If you and a woman communicate back and forth and decide you want to move your relationship forward, the next step is to meet. This is the tricky part. Some sources even say finding the bride is easy but bringing her to you is when the work begins. This is because it is very difficult for a single woman from a less developed country to get approved for a Tourist Visa to visit the United States. Therefore, usually she will need to be engaged to in order to get a Fiancé Visa. For this status, though, you are required to have already met, so you will need to plan a trip to meet the woman in her country of origin before you can move forward with your plans. Or, you can even marry overseas when you visit her, and then begin the complicated process of applying for a Petition for an Alien Relative and an Immigrant VISA so she can come live with you in the U.S.

What It Costs

Keep in mind that when you “order” a mail order bride, there are a variety of costs that will be associated with this process. Of course, some of the specifics vary, depending on what type of introduction/marriage broker service you use and what country you select. But regardless of these variations, some of the steps will be similar. For instance, you will need to join a service (which may be a one-time price, or could also include ongoing monthly fees in addition to an initial investment), or at least order address so you can correspond with your intended, often via the Internet and also sometimes by letter. You might also want to call the woman on the phone (likely using a translator, since she may not speak English) and send gifts. In addition, you will probably want to go visit her and formalize your arrangements for her to come to the Unites States. Then there is also the cost of her VISA and her travel expenses to relocate here and also the cost of getting married and/or having a wedding. In addition, some services offer a “romance tour” that brings American men to less developed countries to attend organized socials where they can meet a number of available women in one place.

All of these expenses can really add up. One author who wrote an article about mail-order brides estimated all of these costs can run between a thousand or less on the low end, to as high as $15,000 when you add them all up. But some of the men who use this method to find women they can grow old with feel the investment is well worth it in the end.

To get an idea of how some of the various set costs may play out, here is a breakdown of a few of the basics.

• Purchasing women’s addresses: from $10 to $15 each (but the price goes down the more you buy at once)
• Sending letters: $5.00 each.
• Phone call translation: $5.95 per minute.
• Membership with an online service: from $80 to $650
• Catalogue of available women: $120
• Romance tour: $4,000 to $7,500 including airfare and accommodations
• Airfare: $500 to $1,000 or more each trip, depending on the country