Here are some important facts you have to know about the mail order bride industry and international brides:
- The best (and 100% legal) way to get a mail order bride is to meet them online. There are dozens of trusted and legit mail order bride sites where you can meet thousands of real women worldwide.
- You need to choose the best mail order bride service to find a bride. Right now, the most reputable and legitimate mail order bride sites are SofiaDate, SakuraDate, and LatiDate. SofiaDate is for those who want to meet legal mail order brides from Europe, SakuraDate is for those who prefer Asian mail order brides, and LatiDate has thousands of real South American women.
- The most popular mail order bride countries are Ukraine, Japan, and Colombia. However, it’s not only about these three countries—Filipina mail-order brides are also incredibly popular, as are ladies from Mexico and Poland.
- No laws affect mail order brides specifically, but a mail order spouse of American citizens is protected by IMBRA and VAWA acts. The IMBRA act also affects getting a visa for those who have met using an IMB (international marriage broker).
- Marrying a mail order bride is 100% legal in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and other countries. In fact, it’s legal in the absolute majority of the world’s countries (we’ll cover this topic later).
- More than 21,000 K-1 fiancé(e) visas were issued to foreigners in 2022, and the number is increasing steadily. There was a decline in 2021 due to the restrictions because of COVID-19, but now, the number of mail order wives is growing. What’s more, the number of potential mail order brides on dating sites is growing, too!
Quick answer: Is it legal to mail order a bride?
Yes, it’s completely legal. You can date a foreign woman, meet her, marry her, and bring her to the United States. However, it’s only possible with truly legit mail order bride sites with a good reputation and real women—you don’t want to find yourself on a low-quality dating site with fake profiles, bots, and scammers, right? That’s why you need the best sites like SofiaDate, SakuraDate, and LatiDate—they are legit and have thousands of real brides who would love to find a foreign man!
Why mail order spouse aren’t illegal?
So, are mail order spouse legal? As you already know, it’s 100% legal to marry foreign women, so there’s nothing to elaborate on here. However, there’s another angle to this:
Some people think that “ordering” a bride from another country is similar to human trafficking—we don’t know how exactly these people imagine the process of “delivery,” but that’s what they think.
But in reality, these two things have nothing in common.
“Human trafficking” is when people are forced into being slaves and trafficked into other countries, typically in the form of forced labor or sexual exploitation. When a person is being “sold” for profit, that’s human trafficking. But when a woman creates a profile on a dating site of her own free will because she’s interested in foreign men, it’s definitely not human trafficking. These women are not forced to do anything; they won’t chat with you if they don’t like you, and they have no other motivation but the desire to find a decent foreign man. Honestly, it’s difficult to compare this to mail order brides because to compare two things, they should have at least a few similar aspects, and here, there are none.
So when it comes to questions like “Is it legal to buy a bride?” the answer is clear: it’s not legal, and you can’t “buy” a bride because if you could, it would be considered human trafficking. On the other hand, dating foreign brides online, meeting them, and marrying them is 100% legal and has nothing in common with human trafficking.
What laws affect mail order brides?
So, first, it’s not human trafficking. Second, foreign brides are protected by law in the United States; it’s not like they become your property when they enter the country. We are not talking about “basic” protection against discrimination and harassment or the basic human rights here. We’re talking about two specific federal acts designed to protect women and immigrants.
These facts are IMBRA and VAWA.
IMBRA
IMBRA (International Marriage Broker Regulation Act, 2005) is an Act designed to protect immigrants from abuse. According to this act, any foreign citizen who is going to get married to an American citizen has the right to get acquainted with their legal rights, as well as the right to get access to the criminal background of their American fiance.
In short, thanks to IMBRA, foreign brides become aware of their rights and the previous history of their partners, which makes it harder to manipulate and threaten them.
IMBRA also regulates the process of getting a visa for those who have met with the help of an international marriage broker. If a couple meets with the help of an IMB, they have to provide additional information and evidence about their relationship to make sure it’s 100% real and genuine. However, most modern mail order brides websites don’t fall under the criteria of an IMB. When you open SofiaDate or SakuraDate, for example, they have that special line about “social network platform that facilitates communication” in their Terms and Requirements.
VAWA
VAWA (Violence Against Women Act, 1994) protects the survivors of violence, both physical and emotional. The problem with mail order brides is that not all of them are aware of their rights, and that’s why some of them are tricked into believing they have to tolerate the abusive behavior of their husbands. This is especially true for those who haven’t got their green cards yet—foreign brides might feel extremely vulnerable and dependent on their partners during this period. VAWA protects women (and men) from abusive partners—due to this Act, a foreign person who doesn’t have a green card can leave their abusive partner without getting their visa application denied.
By the way, VAWA works for both sides—if an American man believes his foreign wife married him for immigration purposes, he can file an annulment and expect her to be deported.
So, what these two have in common is that they protect mail order brides, but the methods are different. IMBRA provides useful information about legal rights and the background of a potential partner; VAWA helps a person who suffered from abuse to leave the abuser without stopping their immigration process.
Mail order bride regulations across the world
Now, let’s continue talking about the mail order bride legality. What about other countries?
