For more than five years, we kept exploring the market of modern mail order brides and mail order bride services, interviewing foreign women who married Americans and the Americans as well, and analyzing statistics and research.

In this guide, we share everything we know to help everyone learn more about how the legit mail order bride industry works in 2024.

Dating Site User Rating Our Score Visit Site
Most Popular Choice 😍
Jolly Romance
Girls online: 1.7K
4.5
Read Review
UkraineBride4you
Girls online: 7.9K
4.6
Read Review
Editor's choice 👍
EasternHoneys
Girls online: 1K
3.5
Read Review
La Date
Girls online: 1K
4.8
Read Review
TheLuckyDate
Girls online: 1K
5.0
Read Review

What is a mail order bride?

A modern mail order bride is a single woman who wants to get married and start a family but doesn’t consider the idea of finding a husband in her homeland. She focuses only on foreign countries, in particular, western ones, as she believes she can find a better man there. This woman isn’t for sale and doesn’t get any kind of compensation for immigration—her main goal is to find love on one of the international dating sites.

Pros & cons of marrying a foreign mail order bride are the following: 

Pros:
  • Strong motivation to start a family
  • Possibility to find a woman in a particular region relying on specific criteria
  • No too long and expensive courtship without any guarantee
Cons:
  • Language and cultural barriers
  • Some mail order brides have children from a previous marriage
pretty slavic bride in lingerie

Mail order bride countries & statistics

There are regions with the highest marriage immigration, and in these countries, there are the countries with the largest numbers of mail order brides. 

Mail order bride regionTop countries + number of mail order brides in 2020The best mail order bride website in the region
Asia– The Philippines (3,069)
– Thailand (344)
– Vietnam (861)
– China (284)
– India (413)
EasternHoneys
Latin America– Mexico (1,005)
– Dominican Republic (546)
– Brazil (431)
– Colombia (470)
– Venezuela (135)
La-Date
Western Europe– Great Britain (453)
– France (148)
– Germany (154)
– Italy (116)
JollyRomance
Eastern Europe– Ukraine (357)
– Belarus (33)
– Russia (277) 
UkraineBride4you

Note that the number of mail order brides in all of the regions is usually higher—the statistics are for the year when the immigration rates were the lowest because of the COVID rules and restrictions. 

Also, it’s important to consider the current situation in specific countries. In particular, in Russian mail order brides can’t leave the country as easily as they could before Russia invaded Ukraine, and a lot of Ukrainian women already migrated to other countries and stayed there (mostly to neighboring countries like Poland, Hungary, Moldova, and also to the countries of Western Europe).

beautiful latin woman in bodysuit

As for the figures, here are some statistics that can help better understand the international marriage trends:

  • The number of foreign citizens from Asia, Europe, South America, and North America who applied for a fiance(e) visa to the United States in 2019, was around 23,500. In 2019, it decreased to 14,700 because of the pandemic. Not all of them were mail order brides, but there were more female applicants, and that’s why the visa mail order girlfriends usually get to marry their foreign boyfriends.
  • The average age for marriage for foreign brides varies from country to country. For example, in Venezuela it’s 22.7, in Mexico—26, in Brazil—30, in India—22.3, in the Philippines—25.3, in Russia—24.9, in Poland—27.
  • The age difference between foreign brides and their American spouses also varies. Latin American wives are usually 1-6 years younger than their husbands, while women from Eastern European countries, as well as women from East Asia and Southeast Asia, are 2-6 years younger than their western partners.
  • Around 80% of mail order bride marriages last—the divorce rate in mail order bride marriages is usually 7-13% lower than the overall US divorce rate.

Mail order bride cost

Contrary to common belief, mail order brides cost isn’t the fixed price that a man pays to a mail order bride agency for a woman—it’s the price made up of online dating expenses and travel expenses.

Popular mail order bride profiles

Lidiya, 20
Lidiya
20 y.o.
Location Kiev, Ukraine
Occupation manager
Kids No children
Xue, 51
Xue
51 y.o.
Location Guilin, China
Occupation Clothes shop owner
Kids 1
Liceth, 31
Liceth
31 y.o.
Location Colombia, Bello
Occupation Civil Engineer
Kids No
More Profiles

The sum a man will spend online to meet girls depends on the site he chooses. All the platforms can be divided into two categories: niche mail order bride services and global mail order bride websites and platforms like Tinder, Bumble, etc.

