How Do Mail Order Brides Work? — Details into Mail Order Bride Sphere
Nowadays, mail order brides are still popular since globalization and the promotion of diversity make a lot of people find partners from abroad. They are popular not in the sense of actually ordering someone, but in the context of international marriage, which becomes a reality for couples who find their soulmates online. For example, among U.S. couples who married in 2024, 27% met via an online dating site or app.
Below, you will find more details about the meaning of mail order brides and how to meet and marry foreign women.
What is a Mail Order Bride?
In the past, mail order brides were women who posted their photos in catalogs specially designed for men who worked at colonies in the USA. Surely, many of them wanted to start a family with their countrywomen. Thus, ladies from their home countries applied for the vacancies of “wives.”
Is it the same today? Of course not. Women post their profiles on mail order bride sites not because they want to get lucky and move into the country just with a better economy, but because they seek true love, which they are unhappy to find in their local dating scene.
The term “mail order brides” is still in use simply because of historical continuity, media framing, and marketing convenience—even though it’s outdated and often misleading today.
Mail Order Bride History
The concept of mail order brides dates back to the 17th century, emerging primarily in the American West. As pioneers moved to remote regions, they faced a lack of women for marriage. Men began advertising in newspapers or writing to matchmakers, seeking wives willing to relocate. Women, often from urban or overseas areas, saw these unions as an opportunity for stability or adventure. The most popular colonies that “required” for such wives were British, French, and Portuguese.
Over time, the practice expanded globally, with women from economically challenged regions connecting with men abroad through agencies. While the methods evolved, the idea remained rooted in the hope for a better future.
Interesting fact: in the mail order bride history, you can come across the “tobacco wives” term—the name of women who came to Jamestown, Virginia, a British colony, to marry settlers. This was done to prevent British men from marrying indigenous women.
Mail Order Bride Nowadays
How does a mail order bride work now? Do these women also need to write to newspapers in search of opportunities to become someone’s wives?
No, but the idea is pretty close. As we said earlier, modern mail order brides use dating websites, posting their profiles and chatting with men on the platforms. Women use both specialized mail order bride sites and dating sites that don’t focus on marriage but can also provide space for finding a soulmate. What are these websites? Well, there are plenty of such, but our team singled out several top suggestions that offer affordable pricing, decent privacy policy, and effective communication tools:
- SofiaDate – Eastern European women actively use SofiaDate to meet foreign husbands. Here, you can benefit from virtual gift delivery and Favorite lists on this platform.
- SakuraDate – The best website for Western men interested in Asian dating. Use your free 20 credits after registration to test the site!
- LatiDate – You can find Latin women for marriage on LatiDate and enjoy cam-share and audio calls as exclusive tools on the site.
- Amourmeet – Amourmeet is the top website for men who are open to dating women from any region of the world and want to chat in text with the possibility to send voice messages and disappearing photos.
How big is the mail order bride industry? The statistics show that in the USA only, in 2017, there were around 17,000 recipients of K-1 visas, with the most popular destinations being California, New York, Florida, Texas, and Washington.
Are Mail Order Brides Real?
Yes, mail order brides are real, but the term can be a bit misleading! It doesn’t mean you can literally “order” a bride like a product. Instead, it refers to international matchmaking, where individuals from different countries connect—often through specialized websites or agencies—with the goal of building a romantic relationship or getting married.
Historically, it started with letters and photos exchanged by mail, but today, the process mostly happens online. Women (and sometimes men) from countries like the Philippines, Ukraine, or Colombia often join these platforms to meet someone from wealthier nations. Their motivations vary—some seek love, others want better opportunities, or simply a fresh start in life.
Some men also doubt the authenticity of mail order brides, thinking that the fact that often membership for women on sites is free means that ladies work for these sites.
However, it’s far from the truth. Often, the reason behind such perks for women is that the majority of mail order brides there come from developing countries and can’t afford to pay for the membership. Meanwhile, the majority of men on such websites come from developed countries, and the price ratings are more affordable to their wallets.
Typical Myths about Mail Order Brides
A lot of American and Western men lose their chance of meeting a foreign love because they don’t believe in the true intentions of women on mail order bride sites. Nevertheless, we would like to debunk several stereotypes about mail wives that rarely mirror reality.
Wallet Hunters
Financial benefits from the husband are rarely the reasons for foreign women to marry. Surely, women from less developed countries hope to get to a more progressive society when marrying foreigners, but they don’t marry randomly—mail-order brides carefully choose their future partners, based on shared values and life goals.
Being Flirty
When you are on a mail order bride site, you may think that all the women you text with are flirting with other men, too. While being a well-known practice among both male and female users, not many people actually like spending their energy on multiple chats. A lot of mail order brides prefer to invest their time in one person to understand them better.
Coming from Third World Countries Only
Mail order bride audiences often come from Eastern Europe, Latin America, and Asia. Nevertheless, women from developed Western countries like Norway, Germany, or France also register on international marriage platforms.
Is it Legal to Get an International Bride?
“Do mail order bride marriages work legally in my country?” Checking the answer to this question is crucial. We can assure you that mail order brides are legal almost in all countries, although it comes with several nuances.
In the USA, when you marry a mail order bride, you need to face certain regulations like VAWA, which protects brides upon their entry, and under which they can address authorities if they face violence in marriage; and IMBRA, a so-called set of rules for men who want to marry mail order brides. When a couple is in the process of applying for a fiancée visa, a visa sponsor (you) will have their background checked under this act.
