirmed.
Checked 30 October 2026
Buying sexual services
Paying for sex is an infringement under the same provision as selling: confiscation of illegally obtained income and a fine of 50 units.[1]
Confidence: medium. Same source limitation as for selling: text current to May 2020 amendments.
Checked 30 October 2026
Brothels and managed venues
Setting up or financing a place of prostitution, organising prostitution, or providing vehicles, housing or other means for it is punishable by one to five years' restriction of movement or imprisonment; five to twelve years' imprisonment if committed by an organised criminal group.[1][2]
Criminal Code Article 12.6 ("Биеэ үнэлэхийг зохион байгуулах", organising prostitution), parts 2 and 3, as rewritten by the amendment adopted on 10 January 2020 and published in the State Gazette (Төрийн мэдээлэл) 2020 No. 07. The same amendment package repealed part 7 of Article 6.18 of the Law on Infringements, which had fined organising prostitution on one's own premises.
Confidence: medium. Wording taken from the 2020 amending law as published in the State Gazette; later amendments, if any, could not be checked on the national legal portal.
Checked 30 October 2026
Third parties profiting (procuring / pimping)
Mediating for another person's prostitution or drawing them into it is punishable by six months to three years' restriction of movement or imprisonment. If the person whose body is sold is under 18, the act is treated as human trafficking.[2]
Confidence: medium. Wording taken from the 2020 amending law; later amendments could not be checked.
Checked 30 October 2026
Advertising sexual services
The Law on Combating Pornography prohibits promoting "садар самуун" (a term it defines to include prostitution) through the media, and the Law on Infringements fines promotion through mass media that falls short of a crime. Third parties who advertise for others may also be mediating prostitution, a crime under Criminal Code Article 12.6.[1][3]
Confidence: low. The text of the Law on Combating Pornography could not be opened (legalinfo.mn unreachable); its definitions are taken from search-result extracts. No provision on online advertising platforms specifically was found.
Checked 30 October 2026
Key legislation
| Law | What it does here | In force |
|---|---|---|
| Зөрчлийн тухай хууль /Шинэчилсэн найруулга/ Law on Infringements (revised edition, 2017) 6.18 дугаар зүйл | Article 6.18(4) fines selling and buying sex and confiscates the income.[1] | 1 July 2017 |
| Төрийн мэдээлэл 2020 оны №07 (1109): Эрүүгийн хуульд нэмэлт, өөрчлөлт оруулах тухай Law amending the Criminal Code (adopted 10 January 2020) Эрүүгийн хууль 12.6 | Rewrote Criminal Code Article 12.6 on organising prostitution, mediating and drawing others into it.[2] |
Timeline
- July 1998Law on Combating Pornography, which prohibits prostitution and the promotion of "садар самуун", comes into force.[3]
- 1 July 2017Revised Law on Infringements takes effect, fining both selling and buying sex.[1]
- 10 January 2020Parliament amends the Criminal Code, rewriting Article 12.6 to criminalise organising prostitution and setting up or financing a place for it, and repeals the administrative fine for organising prostitution on one's own premises.[1][2]
Sources
- Зөрчлийн тухай хууль /Шинэчилсэн найруулга/ (Law on Infringements (revised edition), consolidated text printed from legalinfo.mn). mmra.gov.mn (Mongolian government agency website), copy of the Legalinfo.mn consolidated text, 11 May 2017. legislation · accessed 30 October 2026
- Төрийн мэдээлэл 2020 оны №07 (1109): Эрүүгийн хуульд нэмэлт, өөрчлөлт оруулах тухай (State Gazette 2020 No. 07: Law amending the Criminal Code). Улсын Их Хурлын Тамгын газар (Secretariat of the State Great Khural), 13 February 2020. legislation · accessed 30 October 2026
- Садар самуун явдалтай тэмцэх тухай хуулийн хэрэгжилт, эрх зүйн зохицуулалтыг сайжруулах (Improving the implementation and legal regulation of the Law on Combating Pornography (study)). Хууль зүйн үндэсний хүрээлэн (National Legal Institute of Mongolia). government · accessed 30 October 2026