Mail order brides are extremely popular nowadays. Thousands of international marriages are registered each year. But those who have never heard about this phenomenon before often wonder whether it is legal to mail order a bride. In this article, we will give an exhaustive answer to this question. Keep reading, and you will find out all nuances of mail order bride legality in different countries.
Is It Legal to Mail Order a Bride?
Yes, it is. Mail order brides services are, in fact, international marriage agencies. They help men to find their future wives from abroad. And this is not prohibited by law. Therefore, you do not do anything illegal when you join an online platform of this kind and start dating a woman from there.
Is It Legal to Be a Mail Order Bride?
Yes, it is. Many women from Eastern Europe, South America, and Asia are eager to get foreign husbands. Thus, they register as mail order brides on the specialized services to find their future spouses from abroad. This is not illegal as international dating and marriages are not prohibited by law.
Can You Really “Buy a Bride”?
You cannot literally do this. Mail order services do not sell brides. If they did they would be illegal as human trafficking is a serious crime.
Online agencies of this kind only provide the services that can help you to find your future spouse from abroad. Usually, they offer the following list of them:
- The catalog of ladies. All women have created accounts there and have given their personal information to international marriage agencies of their own free will.
- The features for keeping in touch (chats, calls).
- Translation services.
- Help with meeting each other in real life.
So, you cannot buy a bride. You can marry a foreign woman only by mutual consent. Developing a relationship with a mail order bride does not differ from usual dating a girl. The only peculiarity is that you and your lady are from different countries.
And as for the fee, you pay to the specialized website not for a woman herself but for the help in meeting her.
Mail Order Marriages Regulations in the World
Are mail order brides illegal in any country? Check the laws regarding this issue in different countries below.
Mail Order Brides in the USA
Is the phenomenon of mail order brides legal in the United States? Yes, it is.
Moreover, there is a law that ensures the safety of foreign girls who date US citizens or residents. According to the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act, agencies can provide personal data of their female clients only to men who have filled out a special form about the details of their criminal and marital background.
Due to this fact, the USA is the most desired destination for mail order brides because this country is well-developed and safe.
Mail Order Brides in Canada
International marriage agencies are not subject to mandatory regulation in Canada. There are no laws that would prohibit them. So, mail order brides are absolutely legal in this country.
Mail Order Brides in the UK
They are legal in this country. Any UK citizen is free to marry a foreign woman, regardless of the place he has got acquainted with her. It does not matter whether you have met your future wife offline while traveling to her country or online with the help of a specialized service. In any case, she is your bride, and marrying her is legal.
Mail Order Brides in Australia
As in most countries of the world, this phenomenon is legal here as well. So, if you are a citizen of this country you may not worry about the legality of dating with the help of specialized agencies.
Is There a Country Where Mail Order Marriages Are Illegal?
Is a mail order bride legal all around the world? In most countries, it is. But still, there is one where it is not. No matter how surprising it is, this is the Philippines. Republic Act No. 6955 forbids women to become mail order brides.
But international marriages have found a grey area in this law. They advertise men as foreign husbands, not women as mail order brides. Therefore, Filipino girls are free to communicate with them and to marry them. Moreover, there is no single case of someone being punished under this law.
Can I Bring My New Bride to My Country?
Yes, you can. But the law regulates the immigration of foreign brides to different countries.
USA
To bring a foreign girl to your country, you must file Form I-130, a K-3, and Entry Visa for Spouse. This will help your bride to reside legally in the USA.
Canada
A tourist visa is enough to come to this country for marriage with its citizen. Therefore, it is easy to bring your bride here.
UK
For your bride to move to your country, you must help her to apply for a Fiance visa. There are the following conditions of getting it:
- you must prove that you are a couple and are really having a relationship;
- you must prove that you are going to live together after marriage;
- a woman should have at least A1 English;
- you must have a proven income of at least £18,600 per year which ensures that you can provide for your bride as she does not have a right to work, study, or receive unemployment benefits while she is living in the UK with a fiance visa.
This visa is valid for half a year. If you do not get married during this time, a bride must leave the country.
Australia
Prospective marriage or partner visa is needed. The requirements are:
- both you and your bride must be free of criminal background;
- you should not have any debt to the government;
- your bride must successfully pass a health examination.
How to Know if a Mail Order Brides Site is Legal And Safe?
Pay attention to the following criteria while choosing:
- there are contacts of creators or technical support;
- there is positive feedback on external resources;
- girls’ accounts are variable and do not look like fakes;
- there is a possibility of seeing women through video calls to ensure they are real.
Are Mail Order Brides a Scam?
No, they are not. All of them offered by trustworthy websites are real women who are eager to find foreign husbands and move abroad to live together with them.
Conclusion
Mail order brides are legal and you can bring the one to your country without any problems. So, feel free to use specialized websites to find your love!