Though mail order bride sites are usually more expensive, they are more effective, too. A man choosing a mail order bride service is likely to find a wife online faster and easier than a man who uses a regular online dating platform, where only some women don’t mind starting a relationship with a foreigner. Still, let’s take a look at the differences between the costs. 

Type of online dating siteMinimum price 
Regional mail order brides websitesFrom $0,20 per credit 
Global sites and appsFree or from $10 per month

Most men using regular dating sites spend around two months on a platform before they meet someone special. However, when we talk about mail order brides, it’s important to consider that a potential couple can’t just meet after two weeks of chatting in a cafe nearby. In most cases, a man using a good mail order bride service spends a year online before deciding to go to a bride’s country.

On regular dating sites, this period may be even longer because the chance of meeting a foreign bride who’d agree to start a relationship with a foreign man will be significantly lower. So, on average, a single person using mail order brides services spends around $1,000-$1,200 on online dating on average ($80-$100 per month).

On regular dating sites, the costs are much lower, but niche mail order bride sites also have discounts and bonuses for members. For example, on UkraineBride4You, you get free vouchers, greeting messages, and discounts from credit packages, while on regional websites like JollyRomance, La-Date or Eastern Honeys, there are complimentary credits, so if you use promotions, the total cost may be lower.

How much do men spend to meet mail order wives in real life?

As we’ve mentioned before, the amount a man pays for using the mail order brides service is not the only expenditure. A man who wants to get a mail order wife in the US won’t be able to marry a foreign bride if they’ve never met in person—she just won’t get a K-1 visa. Of course, it’s not the only thing that matters—marrying foreign women you’ve never met is a bad idea overall.

Of course, the cost of trips to different mail order bride countries can be much higher or much lower depending on the destination. A man will spend a lot more in Argentina than in the Philippines and even more in South Korea, especially if compared to Thailand. But what are the approximate costs? Here are the estimates for four top mail order bride countries (for two weeks each) in different regions:

The Philippines:
Flight
$1000
Hotel
$1000
Entertainment
$300
Food
$300
Transportation
$200
Total: $2,700
2800
Mexico:
Flight
$400
Hotel
$700
Entertainment
$250
Food
$250
Transportation
$200
Total: $1,800
1800
The Great Britain:
Flight
$500
Hotel
$1500
Entertainment
$400
Food
$500
Transportation
$400
Total: $3,300
3300
Ukraine:
Flight
$800
Hotel
$500
Entertainment
$200
Food
$150
Transportation
$50
Total: $1,700
1700

* The flight to Ukraine now are canceled, men can meet mail order wives in neighboring countries like Poland where prices are slightly higher.

As for other expenses, a man usually pays for a visa that costs around 1,000 USD (not including further application for a Green card). The wedding license won’t cost much—the price starts at $20, depending on the state. A wedding is optional, but a man who wants to celebrate it with his mail order wife is likely to spend 20,000 USD more. 

The regionMail order brides cost (wedding not included) Best international dating and mail order brides websites
Asia$6–8kEasternHoneys
Latin America$5–8kLa-Date
Western Europe$6–11kJollyRomance
Eastern Europe$6–9kUkraineBride4you

Success stories of men who’ve already met their mail order brides

Jake
CA, USA
Eastern Honeys rate

I’ve been using dating sites for years and I even met my ex-wife online, but now I see what my biggest mistake was. I was just looking for a perfect woman in the wrong place. 5 years ago, I saw ads on the EasternHoneys with Asian brides and thought, why not? So, I joined it and met my Filipina wife in less than a month. We talked a lot throughout every single day and I just loved her femininity, sense of humor, and well, she really cared about me, my job, my hobbies, etc. Pretty much everything important to me was important to her. We’ve been married 2 years, and honestly, I believe that’s exactly what I was missing in all my previous relationships.

Michael
NY, USA
UkraineBride4You rate

As a man who’s now happily married to a Belarusian girl, I have what to say about Eastern European women. They’re nothing like anyone you’ve met before unless you were traveling around Eastern Europe for at least a few months. My wife is incredibly sensitive to her family’s needs, she cares about everyone, not just about me or about children—she is supportive of everyone. Our house looks amazing, and she makes a lot of effort to make it cozy, the food is amazing, and before you assume she’s just focused on household chores, I must say that she’s also one of the smartest and the most ambitious women I’ve ever met. By contrast, she always invested in your life and happiness, and I’m truly grateful for that.