The US
In the United States, citizens can marry foreign nationals legally. If they met through international marriage agencies/brokers, they will have to provide more evidence of their relationship, but if their relationship is real and bona fide, the application will be approved. There are two options for mail order brides entering the US: the K-1 visa and the CR-1 visa. The K-1 visa is for those who are going to marry within the US, and the CR-1 visa is for those who got married before applying for the visa.
Canada
Are mail order spouse illegal in Canada? No. Canadian residents and citizens can marry foreigners and bring them to Canada. If you’re a Canadian who’s going to bring your foreign spouse to your country, you must be married for at least 12 months—in this case. If your relationship is real, of course, your partner will be able to get a visa, apply for a spousal sponsorship, and become a permanent resident later.
The UK
Are mail order spouse illegal (UK)? The answer is no. British citizens can bring their mail brides to the country either on a Fiance visa or a Spouse visa—the main difference here is that with a Spouse visa, your partner will be able to study and work in the UK, while with a Fiance visa, she’ll have to apply for a Spouse visa after the marriage. 5 years after that, your foreign wife will be able to become a permanent resident.
Australia
In Australia, the answer to the question “Is mail order bride legal?” is the same—yes, it is. Here, the locals can bring their foreign brides on a Subclass 820 (prospective marriage) visa. After the marriage, the partner will be able to apply for a Subclass 801 (spouse) visa, which allows the person to live in Australia permanently. The only difference here is that the visa fee for the spouse visa is pretty high—right now, it’s around $5,800, which is higher than in any other country on this list.
Germany
Are a mail order spouse illegal in Germany? The answer is no again. Germans can bring their partners to the country under a Visa for Intended Marriage. After getting the visa and getting married, a foreign spouse of a German citizen will be able to apply for the Family Reunion visa, and 5 years after that, they’ll be able to apply for a Settlement Permit (permanent residence).
Where a mail order spouse is illegal?
We got it—it’s legal to marry foreigners in such countries as the US or Canada. But is it legal to mail order a bride in other countries?
- In the Philippines, they prohibit the business of organizing marriages between local women and foreign men. It’s the only country in the world that has an Anti Mail Order Bride Law, but you don’t have to worry about it because today’s dating sites do not “organize marriages” (they just help people meet each other)—so Filipino women can use mail order bride websites and marry foreigners without any legal obstacles.
- In South Korea, the concept of mail order brides is considered to be controversial, so the government tightens rules on intermarriages, but it’s not about Korean mail order brides; it’s about Korean men who “order” brides from other Asian countries
- In Tajikistan, a foreigner has to live in the country for at least 1 year in order to be allowed to marry a local woman.
- In Cambodia, they banned marriages between local women and men from South Korea, but if you’re not from Korea, there’s nothing to worry about.
But that’s the legal part of the question, and now for the “cultural” part.
Thus, in some countries, the locals are too traditional or (sometimes) xenophobic, which can affect the potential marriage with a foreigner. This is especially true for monoethnic countries and countries that have Islam as the ideological foundation.
In Korea (a monoethnic country), for example, old-fashioned parents are very strict when it comes to international marriages—some of them, for example, will not allow their first-born sons to marry foreign women. Saudi Arabia (a Muslim country) has problems with expat workers—if you’re from Pakistan, Bangladesh, Chad, or Burma, you can’t marry a Saudi Arabian person legally, but even if you are not from one of these 4 countries, intermarriages are considered undesirable there.
The legal aspect of marriage with a mail order bride in the USA
More and more mail order brides enter the United States every year, and if you feel like meeting a foreign woman, too, here’s a guide for you.
- You must meet your bride in person. Meeting in person within the 2 years before applying for the visa is an extremely important requirement.
- Make sure you’re eligible: you must be a US citizen, unmarried, and your income must be at least 100% of the Federal Poverty Guidelines.
- File Form I-129F and include all the documents needed (passport copy, pictures, and other evidence that your relationship is real, flight bookings, passport-style photos, etc.).
- After that, your bride will get a notice from the Embassy in her country—at this step, she’ll have to complete the DS-160 Form online.
- 1-2 months later, she will have to attend the visa interview, where the officer will make a decision on the case.
- After that, she’ll be able to arrive in the US, and you’ll be able to get married.
Remember that it’s ok to get help if you feel that you need it. Inadequate proof of relationship, administrative errors, giving inconsistent information to USCIS, or non-compliance with IMBRA—these are very common mistakes that, despite being minor, will lead to visa denial. The process is pretty stressful and complicated, and there’s nothing wrong with contacting immigration lawyers who can help you avoid all these mistakes. If hiring a lawyer sounds too expensive for you, there are lots of trusted companies that can help you complete the visa application and collect all the necessary documents for $400-$800.
Conclusion
So, are mail order spouse illegal in the US, Canada, or the UK? The answer is no. Men can marry mail order brides and bring them to their countries—it’s completely legal. Even though there might be some complications in the process of getting a K-1 visa for those who have met on an IMB, it’s still 100% legal, and there’s nothing to worry about here. If your relationship is bona fide, you have genuine intentions and truly love each other, your future spouse will be able to enter your country and live there without any legal problems.
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!
