Home Blog Are Mail Order Brides Legal

Are Mail Order Brides Legal?—The Topic Of Legality Outlined

Are Mail Order Brides Legal?—The Topic Of Legality Outlined

Some people naturally wonder if mail order spouses are legal, especially new guys in the dating world. The rules around this can be a bit confusing. There are tons of sites out there, but not all offer good service. However, if you stick to trusted sites, you’ll usually have a great experience. The key is to understand how the mail order bride industry works and choose the right site. In this article, you’ll learn how to spot real mail order bride sites and what steps can help you find your soulmate.

Sites to Find A Legit Mail Order Bride

The whole concept of mail ordering a bride sounds kind of sketchy, right? Luckily, the only thing left from past mail order bride service is its name. Nowadays ladies aren’t forced to register on these dating sites and marry rich foreign men without their will.

Women themselves want to find their love abroad and desire to communicate with Western grooms! They don’t need their money, because modern girls are self-sufficient in every field of life. The legal mail order bride of the 21st century is an independent woman simply looking for a man worth her time and energy.

Legit mail order brides online for American grooms

Luckily for the USA, the mail order bride dating service is completely legal! You can find yourself a legitimate mail order bride overseas and bring her into the country for marriage and living together. However, there are certain international marriage laws and rules to follow.

First of all, you need to prove your feelings are mutual and make sure your bride wants to get married. Then, if your bride’s going to move to the USA, you have to help her acclimate to the new environment, as well as help with the documents.

It goes without saying that every potential groom is on the lookout for a legit mail order bride. However, it depends on a particular man whether to search for a wild cat in bed or a lady who conforms to the traditional relationship pattern.

If you’re worried these ladies are forced to register and “sell” themselves, there’s no reason for that. Mail order brides willingly register and understand all specifics of such relationships and marriage.

Women become beautiful foreign brides because they’re tired of looking for a good man in their city. Due to the huge popularity of international dating, girls from across the world are ready to meet foreign men and date them. Legal mail order brides see many advantages in such relationships:

  • Cultural exchange
  • Different opinions
  • Exciting ability to unravel each other’s personality

Nowadays, there are multiple ways to find legit mail order brides. You can organize the search on your own or rely on dedicated agencies that will provide professional assistance. Of course, it is possible to start searching for a mail order bride offline. You can choose a destination and nationality and book flight tickets to a particular country. However, this method of finding your soulmate implies numerous obstacles. 

First off, you will never predict which place your perfect lady lives in. Secondly, you will need to be courageous enough to approach ladies in public places. Moreover, not all of them would like to create romantic connections with you. And finally, offline dating tends to be rather expensive. How many countries should you visit before you meet your significant other? It is worth mentioning that aside from flight tickets and accommodation, you will have multiple additional expenses, so an offline search for a mail order spouse may leave a gaping hole in your wallet.

Another way to find a legitimate mail order bride is to approach a dedicated service. Since the modern market offers many options to organize your search online, you will need to choose the most reliable one. This method has a lot of advantages. First off, you will considerably save on your romantic journey. You will need to pay for the site’s services, but it is fewer compared to the expenses you might spend on constant travel. Moreover, it is more effective. With the help of dedicated tools and features, you will quickly find your perfect match and organize smooth communication.

The best places in the world where we can legally meet a foreign woman offline

There is a bevy of places where you can find mail order brides. The essential thing here is to choose a lady’s right region and nationality. Here are the most sought-after destinations among potential love-seekers, so study them all to make a formal choice. 

  • Latin America. Latin brides have vast popularity among American guys due to their curve shapes, passionate nature, and flexible traits of character. These ladies know how to seduce men and are all about building healthy and long-lasting relationships. 
  • Asia. Asian brides engage men with their exotic physical attributes, obedience, and intelligence. Each Asian country has its own traditions, so you will need to study them all to better understand which ethnicity works for you. 
  • Eastern Europe. Slavic mail order brides make men blown away with their jaw-dropping appearance, style, and approach to relationships. These ladies combine a lot of features that make them perfect partners for Western men. Once you build a relationship with an Eastern European girl, you will hardly give up.   

Regardless of the spot of your search, finding your perfect lady will be a breeze if you use the services of the right platform. Moreover, the mail order bride industry is rather competitive, so you can enjoy generous rates while communicating with beautiful women for marriage legally.

Best legit mail order bride sites to meet foreign women 

Depending on the nationality of women you are interested in, you can choose a dedicated mail order bride site. We tested and proved numerous platforms to represent you the top contenders currently available on the market. Being armed with this information, the choice of the best legit mail order bride site will be a breeze. 

