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Every dinosaur fossil found in Mongolia is state property. Commercial export has never been legal.
High-risk species: Tarbosaurus, Velociraptor, Protoceratops, Oviraptor, Saurolophus, and any Gobi Desert material. Multiple high-profile seizures and repatriations have occurred in the United States, Europe, and Asia.
Mongolian law declares all paleontological finds as state property. There is effectively no legal path for private individuals to export dinosaur material for sale — government export authorization is not issued for commercial purposes, and specimens can only leave the country through official museum loan agreements that require return. Smuggling has been rampant since the 1990s, especially through China and Russia.
The 2012 seizure of a Tarbosaurus skeleton in the United States (later repatriated), the 2014-2015 Operation Fossil (multiple Gobi dinosaurs returned), and ongoing Interpol cooperation mean buyers face real enforcement risk even decades after smuggling.
Do not buy any dinosaur fossil said to come from Mongolia. There is no legitimate commercial source. Any dealer claiming "pre-1970 collection" or "private Mongolian collection" is lying or uninformed.
Jurassic Depot scores every listing for provenance, authenticity, and documentation. The best way to avoid fakes is to demand proof — and to know what to ask for.