Latest News

Australia expands biometric collection requirements for visa applicants in Mongolia

Australia is expanding its biometric collection requirements to nearly 60 countries, including Mongolia, as part of its ongoing commitment to maintaining a secure, efficient and trusted visa system.

Visa applicants will be advised by the Department of Home Affairs if they are required to provide biometrics and will receive instructions on how to complete the process.

Click HERE for more information.

Direct Aid Program (DAP) projects selected in 2025-2026

We are pleased to announce the successful recipients of the Australian Embassy 2025-2026 Direct Aid Program (DAP). 

Thank you to all organisations that have applied for this highly competitive round. Out of 167 applications, selecting the final recipients was a truly challenging task, and we deeply appreciate the outstanding effort and passion reflected in every submission. 

Congratulations to the 22 selected organizations. These grant recipients represent diverse sectors - such as health, disability inclusion, environment, gender, human rights, and disaster management - and span multiple regions across Mongolia, including Ulaanbaatar, Zavkhan, Bulgan, and Tuv provinces. 

Click HERE for the full list of successful projects.

Applications sought for grants under the Mongolia Direct Aid Program 2025-26

The Australian Embassy is inviting interested organisations to submit applications for grants under the Direct Aid Program (DAP).

DAP is a small grants program funded from Australia's aid budget. It has the flexibility to work with local communities in developing countries on projects that reduce poverty and achieve sustainable development consistent with Australia's national interest.

In 2025-26, the Mongolia DAP will aim to fund projects that support the Australian Government’s international policy objectives in Mongolia and will consider funding a range of sectors – with the following as priority: 

• Agriculture – focusing on horticulture, rangeland, livestock and livelihoods,
• Climate Change – focusing on environmental protection, disaster prevention and response, measures to adapt and build resilience to climate impacts, and addressing climate risks,
• Education/youth – focusing on access to education for rural and marginalised adults and children, children with special needs, promotion of education opportunities and social inclusion, research and scientific studies, and youth empowerment,
• GEDSI – focusing on gender equality, disability equity, social inclusion, and protection of women, children and the most disadvantaged,
• Health/hygiene – focusing on prevention and management of the spread of disease and mental illness, rural and community health and wellbeing, and access to water, and medical and hygiene services,
• Human Rights – focusing on rights of children, people with disability, and LGBTQI+ community, freedom of opinion and expression, privacy and personal security, recognition and respect of human dignity, elimination of discrimination, and access to health, education and social services.

Click HERE for more information.

Latitude Financial Services data breach

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is aware of a cyber incident impacting Latitude Financial Services.  

Copies of approximately 103,000 identity documents have been stolen from Latitude Financial. This includes a small number of passports.   

Latitude Financial Services is contacting impacted customers directly and continues to investigate the matter to determine the full extent of the cyber-attack.  

Foreign passports were also compromised through this cyberattack. If Latitude Financial Services have advised you that your foreign passport information was compromised, you should contact the government that issued the passport for advice on what to do.

Impacted passports are still safe to use for international travel. Your passport number cannot be used to obtain a new passport. Robust controls are used to protect passports from identity takeover, including sophisticated facial recognition technology. Further information on how your passport may be impacted can be found on the APO website(link is external).  

Advice on safeguarding your personal information can be found on the APO’s webpage on protecting against scams and identity theft(link is external).   

Customers can also seek help from IDCare(link is external), a not-for-profit organisation that specialises in providing advice and support to the Australian community in responding to identity theft.  

Advice on how to protect yourself and your family from cyber security incidents is available on the Australian Cyber Security Centre’s (ACSC) webpage at: www.cyber.gov.au(link is external) 

For more information, visit our FAQ.