Russian Mail Order Brides: Interview, Guide & Sites to Find a Wife from Russia
If you’re wondering why Russian brides are so popular, how to impress hot Russian women, and how much does it actually cost to find and marry a Russian bride, you’ve come to the right place.
I’ll answer all of your questions here—on this page, you’ll find real facts about Russian women, a full cost breakdown, and lots of useful tips and guides.
| ❤️ Success Rate | 91% |
| 🌏 Popular Russian cities with brides | Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Novosibirsk |
| 💰 Average cost of Russian bride | $3,650 — $4,450 |
| ⌛ Average age of Russian bride | 23 y.o. |
| 💑 Best Russian dating site | SofiaDate |
| 💌 Best Russian mail order bride site | TheLuckyDate |
| 💔 Average divorce rate | 23% |
| ⚖️ Is it legal? | Yes |
But first, let’s talk to a real Russian woman from a dating service—Anastasia, a 28-year old Russian girl, is going to tell you something really interesting about her and about how this industry works.
Anastasia
Age
28
Location
Moscow, Russia
Occupation
Barista
Website
sofiadate.com
Interview with Anastasia—a Russian mail order bride
Who are you?
Anastasia
Anastasia
Hi! My name is Anastasia—I’m from Moscow but I live in Ukraine since 2020. I work as a Coffee Bar Attendant (or barista in simple terms) and I’m completing my Master’s degree right now (Food & Beverage). I’m 28 years old and I’m not technically a Russian Bride yet—because I haven’t found the right man yet—but I’ve been actively using Russian mail order bride services for around 3 months so I know something about it!
Why did you become a mail order bride?
Anastasia
Anastasia
Because why not? I just don’t like how Russian men treat their women, that’s all. Men I’ve had a relationship with in my country are too patriarchal and too unconfident at the same time (I don’t know how they combined these two qualities but they did it successfully.) Our society is still too conservative and consequently, our men are too conservative, too. I know a lot of Russian women interested in dating foreigners and a few Russian mail order wives who moved to the United States during the last years. It’s probably their example that made me do it.
How did you choose the dating site?
Anastasia
Anastasia
I read tons of reviews but didn’t find anything really informative. I asked my friends then, other Ukrainian and Russian women who are more experienced than me. They told me about TheLuckyDate so I read some reviews and created an account, that’s all.
Why do you want a foreign husband?
Anastasia
Anastasia
Because… no offence, Russian guys, but to me, they just pale in comparison with American men. Too patriarchal, too tolerant, too much appreciation for domestic violence, too uncaring about the appearance. I can’t even compare them to American men (or to Ukrainian or Western European men). And it’s about the country, too—obviously, the quality of life is much better in the US than in my country.
Have you already communicated with Western men on dating sites?
Anastasia
Anastasia
Well, I’m not the luckiest Russian girl—so yes, but nothing serious. I’m always open to something new!
What do you like about Western men and what you don’t like?
Anastasia
Anastasia
I know a lot about Western gentlemen but not from my own experience, it’s more about what my friends, other Russian mail order wives, say. According to what they say, American men have several great features. First of all, they take care about how they look (it’s very important, actually). Second, they are more respectful, calmer, and gentler than men from Russia. And third, they don’t try to act “macho”—they are confident and that’s what I like, and they are not tolerant to domestic violence. They just look more attractive to me! I don’t know.
As for the things I don’t like… Well, I don’t know. Maybe I don’t like the fact some Americans think Russian women are “easy”. That’s not true. We really like you, but we are definitely not easy, guys!
People often worry about scams and fakes on dating sites. Is using mail order bride sites safe in your opinion?
Anastasia
Anastasia
From what I know, there are no 100% safe mail bride sites because it’s impossible to create a website with 0 fake profiles. Well, it’s possible, but registration on such a site would be extremely time-consuming and difficult.
As for the site I’m using right now, BravoDate, I’ve met 2 fake profiles there—one of them had extremely poor English and fake photos, the other one just had fake photos, so I blocked and reported their profiles. They got deleted in a few minutes, as far as I know.
But I can’t speak for all Russian mail order wives services, of course. I know a Russian girl who once got scammed on of those free mail order bride services—she told her credit card number and some secret code, I don’t know. What I know is that you shouldn’t provide such information to anyone. They even warn about it in the bank app! And, of course, it’s important that you only use legitimate Russian bride sites.