AsiaEuropeLatin America 
Top legal sitesSakuraDateSofiaDateLaDate
Monthly visits379.3K213.7K137.0K
Success rate86%88%87%
Divorces %5%6%4%

No matter which region you choose for a love hunting adventure, you will definitely find a legal way to marry a mail order bride. Even such Muslim countries as Yemen, Pakistan, and Syria accept this concept and allow women to look for a husband abroad. But is it possible to find a mail order bride in any country of your choice? Believe it or not, there are some places where foreign spouses are illegal.

The Philippines is the only country that prohibits mail order brides, though it’s the most popular destination for finding foreign women for marriage. The country has an Anti Mail-Order Bride Law or Republic Act 6955 that prohibits any attempts to organize marriages between local women and foreign men.

However, Filipino women have an urge to communicate internationally and build relationships with foreign guys. Fortunately, prominent websites managed to find loopholes in the law and offer the services of meeting foreign wives from the Philippines.

What laws regulate the mail order brides industry?

There are two major mail order brides regulations in the US:

VAWA (The Violence Against Women Act)

The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) is a landmark piece of legislation in the United States, initially passed in 1994, with the aim of improving criminal justice responses to domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking and providing additional resources to victims of these crimes. This legislation is also applicable to foreign brides who come to the U.S. via legitimate mail-order bride services.

Under the umbrella of VAWA, “mail order brides,” a term which is now considered outdated and derogatory, have the right to self-petition for legal permanent resident status (Green Card) without the support of the U.S. citizen spouse. This provision protects these women from potential abuse or manipulation by their spouse, ensuring that even legitimate mail order brides aren’t subjected to domestic violence or kept in an abusive situation due to fears about their immigration status.

The term “mail order bride” may imply that one can literally order a bride from a catalog, which is not only inaccurate but illegal. In reality, these are international marriage services, where both parties are consenting adults and have the right to end the relationship at any point. It’s important to note that both the selling and buying of people are strictly illegal and prosecuted under human trafficking laws. Consequently, the term ‘legitimate mail order bride’ refers to a woman who uses a legal and reputable international marriage service to find a potential spouse.

So, when discussing ‘mail order brides legal’ matters, it’s essential to distinguish between the right to seek a spouse from another country and the illegal act of human trafficking. These women, like anyone else, have the right to seek love and companionship across borders. Any relationship should be based on mutual respect and consent, and the law, such as VAWA, is there to ensure that these women are protected and can seek help if they find themselves in a precarious or dangerous situation.

IMBRA (International Marriage Broker Regulation Act)

The International Marriage Broker Regulation Act (IMBRA) is a significant piece of legislation that everyone considering seeking a partner through international matchmaking agencies, commonly referred to as ‘mail order bride’ services, should understand. The Act was established to provide measures of protection to foreign women entering into international marriages.

Firstly, it’s crucial to establish that the term “mail order bride” can often be misleading, as it simplifies and misrepresents a complex process. However, many people still use the term to describe the practice of seeking a spouse from another country. For the purpose of our discussion, it’s essential to differentiate between the legality of the process and the potential exploitation that may occur within these situations.

According to IMBRA, the practices of international matchmaking services are entirely legal, given that they follow specific guidelines. This regulation is designed to make the process of finding legitimate mail order brides more transparent and safer for all parties involved. The Act requires background checks for all marriage visa sponsors and limits serial visa applications. Furthermore, IMBRA mandates that marriage brokers provide individuals with information about immigration, legal rights, and resources for victims of domestic violence.

The question “is it legal to mail order a bride” is more nuanced than it may seem at first glance. While it is perfectly legal to use an international matchmaking service to find a spouse, it’s not a transactional process. You cannot literally ‘order’ a bride as you would a product online. A potential bride has agency and must consent to the marriage. The real intent behind these services is to provide a platform for consenting adults to meet and potentially form a marital bond.

So, if you’re considering looking for a legitimate mail order bride, it’s important to understand and respect these legalities and guidelines. Furthermore, it’s paramount to approach the process with sincerity and respect for the women you’re interacting with, remembering they’re not products to be ordered but individuals with their own rights and autonomy. IMBRA ensures the process is handled with the utmost care to protect everyone involved.

The pool of mail order bride sites is just huge. Various platforms offer different services, so you will never know which one is safe and is worth the investment. The following tips will come in handy for those who are looking for a reliable platform to find a soulmate. Finding the mail order bride legal platform may be quite easy as long as you understand the main criteria of a decent service. The Lambrides team has developed a brief guide that will help you make a formal choice of the platform to start your romantic adventure. 

