How to Find a Russian Bride and Marry Her in 2024?
Russians don’t have the best reputation in the US, that’s a fact. However, Russian women have a reputation for being fantastic wives and mothers — and basically, that’s not far from the truth. Russian women are both different and similar to American — and if you’re thinking of marrying one of these Slavic ladies, there are some details you should know. We are going to tell you these details here — so it’s probably the best place you could find if you’re really interested in Russian women. And we won’t just talk about documents, customs, and culture — the short guide on where to find Russian brides for sale is also waiting for you here. Alright, let’s get it started!
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Where to find a Russian woman?
We’ll cover this in our future posts, but here’s what you must know: in a nutshell, you only have three options — one of them is quite expensive and the positive outcome is NOT guaranteed; another one works quite well, but not the way you expect it to work; and the last one is perfectly balanced. What are we talking about?
The 1st option probably comes to your mind right after you start thinking about finding a woman: going there, finding a lady, and approaching her on the street. Or in the club. Or in the mall, whatever. This sounds like a good plan, yeah, but here’s the thing: this plan is good only if we’re talking about offline dating in your country. In the US, you only need to go outside to meet ladies — there will be no problems with the language they speak, with the cultural barriers, and with the price of doing such a thing. But to meet a Russian on the street and have a little talk, you’ll have to:
1) know Russian
2) travel to Russia, which is not that cheap, and
3) be very good at picking the girls up.
There’s just no guarantee that you’ll meet a lady who’ll be ready to become your wife. That’s why we believe that it’s not the most appropriate way for the majority of the US guys.
Next, Tinder. In this sort of scenario, you sign up for Tinder, go to Russia, use this app, and find a lady. That’s what Tinder does, and it does it really well — but we won’t sugarcoat it. Point is, this app is focused on a certain type of relationships, which means that even if you talk to a lady on Tinder, it will most likely not be what you’re looking for. Hookups, one-night stands, casual sex? Yes. But meeting your future wife on Tinder? We believe that it’s not that possible.
And now, special services (some call them mail-bride websites, but it’s up to you how to call them actually). We don’t want it to sound like ads, but it’s actually the best thing you can if you’re searching for a wife. Such sites are usually not free, but in general, the prices are quite reasonable. We’ll talk about such services and about their differences from your average American dating sites in our future posts!
How much does it cost to marry a Russian woman?
“How much does it cost to marry a Russian woman?” is one of the most common questions among Western men looking for love in Russia. Obviously, the whole experience cannot be free, but it’s still nice to know how much you are going to spend before you take any active steps to meet girls from Russia. Generally, your expenses can be divided into two groups: the ones that come before the wedding, and the wedding itself.
Before the wedding
Since the most convenient way to meet women from Russia is to use dating sites, you need to take into account the cost of being a member of a popular dating site, as well as the price of additional features. You can also send bouquets and gifts to the lady, and when it’s time to plan your first real-life date, you will also need to cover the expenses linked to travel: plane tickets, accommodations, food, etc. All in all, you can spend up to $15 prior to the wedding.
Planning the wedding
The important thing to know here is that while Russians prefer to go all-in with their wedding planning, celebrating a wedding in Russia is still several times cheaper than doing the same in the US. So if you are looking to save money, plan your wedding in Russia. All in all, your nuptials can cost around $10,000, although the bride’s parents often chip in, so you’ll spend even less.
How many American men marry Russian woman?
Dating trends change all the time, but Russian ladies enjoy a steadily high level of popularity among Western men. Every year, hundreds of American men find Russian fiancées, bring them to the United States, and marry them shortly after. In 2019, for example, 815 Russian ladies entered the US as future spouses to American men. So there is a very real chance of the same happening to you — you just need a good dating site, a working strategy, and plenty of confidence!
Marriage with a Russian woman: what you need to know?
So, your virtual romance has transformed into a real one. Congratulations — you are making a great choice, guaranteed. But it’s not that simple — there are some problems you should be aware of. We’re talking about collecting documents and about overcoming cultural differences (because Russianladies see marriage in a little different light) — if you’re really serious about your girlfriend, you’ll see lots of useful details here. Let’s start with documents.
Documents for marriage with a Russian girl
So, how to marry a Russian woman? First, you’ll have to choose the country where your marriage will take place. If it’s Russia, the set of documents you’re going to collect differs from the set you’ll have to collect in the United States.
Let’s begin with Russia. First, you’ll need a visa — there are 7 types of visas, but in the absolute majority of cases, the United States residents obtain 2 of them: tourist visa or private visa.