Anastasia, can you help singles from the US understand Russian women better? Give advice to men on how to attract a Russian woman, please.
Anastasia
Anastasia
I can’t speak for all Russian brides, but what I think is that attracting Russian ladies isn’t that difficult if you’re a decent American man. Be yourself, always be confident but don’t try to be “macho”, make a Russian lady laugh—we love it!—and don’t forget about compliments and gentleman things like flowers, paying for the dinner, taxi, and all that. Just regular good old courting things will work great :)
Did the situation change in 2023 for you as a potential bride?
Anastasia
Anastasia
So first of all, I’d like to say that I’m against this war. We even donated money to help Ukrainian soldiers in March together with my BFF. As for your question, what I can say is that the number of men who want to marry a Russian girl has reduced—I got 3-4 messages every day in January 2022, and today, it’s closer to 1-2 messages. So from my experience, the number of foreigners searching for a Russian girl has decreased significantly. I don’t think it’s about politics solely, to be fair.
Anastasia
Anastasia
The thing is, we, the girls who use international dating sites, have never supported the war or our government. I’m sure I can speak for the majority of the brides here. So that’s most likely not the reason. In fact, it’s much more about logistics and safety, I believe. It’s extremely difficult for an American man to visit Ukraine, the country where I’ve lived since 2020. You know, all the flights have been suspended since February, so… Going to Poland, then crossing the border with Ukraine by land is the only option. Well, it’s still possible but why would an American man do it when he can focus on other countries which are much easier and safer to visit since there are no missile strikes and air-raid sirens? It’s sad, really. But totally understandable. I hope the situation will change soon.
What are your plans for the future?
Anastasia
Anastasia
Well, I’m still a “Russian mail order bride,” as you see. I’m still searching for a guy who would treat me well and I still believe that it’s possible for a Russian girl to find an American man in 2023. But now I’m thinking about moving to France, actually. Maybe, it will be easier to find a decent guy there rather than online. And I’m chatting with that nice guy from Arlington so, who knows?
Editor’s notes
Michael Krakowski, European Countries
Nothing to add here! Many Russian women for marriage do really want to meet a Western man because they are not happy with their local men; it’s quite an often thing in Russia. Their women are often in another league than their men! The level of life in their country is obviously much lower than the one in the US, and the situation isn’t going to improve in the future due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and sanctions. Russian ladies are just much more forward-thinking than their men—that’s why they prefer finding Western men and moving to better countries.
The good news is that Russian ladies don’t just want to get a better life; they want to get better men—and Americans are considered “better” by default. If you’re an American man who acts confident, has a good sense of humor, and doesn’t forget about courtesy, your chances are extremely high!
Now, let’s continue talking about dating Russian women. Why is it a good idea, how much does it cost, and how to get a Russian mail order wife to the US? Continue reading to find out.
How to find a Russian wife
Wondering how to get a Russian mail order bride? Well, there are three ways you can go to find a Russian bride in 2023:
✈️ Offline dating
You can go to Kazakhstan or Georgia. These are the countries where millions of Russians live outside of their country. A trip to Russia would be dangerous and really time-consuming considering the situation with the war in Ukraine, so we can’t recommend it to you. Visiting one of the countries mentioned above may work, too. So a trip to Kazakhstan will cost you at least $2,200 ($1,300 for a round-trip flight and at least $800 for 2 weeks in Astana). Of course, you can’t be 100% sure you’ll find a bride there—offline dating is pretty difficult, especially in a foreign country.
You can also contact a bride agency. They’ll present you with a catalog of brides and book a flight and a hotel room if you decide to meet any of those women. The main thing to understand here is that such a tour will cost you around $4,000-$6,000—and again, you can’t be sure you’ll find a bride this way.
💬 💑 Online dating
You can sign up on a Russian dating website. These sites are not 100% free to use but most of them are quite affordable (around $120 per month). The best thing about these websites is that the size of a dating pool is really large—you’ll be able to choose among the tens of thousands of real Russian ladies there.
So, here are the TOP-5 Russian Dating Sites you should try in 2023:
| Rank | Site | Free Link | |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | SofiaDate |
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| #2 | BravoDate |
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|
| #3 | TheLuckyDate |
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| #4 | RealEuropeanBeauty |
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| #5 | EuropeanDate |
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Facts about marriages with Russian mail order brides
- Russia has an extremely high divorce rate—it’s 5 per 1,000 while it’s 3.8 in Ukraine and 3.4 in the United States. The main problems and reasons that lead to such a divorce rate are related to the financial situation, poverty, domestic abuse, etc. Interesting fact is: the divorce rate is much lower when it comes to American-Russian families!
