How Do Mail Order Brides Work? — Who are They, Do They Still Exist?

John Millerstone

Reviewed By: Margarita Zhigalova

Last updated: Aug 16, 2024

8 min read

Here are the main 5 facts you need to know about it.

Key takeaways — How do mail order brides work in 2024?

What are mail order brides? They are foreign women interested in finding a husband from another country. Typically, they focus on countries like the United States, Canada, the UK, and Australia. The most popular regions for mail order brides are, in turn, Latin America, Asia, and Eastern Europe.
What is a mail order spouse? A mail order spouse is a person who got married to a foreign partner. After getting married to an American citizen, a mail order spouse becomes a US permanent resident, and after 3 years, they can apply for US citizenship.
The mail order bride is alive and well in 2024. There was a slight decline in 2021 due to the pandemic, but the number of mail order brides and mail bride marriages has been growing steadily since 2022.
The best option for those who want to meet a real mail order bride is niche online dating websites. Several trusted websites stand out from the competitors due to a very high quality of profiles, safety, and a wide selection of features: SofiaDate, SakuraDate, and LatiDate. These websites are focused on Eastern Europe, Asia, and South America, respectively.
The most popular countries when it comes to mail order brides are Ukraine (Europe), the Philippines (Asia), and Colombia (South America). Such countries as Mexico, Poland, Vietnam, and China aren’t far behind.

Who are mail order brides?

You may be surprised, but the term “mail order brides” has been used for hundreds of years. What’s more, the concept has remained pretty much the same since the 1620s, when the first “tobacco wives” moved to the Jamestown colony.

Let’s talk about it in more detail.

Mail order bride history: How did it start?

First, there were “tobacco wives” in the 17th century—they were recruited by the Virginia Company to immigrate to the Jamestown colony and to get married by the settlers (they were called so because each man who wanted to marry such a woman had to pay the amount of money equivalent to the cost of 120 lbs of tobacco). Then, other colonial countries entered the mail order club—there were such “brides” in Portugal and France where they were called “Pelican girls.”

Asian brides became popular 200 years later, in the 19th century, when the number of Asian men working overseas jumped (these women were called “picture brides” because men chose matches based on their pictures and short descriptions).

In the 19th century, the concept of mail order brides became even more popular, especially in Europe, where lots of men migrated to the US during the California gold rush and found themselves in pretty harsh conditions (3-7 men for 1 woman).

Mail order bride nowadays: How is it going?

As we’ve said, the concept hasn’t changed so much during all these years. Tens of thousands of women still want to find a husband from the United States, but obviously, they are not 100% similar to the mail order brides from the 19th century.

Modern mail order brides differed from their counterparts 100 or 200 years ago. First of all, they are older—according to a 1996 survey, most mail order brides were in their early 20s¹, but today, they are in their 30s and sometimes even 40s. What hasn’t changed is the reason why foreign women are so attracted to American men—just like 30 years ago, foreign ladies think that American men are kinder, more loyal, and make better husbands.

Another difference is that modern mail order brides are generally educated, ambitious, and hard-working. They are still very traditional, especially when compared to Western women, but they are not 100% traditional wives anymore.

Can you still get a mail order bride? Are they still a thing in 2024?

Do mail order marriages still exist in 2024? Of course, they do.

You can find a real bride online, chat with her, meet her in person, and bring her to the United States. It’s not so easy, though, and there are several potential problems you need to be aware of: read this guide on how to find a mail order bride, and you’ll have a much better understanding of how this industry works and how to utilize mail order bride websites to your advantage.

It’s not the only guide we have—we cover the legal side of the question here. We’ll tell you everything about the pricing of mail order brides, and of course, you’ll also find the top list of the most popular mail bride countries on this website.

How does “mail order bride” work?

How does “mail order bride” work? In fact, it’s like online dating, but with a few differences: mail order bride websites are generally safer and more secure and have an ID verification tool; women on these sites are more marriage-minded than the ladies on other dating sites, etc. Other than that, it’s pretty much like meeting a woman on any other dating site: you chat, you ask her out, and you meet her in person.
Typically, women have to provide their documents and go through the verification process to create a mail order bride profile on a website like SofiaDate or LatiDate. For men, the registration process is much easier.
Most mail-order bride websites have special features like gift delivery, making it much easier for people to maintain long-distance relationships.
If you’re going to bring your bride to the US, it’s totally possible. Most brides enter the country on a K-1 fiancé(e) visa, which allows a foreigner to enter the US if they’re going to get married within 90 days. After that, your bride will become a US permanent resident!
There was a decline in the number of mail order wives in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic, and the number of K-1 visas issued still hasn’t reached pre-COVID levels. However, the number is growing—thus, more than 21,000 K-1 visas were issued in 2022².
More than 55% of those who got a K-1 visa first met online, according to RapidVisa³. This means that mail order bride websites are clearly the #1 option for those who’d like to build a real relationship with a real foreign woman.
When it comes to the “Are mail order brides real?” question, it’s not like the answer is “yes, 100% of them are real”. No, there are at least a few pitfalls and potential problems you need to be aware of, such as fake dating websites—so it’s very important to use only the best, the most trusted, and the most secure platforms (such as SofiaDate, for example).
It’s not only about online dating/mail order bride websites. You can also pay for a romance tour to a foreign country—a 1-week or a 2-week trip where you’ll meet numerous women and have 1-2 dates with them. These trips are expensive, and there is no guarantee you’ll find love there, but this option is worth mentioning, too.

How successful are mail order marriages?

So, do mail order marriages work? From our experience, we can safely say they do: we even have a happily married mail order wife on our team! But anecdotal evidence is not evidence, right? Let’s talk about facts.

First, mail order marriages are quite common. We see a steady rise in intermarriage in the US (from 3% to 17% in 50 years⁴), so it’s not surprising the number of mail order bride marriages is also growing. This correlates with the growing number of K-1 visas, too.

Second, the divorce rate in such marriages is lower than the average divorce rate in the US. The data is only available for Russian-American mail order marriages⁵ [5], but we can safely say that this is true for all interracial/interethnic marriages, especially for White/Asian, Hispanic/Asian, and Hispanic/Black couples⁶.

Conclusion

People who ask questions like “Are mail order brides still a thing?” often don’t believe they can find a wife from another country online.

Well, it’s possible—you just need to choose a trusted mail order bride website and create a profile to begin your journey. Of course, you can do it offline, too, but let’s be honest: online dating is so convenient and easy that it’s just impossible to compare this option to the alternatives.

You sign up, upload a photo, and start reaching thousands of real, beautiful, and family-centered ladies from Eastern Europe, Asia, or South America—it’s really as simple as it sounds.

Written byJohn Millerstone, Author

We decided to create this project because we’re tired of the situation in the industry. 10 years ago, there were like 40% good sites and 60% bad ones. Today, the ratio is more like 10% to 90%, and that’s not how I want it to be. I mean, it kills me that when an American man types “mail order brides” on Google, there is a 90% possibility that he won’t even find a good dating site, let alone find a bride. I want to change that.

Edited byMargarita Zhigalova, Contributing Editor

Two friends of mine wanted to find a husband abroad. They were scammed, lost money, and never got back to that idea. That’s just not right; the situation with these sites needs to change. I believe that we can change that together, and I’m sure that we can help more people find love abroad, exactly like I did!

Learn more about our Editorial Team