Ward
OH, USA
La-Date rate

I heard that mail order marriages don’t work because “they don’t” and “it’s all about money”. I married a Latina I met online on La-Date, and now, 7 years later, I’m still her husband. For me, that proves that everyone was wrong about Latinas and online dating. My wife is passionate, that’s true, but I know she hates it when people say that’s a national characteristic and believes that’s her personal trait, and I personally think she knows better. She’s also incredibly kind, loving, optimistic, open-minded, fun-loving, and loyal, and though I can’t say all Latin girls are like that, I know her family and friends, and for me, at least most of them are.

How to find a mail order bride online?

No matter if you choose one of the mail order brides services or decide to find mail order brides on regular websites, no matter if you are going to date Asian mail order brides or ladies from Eastern European countries, you need to know the rules of the game. Here’s a step-by-step instruction on how to find a legit mail order girlfriend that can help one not to make common mistakes:

  1. Find a legit mail order bride site. Note that you shouldn’t join the first site on Google search results with a good ad that claims to have “free mail order brides and provide the best matching services ever”. Find multiple options, compare them, and ideally, test a mail order bride site before making your first payment.
  2. Create a dating profile that will work. Men on mail order bride websites often underestimate the importance of profiles, believing that competition between women is more fierce. It’s not exactly true—a good profile can help one achieve the goal much faster and for a lower price.
  3. Use search to find the best potential mail order wives. On good websites, like BravoDate or AmourFactory, there are a lot of useful filters, sections in profiles, and matching features to find a future mail order wife easily even among thousands of others.
  4. Develop your own dating strategy by selecting the most effective communication tools. On a mail order bride website, a user has access to numerous communication services, and some may be more or less effective and cost-effective for him. Choosing the right tools will help not only to find a mail order wife but also get to know her better and get closer online much faster.
  5. Communicate and start a relationship with one of the legit mail order brides, and once you feel that you’ve found the right person, meet her in real life.
Online dating is likely to work for:
  • Motivated people who know they want to start a family soon
  • Those who want to meet women from a particular region/country (Slavic, Latin, Asian mail order brides)
  • Men who want to use modern matching algorithms to find a perfect partner
  • Those who want to have access to a specific dating pool—similar-minded people with the same relationship goals
Mail order brides services will hardly work for:
  • Who’d like to find a mail order brides catalog and just order bride online
  • Who are just curious about finding foreign mail order brides and aren’t sure they’re ready to settle down
  • Men looking for an entirely free dating or mail order bride site

A modern mail order bride: Experts’ opinions

It’s hard to say what are the most popular mail order bride countries—the dating industry has its trends, too, and at different times, different regions are on the rise. Generally speaking, I’d recommend paying less attention to trends and considering your own priorities instead. Eastern European women are well-educated, intelligent yet family-minded, and kind (it becomes obvious once you get to know them better), Asian brides are very caring, feminine is even more family-minded, while Latin women are emotional, spontaneous, and incredibly optimistic. These differences are way more important than differences between facial features.

Men can’t buy mail order brides, but some still believe money is the main motivation when it comes to the international mail order bride industry. What everyone should know is that in every country, women have different reasons to look for foreign spouses. In Japan and Korea, for instance, men are often focused on work more than on relationships and family life, Eastern European women seek escape from domestic abuse and alcohol abuse, and many Latin women are tired of the impact of toxic machismo culture. These are the differences, but as for common things, those who want to find mail order brides should know that all these women want to find a good match and start a healthy relationship—this is their primary goal.

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Final thoughts

Legit mail order brides, as well as legit mail order bride sites, exist—a man who’s really motivated to find a foreign bride just needs to find them and use them properly. However, marriages with foreign women work only if men are serious about finding a perfect woman with specific traits, qualities, and characteristics, and that’s possible only if you choose the right region, too. If you’re looking for a pretty westernized, educated yet family-minded woman, you can find her in Europe, if you’re looking for the most caring and supportive wife, search for her in Asia, and if you’re interested in passion, spontaneity, and emotions, Latin America will be the right region. 


Sources of information

  1. https://academiccommons.columbia.edu/
  2. https://www.cnbc.com/
  3. https://travel.state.gov/
  4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/