- The stereotype about Russian ladies wanting at least 3 kids is a bit outdated—in today’s Russia, the Total Fertility Rate is 1.5, which is even lower than in the United States (1.7). The reasons for such a low rate are obvious, too—it’s mainly about the economic situation in Russia (which is far from perfect).
- Even young Russian girls are quite traditional when it comes to their views on marriage—around 60% of Russian women between 18 and 24 think that getting married and living in a family is more preferable than not getting married/living in a family without registering a marriage.
How much does a Russian bride cost?
Of course, it’s impossible to buy Russian brides or brides from any other country—obviously, the whole “Russian mail order brides” thing is actually about online dating, not about “buying” a partner.
As for online dating cost, let’s talk about the site Anastasia is using, TheLuckyDate. It’s a website with a credit system—here’s how much credits cost on it:
- $2.99—20 credits for the first payment
- $9.99—20 credits for the second and next payments
- $19.99—50 credits
- $44.99—125 credits
- $69.99—250 credits
- $149.99—750 credits
Here’s the price of the communication services offered by TheLuckyDate:
- Live chat—2 credits per 1 minute
- Email—10 credits for the first email, 30 credits for the next emails
- Profile videos—25 credits to watch 1 video
- Requesting a real-life meeting—625 credits
Sooner or later, you’ll need to meet Russian mail order brides in person. But, because of the war of Russia against Ukraine, the inner markets of both countries have experienced losses; and even though the losses of the first country cannot even imaginably be compared with the horrible losses of the second, we still should point out that the prices we provide below will soon be changed. The sanctions the western countries have imposed damaged the Russian economy, so please, note that soon the numbers we provide will be much bigger.
Here’s how much a 2-week trip to Russia cost before the war:
- Tickets—$800 (round trip)
- Hotel room—$400
- Transportation—$150
- Food—$300
- Entertainment—$600
As for taking your Russian wife or bride to the US, it’s simple—the K-1 visa would cost you around $2,200.
Anastasia, the Russian bride we interviewed, is using TheLuckyDate—a great Russian brides website with a great reputation.
But it’s not the only dating site that is worth trying—if you want to try something different, we highly recommend you sign up on UkraineBrides4You and on TheLuckyDate.
These Ukrainian and Russian brides services are different, but these services are decent, and their admins have zero tolerance to scammers.
🇷🇺 Find Russian Wife Online
Anastasia
Age
30
Location
Krasnodar, Russia
Occupation
Lashmaker
Website
sofiadate.com
La9l9
Age
21
Location
Yakutsk, Sakha Republic, Russia
Occupation
-
Website
sofiadate.com
Mariya
Age
22
Location
Moscow, Russia
Occupation
choreographer, future doctor
Website
sofiadate.com
Alyona
Age
20
Location
Moscow, Russia
Occupation
Model
Website
sofiadate.com
Yulia
Age
35
Location
Saransk, Russia
Occupation
psychologist
Website
sofiadate.com
Maria
Age
24
Location
Moscow, Russia
Occupation
administrator
Website
sofiadate.com
Irina
Age
27
Location
Moscow, Russia
Occupation
journalist
Website
sofiadate.com
Maria
Age
29
Location
Moscow, Russia
Occupation
Financier
Website
sofiadate.com
Olga
Age
21
Location
Saint Petersburg, Russia
Occupation
Designer
Website
sofiadate.com
Why are Russian brides so popular?
Thousands of Americans want to marry a Russian girl and hundreds actually succeed—every year, there are at least 500 marriages between American men and Russian women who entered the US on a K-1 visa. Russian girls for marriage are still incredibly popular when it comes to international marriages—and here, we’ll explain why.
- Russian women for marriage are really hot. One may say that beauty doesn’t matter when you’re searching for a serious relationship, but we believe that it’s not true. Russian ladies are so attractive it’s just impossible to ignore this fact—they are naturally beautiful and they know literally everything about makeup, stylish clothes, fitness, and diets.
- They think it’s a man who should lead the relationship. There are many Western men who would love to have such an old-fashioned relationship where a man is a breadwinner who protects the woman and opens the doors for her while a woman is a homemaker who supports her husband and raises children. Well, Russian girls are perfect for such a relationship.