The first type is valid for up to 1 month, while the second type is valid for up to 3 months, but it’s not the main difference between them. The main difference is that to obtain a private visa, you’ll have to get a private invitation from a relative or friend. So, we recommend getting a tourist visa (but it’s up to you). This whole process won’t last more than 1 week, what’s more, the US citizens usually get a tourist visa in 1-2 days.
Polygamy is illegal in Russia, as well as in the US, so you’ll have to prove your single status. It’s also very important that you or your fiancée choose a notary in Russia — all the copies of your documents must be translated and notarized when you come to Russia. After that, it’s time to go to Russia — there are thousands of registry offices, but you’ll have to use those that work with foreigners. The state duty is 350 rubles, which is just $5.6.
After that, it’s time to go to the registry office again (because you’ll pay a state duty in a bank) and fill some other documents, e.g. marriage application. Then you’ll have to wait for 1 month or so because of the queues, but after that, it’s done. Congratulations!
If you prefer your marriage to take place in the US, the whole process is a little more time-consuming. It makes some sense because of the US immigration policy, but we won’t waste your time talking about it here.
The officer will decide your case, that’s how it works for the international marriages in the US, and you will have to do your best to show this as a bona fide relationship. You’ll have to write a petition for her to enter the country on a K1 visa (it’s often called a fiancée visa), and the biggest problem here is that the rates of marriage/visa fraud are quite high — that is why everything must look perfect. If you haven’t ever met your bride, it just won’t work out — just think about how it looks for the government. A lady from Russia meets an American on one of the mail order bride sites, they probably have a large age difference, she probably doesn’t know English, which means there are both language and cultural barriers, etc. It looks like a scam, and you’ll have to spend some time proving that it isn’t.
So, at first, think about meeting your fiancée in person, and when we say “in person”, we mean meeting her within 2 years of the application.
Meet her family. Make photos — the more photos you have the better. After that, she will get a visa interview, and (we’re not going to sugarcoat it) this interview will not be the easiest thing in the world. The consular officer will ask her LOTS of questions. There is no set list of questions, unfortunately — but she’ll most likely have to answer lots of questions about your family (maybe even about something from your childhood), about you (like, what do you do for a living and why do you like/don’t like your job), etc, etc. As for the documents, it’s not that simple, too — first, you’ll have to file a petition on Form I-129F, then she will apply for a visa. After that, she’ll be able to apply for a green card finally.
Russian marriage customs
Traditional Russian wedding can last up to 7 days, but in the absolute majority of cases, it’s 1 or 2 (less often) days. On the first day, the ceremony and ring exchange takes place. You’ll probably have to ask your best friend to be the best man (they are called “witnesses” in Russia). In general, a modern Russian wedding is very similar to a modern American wedding, because the westernization has greatly affected their traditions. However, there are still some things you should know about.
Ransom
The parents of the bride steal her… Well, it’s a game, so relax. To get her back, you’ll have to complete some challenges — sometimes these challenges are meant to show your love, sometimes they are just crazy. If you can’t complete the challenges, you’ll have to pay to the bridesmaids — they can ask for money, but more often, chocolates are enough. Flowers are also good.
Betrothal
It’s a must-do thing when it comes to marriage in this country. It’s the first part of a marriage, actually — this is a traditional part of the ceremony, where you’ll stand in the church and where you’ll be blessed by a Russian priest. Candles, prayers, betrothal rings (you’ll need to buy them too) — this is a very beautiful ceremony. If you are not a Christian, discuss it with your bride.
Party
This is probably one of the coolest things about weddings in Russia. Lots of food, alcohol, cool games, family traditions, sometimes even singing the songs — you’ll be tired after the party, but it’s surely worth it!
How to marry a Russian woman and make your marriage last?
“So how do I marry a Russian woman if you are American?” is a very popular question in the West, but first, you need to date your bride for a while. Russian women are obviously very attractive, so you want the dating experience to be perfect. Here are the three ways to not only charm a Russian lady, but also create a strong foundation for your marriage.
- Be assertive but not arrogant. Women in Russia love men who are confident and take the upper hand in a relationship, but don’t go overboard with it.
- Prove your utmost commitment. No amount of gifts or nice words will ever matter to a Russian girl as much as the man’s absolute commitment.
- Adjust your lifestyle if necessary. If you’re more of a homebody and your bride has a more active lifestyle, you will need to learn to keep up with her.