  • Reputation. Make sure the site you pick for your romantic adventure has a good reputation. You can provide your own research and analyze the real customer testimonials and expert reviews. They can reveal all the pros and cons of a particular platform for you to choose the most dependable option. 
  • Value for money. Carefully read the terms of use of a particular platform, especially if you want to invest in it. Make sure the site doesn’t provide the prices and the services that are too good to be true. Check out the platform’s prices and compare them to the features it provides. 
  • Customer support. Each reputable site has a responsive customer support team that is ready to solve any issue. Some sites make it available 24/7 via a hotline, while others require filling in a special form to contact a specialist. If this aspect is crucial to you, find out as many details as possible before completing the registration on the site.
  • Permanent address. Use the services of a certified company that has an office with a permanent address. Thus, you can be sure that you can approach real people in case you have any questions or concerns.

How to protect yourself from illegal mail order bride sites—Practical tips outlined

Since not every mail order bride website is reliable, you will need to learn practical tips on how to protect yourself from becoming a victim of romance scammers. These recommendations will be useful for both aspiring love-seekers and experienced daters looking for their soulmates online. 

  • Address the platforms with a high level of credibility in the dating industry. Make sure it provides authentic services and has a decent database of users. It is also advisable to avoid free mail order bride sites since they may incorporate numerous pitfalls that can compromise your personal information. 
  • Give a chance to trials. The most outstanding marriage agencies provide generous discounts and perks for novice users. Make the most out of freebies of a particular site to check out whether the services work for you. The majority of mail order bride sites hide their messaging features behind the paid subscription. Using the free options is an excellent chance to discover the full potential of a certain platform. 
  • Avoid sites with a lot of pop-up advertisements. By clicking some ads, you may appear on questionable sites that may contain viruses or other potentially dangerous software. Moreover, the last things you expect during your love-searching experience are constant pop-ups that appear on the screen. 
  • Avoid websites that require transferring money into a bank account. Reliable sites never ask to transfer money, though they may require credit card details. But, usually, all transactions on reputable mail order bride sites are absolutely secure. 
  • Database of users. The database of mail order brides is a no less essential factor to pay attention to. The more ladies available online, the higher the chances that you come across an authentic mail order bride website. However, it is necessary to ensure the site doesn’t contain fake profiles or bots. You can find this information either in user testimonials or by googling the pictures of your potential partners.

Bottom line

Since some men hesitate to create accounts on mail order bride sites, our team decided to consider their legality in detail. This article outlines the following factors that may serve as decisive points when choosing a particular website:

  • Reasons men are afraid of creating accounts on dedicated platforms
  • Methods to find a perfect foreign bride
  • Types of mail order wives that appeal to Western men 
  • How to recognize an illegal website
  • Tips to protect yourself from questionable platforms

It’s understandable why men question the legality of this dating service. However, there’s no need to worry about mail order brides being prohibited or banned. Luckily for the Western and European men, mail order brides are legal and willing to meet you and chat with you on many dating sites!

FAQ

What marriages are not recognized in the US?

Polygamist or multiple marriages aren’t recognized in the US. Besides, if you get married abroad, you’ll need to provide the document that proves that your marriage is legal and official. Also, marriage is considered legal in the US only if both partners have the legal ability to marry each other, there’s mutual consent between both of them, and the marriage contract is evident.

If I get married in Canada, is it legal in the US?

Yes, the US recognizes marriages performed abroad. If your marriage was legally performed in Canada and has a valid registration in that country, You’ll need to provide the marriage license to prove that the marriage actually took place.

Can a marriage be valid without a marriage license?

The marriage won’t be void if the marriage license is absent. A solemnized marriage ceremony is possible only with the availability of a marriage license.

Dan Plesch
Dan Plesch is a UK-born legal expert and author with a rich background in law, particularly focusing on immigration issues. Having embarked on his legal journey at King's College London, he has authored several influential books on jurisprudence and practiced law across continents. With a significant shift in focus in 2020, Dan now specializes in assisting Latin people with US immigration law, particularly in obtaining fiancé and fiancée visas. His vast expertise now benefits readers of LatinaDate.org, where he offers invaluable advice on navigating international relationships and immigration laws, making legal knowledge accessible to a diverse audience.
What are you looking for here?
Quiz

Which country should I choose?

Get to know!
Our site uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to personalize our content and analyze our traffic.