- They are incredibly romantic and feminine. Russian girls love it when a man knows how to add romance to a relationship (and they know how to do it themselves). As for femininity, it’s simple—they are very sweet, nurturing, and caring.
Want to know more about Russian ladies? Then, continue reading. In the next paragraph, we are going to talk about today’s Russian female celebrities.
Here are some popular Russian women
Irina Shayk
This 37-year-old fashion model is probably the most famous Russian woman in the world. Irina Shayk is the most successful Russian model—she worked with almost all top high fashion brands, e.g., Versace, Burberry, Victoria’s Secret, and others. She also was featured on the covers of the most popular magazines, and even had a relationship with Cristiano Ronaldo!
Maria Sharapova
Maria Sharapova, a 35-year-old celebrity from Russia, is one of the most successful female tennis players in the world. She has been the world’s #1 female tennis player from 2005 to 2012, as well as the highest-paid female athlete for 11 years. Today, Maria helps children around the world in partnership with various charity funds and invests in various startups.
Natalia Vodianova
She is one of the most popular and successful fashion models from Russia. This 40-year-old lady is incredibly beautiful and 100% fashionable which should not surprise anyone taking into account her extremely successful modeling career—in 2015, she earned $8,600,000.
Russian women for marriage stereotypes
Certainly, there are many myths about Russian women, especially mail order brides. So let’s talk about some fake stereotypes about Russian mail order brides—it’s very important to talk about them before you start dating these ladies.
❌ There are many scammers among them
Let’s be honest, there are a few Russian scammers pretending to be mail order brides. They may tell you that they need that bank transfer immediately after sending you a few messages, they may ask you to send your credit card number/CVV code, etc. The main thing you need to understand here is that it’s not a Russian-only thing—every nation has dating scammers, unfortunately, and we can’t say that the percentage of these scammers is higher in Russia than in other countries.
The good news is that you can minimize the risks by always testing the dating sites, reading the reviews, asking yourself questions like “Are Russian mail order brides real on this platform?”, and googling their photos.
❌ They only want your money
Again, every nation has its own gold and Green Card diggers—it’s not something you will only see in Russia. What we can say here is that it doesn’t look like Russia has more gold diggers than other countries. Maybe it’s TV shows like 90 Day Fiance that created a false impression of Eastern European women as gold-diggers. We don’t know for sure. What we know is that the absolute majority of Russian brides want to find a loving man who would treat them well, not a guy who will pay for all their needs and sponsor them.
❌ They are typical housewives
Some people think Russian women are shy stay-at-home wives who have no ambitions or career goals. Well, if you have such views, you’d better focus on another country.
As a matter of fact, women in Russia are anything but shy and sheepish. They are independent and strong, they are well-educated and ambitious, and the concept of staying at home and being financially dependent on a husband is not that common in modern Russia, especially if we’re talking about young women in their 20s.
Step-by-step guide on how to get Russian mail order bride
- First, choose the right website with Russian brides. It’s extremely important to check and to test everything as well as to read all the reviews, because if you choose a wrong/fake/empty Russian mail order brides website, you will just spoil your international dating experience from the very beginning!
- Then, create a profile. Most Russian brides services offer their new users to answer several questions about their personality during the registration—we highly recommend answering these questions carefully to get the best matches.
- Upload some photos (choose the best ones but not the old ones, please) and write a catchy profile bio/description. Your dating profile must stand out from the crowd to attract more Russian brides!
- Start chatting with Russian girls—you’ll probably need to buy credits/pay for a premium subscription to start sending messages.
- When you chat with Russian brides, use video chat or, if the dating service you’re using doesn’t offer such a feature, at least google the photos of women you’re chatting with to make sure these are not fake profiles.
- Set up a real date—if you’re going to meet real Russian brides in person, don’t waste your time chatting online. According to my experience, most successful couples who met each other on dating sites have met in person in 2-3 months.
Is using MOB sites to find and date women legit?
Yes—what’s more, tens of thousands of Russian women start dating Americans every single year, and thousands of them enter the US on a K-1/CR-1 visa.
Using dating sites is 100% legal, as well as meeting Russian women and bringing your Russian bride/Russian wife to the United States.
In 3 years after the arrival, your Russian wife will be able to become a US citizen legally!
How to bring a Russian wife to the USA?