Such big countries as the UK and Canada don’t have specific regulations for mail order brides, but they just set the process of obtaining a fiancée visa, which is applicable in every country.
Yet, it’s worth saying that in the Philippines, for example, marriage brokers are banned—in the 1990s, when mail order bride industry was popular in the Philippines, the media uncovered how many Filipino women suffered from the abuse after marrying foreigners. To protect women, the Anti-Mail Order Bride Law was passed.
So, are mail order brides legal? Yes, because international love can’t be prohibited, but you need to check all the requirements beforehand.
There is an interesting fact that mail order bride services and international marriage agencies are banned in the Philippines because of Republic Act No. 6955, adopted in 1990. Does it mean you can’t marry a Filipina woman? No. Marrying internationally is allowed in the country; it’s just the act that bans mail order bride services in order to prevent the outflow of citizens.
How to Order a Bride and Bring Her to the USA?
It’s crucial to emphasize one thing first: you don’t order a person; you invest in means that bring you closer to your loved one.
First, you invest in mail order bride websites like SofiaDate, SakuraDate, and LatiDate. Their services often include chatting, audio and video, virtual and real gifts, and translation, while the approximate monthly cost of using them is $300-$400.
Then, you will need to meet your mail order bride in person (by the way, it’s one of the requirements for a K-1 visa). Typically, men pay around $2,000-$5,000 for a two-week trip to their future wives. The price is vague because it depends on such factors as destination, hotel, food choices, entertainment, etc.
Then, you go through the visa process that includes such steps as
- Filing a petition with U.S. immigration authorities.
- Completing a medical exam.
- Attending an interview.
If you get your visa approved, you will find that the whole process takes around $2,500. However, when talking about the timeline, this may take up to a year. By the way, here are the documents you will need for a visa:
- Passport
- Birth certificate
- Proof you met in person
- Proof of relationship
- Intent to marry letters
- Divorce/death papers (if any)
- Police certificate
- Medical exam
Risks and Scams on Mail Order Websites
You may have heard the stories about people getting scammed on dating sites. For instance, in 2024, around 59,000 people fell victim to romance-related scams.
But the positive news is that you avoid such a fate if you learn the red flags.
Scam sites:
- Scam websites often have too idealistic profiles of women, who will text you even when you have an empty profile. Oftentimes, these profiles are operated by a group of recruited girls who will answer your messages at any time. If you notice such patterns, most likely the websites are fake.
- Fake mail order bride websites try to hide the real cost of their services. That’s why victims complain that they had to pay an X amount of money but were charged 3X, and customer support told them they had not read the terms of payment attentively (disclaimer: the additional costs were written in the smallest font on the page, which is not relevant to the money topic).
- Scam sites also often have poor grammar, lots of ads, and bugs. Fraudulent website teams just don’t have the resources to invest in such details.
Scam profiles:
- A scam mail order bride will never agree to have an audio or video call since women operating chats are often different from the ones in profile pictures.
- They may send you scam links—a “video” from YouTube or whatever. And once you open it, you may get your profile hacked. So, you need to verify links first.
- Lovebombing is a popular tactic to make insecure and desperate people fall in love with you. That’s what scammers know and successfully implement in their practice. So, don’t believe in “I love you,” “I have never met someone like you before,” and “I feel a special connection with you” if you have been chatting only for 2 weeks.
- The last but most obvious indicator of a fake profile is asking for money. Grandma got sick, a car accident, very useful investment schemes—these and other messages that imply you send them money are a true sign of a scam.
Real Stories
Patrick and Liudmyla
Liudmyla registered at the mail order brides site because she wasn’t satisfied with her dating story while living in Ukraine. Patric, who was also into skiing and the Harry Potter universe, immediately caught her attention, and that was mutual. The man came to Ukraine and met Liudmyla’s family, being pleasantly surprised by their hospitality.
“I think we managed to create something stable in our marriage. Before Patric, it was all about strong chemistry, which left me disappointed. But with him, I can finally feel at peace,” says Liudmyla.
Kamila and Derek
Derek’s heritage had Mexican roots and Native American tribes—this is what he learned from his mom, and it motivated him to explore this culture.
He came to Mexico for a tour, during which Kamila was his guide. Eventually, Derek found out that Kamila was also a descendant of the same tribe as Derek. The couple decided to meet for an evening dinner at the local restaurant to learn more about each other. It’s not hard to guess that Derek and Kamila got united by their similar forgotten backgrounds.
Conclusion
Hopefully, this guide sheds light on the consent of mail order brides and fully explains to you how such relationships start and work. Explore the available websites, come back to our guide if you need, and start chatting with foreign women!
FAQ
Mail order brides come from different backgrounds. When you explore the best mail order bride services, you will notice female profiles from Germany, the UK, Sweden, and so on, too.
Each woman has her own standards, but usually mail order brides seek stability, kindness, and respect in relationships.
Technically, no country prohibits international marriages. Nevertheless, many Muslim countries, for instance, and African regions make it almost impossible for women to access international marriage agencies and marry a foreigner.
No website can guarantee this. Your compatibility with the audience on the site, your activity online, and simply luck define how quickly and whether you will find a soulmate.
Many mail order brides are actually good at speaking English. Yet, when it comes to Asian countries, you may face language barriers when chatting with women from this region.