How Much Does a Mail Order Bride Cost?
While you can only go so far through online dating sites, friends and family, many often resort to a mail order bride. A mail order bride is a service that helps you find a woman living in a foreign country such as Russia and Thailand.
How much does a mail order bride cost?
There will often be three costs associated with pursuing a mail order bride: the communication, the travel expenses and visa/passports when you try to bring one to the United States.
Many websites online can connect you with a bride overseas, and these dating websites are no different than any other dating site out here. Memberships alone can vary anywhere from free to as much $500+ per month. These costs will depend on the website you sign up for. Generally, the more you pay, the more features you’re going to get. These are just the prices to find the profile of a woman you may want to meet.
On average, once everything is all said and done, the overall cost of mail order brides can range anywhere from $15,000 to $25,000. This doesn’t guarantee a wife, though. It’s not unheard of for the budget to get well into the hundreds of thousands. These costs will really depend on the country your mail order bride is from. Remember, you’re not buying a woman, but technically meeting someone overseas. This isn’t much different than meeting and dating a woman in the United States.
According to a study done via American.edu, the typical male can expect to pay anywhere from $3,000 to $5,000 for a group session. There is no guarantee that a successful bride will be met.
Mail order bride overview
The membership service alone will allow you to look at profiles of various women from many countries.
Once you find a profile that you’re interested in, you can pay a premium fee for additional information. This information may include a phone number, address, email or any other related contact information.
During a group session, if this is the route chosen, many women will enter a room with other men. Usually, the ratio is anywhere from 30 women to every 1 man. Since most women can’t speak English, the interpreter at the event will do their best to meet you up with the best match.
If you want to avoid the group sessions, the company will provide contact information for the profile you want. As noted above, a fee will be charged for the contact information.
What are the extra costs?
Since most women can’t speak the best English, a translator is sometimes needed in order for you to understand them. Translators can charge anywhere from $10 to $20 per hour.
Some services online charge you per address you acquire. Each address can be anywhere from $5 to $25 per address, per woman.
The same can be said for each call. Many services can charge up to $5 to $10 per minute to translate what the bride says on the other line.
Recurring annual memberships can apply. Plan on setting aside at least $100 per year to keep the membership active.
If you don’t feel like browsing women online, print catalogs are available. These catalogs can cost $100 to $200, depending on the size.
If you want to travel to visit your soon to be mail order bride, a hotel, airfare, food and more will have to be purchased for the trip. This trip alone can cost anywhere from $2,000 to $5,000+. The average airfare for a flight to Russia alone is $1,200 to $2,000.
Airfare to a country overseas such as Russia can start at $1,000 and go up from there.
Ultimately, in the end, a VISA will be required to have your bride-to-be live legally in the United States. A VISA can cost about $1,000.
Don’t forget to factor in marriage costs, either.
Tips to know:
Always be sure to keep in constant contact. A big red flag is that if the person states they “love” you within a few letters. There are many scams out there in regards to finding a mail order bride, so make sure that you do the adequate research before diving in.
Watch out for those who want to meet right away or for those who even ask for money. It’s best that you make the arrangements, instead of her.
Keep in mind that a visa is very hard to get. If she wants to come visit, don’t send money if they are asking to come visit the country. The process is a lot more complicated that you may think, and there’s a good chance you won’t see that money ever again.
Make sure that you study these letters. Are they personal? If they aren’t, it may be a chain letter sent out to those they are looking to scam over.
Stories seem to be a mixed bag. Some say they have success, while others have had bad luck. Be sure to read these Reddit stories from those who have had experience with these types of brides.
Are mail order brides real? Some people often have the misconception these brides aren’t real. While there are scammers out there who may take your money before meeting them, these brides are 100% real. Now, as mentioned above, this isn’t a process where you add a girl to your shopping cart and she’s delivered to your door, but rather, it’s someone who is looking to escape their country and marry an American citizen. It will still be like a relationship and you will still have to woo this potential date for a future marriage.
Are mail order brides legal? Yes. As long as the couples abide by the United States regulations and the visa process, she can live in the United States legally.
Popular brides come from the following countries: the Philippines, Russia, Ukraine, India, Brazil, Thailand and China.
How can I save money?
Compare various mail order bride services online. Be sure to know of the scams that can be out there. A lot of scammers float around in the mail order bride industry.
Try to avoid the free dating websites as these sites are often filled with the most scams.
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