Getting a Russian mail order bride to the United States is legal, as we just said—but it’s not that easy. Read this short step-by-step guide to understand what steps you’ll need to go through.
- First, you will have to file the Form I-129. This is the Petition for Alien Fiance, and it’s the US citizen who needs to file it (if you’re a permanent resident with a green card, you can’t take your foreign bride to the United States).
- You will need to prove that you’re a US citizen (passport/birth certificate), to provide a copy of your foreign passport, and to prove that your relationship with your Russian mail order bride are “bona fide” (“for love,” legitimate). To do so, you’ll have to provide evidence, e.g, photos, hotel reservations, emails, statements from family/friends, etc.
- You and your bride will also have to write and to sign sworn statements that you intend to get married within 90 days of your bride’s arrival.
- In 6-9 months or so, your petition will be processed—after that, your bride will need to file the DS-160 Form (visa application). Your Russian bride will also need to print the confirmation page and take it with her to her interview.
- Here, you will need to provide an Affidavit of Support (I-134)—which means your annual income must be higher than $22,887.
- When this is done, your bride will need to bring her photos, passport copies, police clearances, and a sealed medical exam form to her visa interview. These interviews take place at the embassies—your bride will be asked a lot of questions about your relationship and about your life to make sure your relationship is genuine and legitimate.
- After that, she’ll get a visa packet—it’ll be sealed, and she must NOT open it (if she opens it, she might not be allowed to enter the US).
- Then, your Russian bride will be able to enter the country and get married within 90 days!
How to avoid Russian mail order bride scam?
There are several types of scam you need to be aware of if you’re interested in meeting Russian brides online. Let’s talk about the most common of them here.
1. “Send me money”
The first one is simple, classic, and overly straightforward (but it still works). We’re talking about a situation when a Russian woman you’ve met online asks you to send her money because of various reasons—some scammers say they need to pay their medical bills, some say they need to pay for a visa, the others say they need a new laptop to continue communicating with you, etc. The main thing you have to know about it is that real Russian ladies typically don’t need your money—well, at least until you meet in person. If a Russian bride asks you for money, block her and report her profile—it’s most likely a scammer.
2. Personal and financial information scam
The second one is when a Russian woman—or, which is much more likely, a scammer who uses fake photos—is trying to get your financial information. Your credit card number/CVC code, your PayPal password, your bank account number—if a Russian bride on a dating site asks you something like this, it’s 100% a scammer. Block, report, and forget.
3. Blackmail
The third one is related to blackmail. Some scammers imitate Russian girls and exchange messages trying to gain your trust, and then, when you tell them some kind of sensitive information or send, you know, certain kind of photos, they start blackmailing you. You can avoid getting blackmailed—just make sure all those Russian women you’re chatting with are real (video chat can help).
That’s not all, of course—there are lots of Russian mail order bride scams, but these are the most common ones.
Remember, you can easily block and report an account if you feel something is wrong—and don’t worry about scammers. The odds of meeting a scammer on a good and trusted Russian mail order bride website are quite high.
F.A.Q.
Are Russian mail order brides real?
Yes. Russia is one of the most popular mail order bride countries in Europe, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that there are tens of thousands of Russian women who want to get married to an American man. If you want to make sure you’re chatting with real people, pay attention to that Verified or Validated badge on their dating profiles. The girls with such badges have verified their identity.
How to get a Russian wife?
It’s always better to do it online. Thanks to modern Russian mail order bride sites, you don’t need to spend around $2,000 for a short trip to Russia—you only need to sign up on a dating site and start chatting with the ladies. Most of these sites are not free and cost around $150 per month, but it’s nothing compared to the cost of a trip from the US to Russia, especially in 2023.
Can I really meet Russian mail order brides online?
Yes. This country is one of the most popular mail order bride countries in the world, so there are lots of Russian girls who really want to meet a foreign man. If you want to meet them, you need to choose a trusted dating platform and create a profile on it. Don’t worry about the language barrier—most Russian mail order brides you’ll meet online are educated and intelligent, so most of them speak English fluently.
Is it legal to marry Russian mail order brides?
Yes, an American man can marry a Russian woman without any problems. If your marriage doesn’t violate local Russian and American laws, and if your relationship is real and “for love”, you will have no problems with marrying a Russian woman. Your wife or bride will be able to enter the US legally on a CR-1 or K-1 visa respectively—if you’re going to marry her in the US, you’ll need the latter option.
