| Success rate: | ~93 |
| Average cost of mail order bride: | $4,400 |
| Average age of foreign brides for marriage: | 23 |
| Best site to find a Ukrainian mail order wife: | SofiaDate |
| Average divorce rate: | ~7 |
Best Sites to Find Ukrainian Brides
Here are the best sites to find Ukrainian mail order brides, according to Andrew Hough:
| Rank | Site | Free Trial Link |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | SofiaDate | |
| #2 | BravoDate | |
| #3 | TheLuckyDate | |
| #4 | UkraineBrides4you | |
| #5 | AmourFactory |
SofiaDate hosts thousands of dating profiles of single Slavic women looking for serious relationships with Americans. Their profiles will tell you everything you need to know, and search filters will find the one who fits your type to a T. Free registration and welcome bonuses will let you start chatting immediately.
How to Find a Ukrainian Bride: Best Way to Meet Ukrainian Brides
There are many ways to meet Ukrainian women, but if you don’t want to rely on luck or wait for a happy coincidence, online dating will be the best of all possible options.
First of all, it’s about how Ukrainian women are looking for new romantic partners. According to statistics, the number of people using online dating sites and apps in Ukraine is expected to amount to 6.5 million by 2027. That, in turn, shows that the vast majority of single Ukrainians prefer online dating, and considering the high marriage immigration rates (around 800 Ukrainian ladies immigrate to the US to get married yearly), not all of them are looking for local husbands.
When it comes to international online dating, niche websites turn out to be the most effective for men who are serious about finding a Ukraine mail order bride. These might be dating sites with Ukrainian mail order brides and no one but them or websites for cross-cultural dating designed especially for foreigners and Slavic singles. Such platforms have multiple advantages, from detailed profiles to advanced communication features. Still, the main reason why they work that well is that they give you direct access to the pool of Ukrainian women who want to get married and are ready to immigrate.
So, if you choose niche sites to find a Ukraine bride, you need to remember that the decision you’re going to make pretty much determines your future success.
The Slavic segment of the international dating market is very diverse. The number of dating sites seems endless, and each claims to connect you with real Ukrainian mail order brides. However, a man should be twice as careful—finding a good site takes time and requires some effort. If you want to have options already, take a look at a few promising platforms I’ve chosen for you:
- UkraineBrides4You— one of the niche mail order bride sites with many advanced features, including video chat and call service.
- SofiaDate— a site with thousands of Ukrainian mail order brides and special features like audio and video messaging.
- BravoDate—a dating site where you can meet single Slavic women that also works like a social networking platform.
Learn more about each site to find out which works best for you, and you’ll make the right choice.
Other Popular Ways to Find a Ukrainian Bride
There’s no way to literally mail order bride in Ukraine—you can either meet a Ukrainian woman on a niche dating website or choose one of the alternative ways to meet Ukrainian girls. What are the alternatives, and what are their main benefits and drawbacks? I will explain the best of the options below.
1. Mainstream dating apps
A lot of Ukrainian women use apps like Tinder, and though not all hot Ukrainian brides you can meet there are looking for a foreign partner, there’s still a chance to meet someone.
Pros & cons of mainstream dating apps:
- Messaging is usually free
- Huge user bases
- Some special features are available
- No advanced communication filters
- A much lower chance of finding a Ukrainian woman looking for a foreign husband
2. Social media sites
Social media and networking sites are another alternative to niche and mainstream dating platforms, and of course, using them has both benefits and drawbacks.
Pros & cons of social media sites:
- Completely free
- You can learn a lot about a person
- Low response rate
- Success depends on luck
3. Finding a Ukrainian bride in your home country
If you live in a city with a large number of Ukrainian immigrants, you can consider searching for a Ukrainian bride without leaving the country.
Pros & cons of searching for a bride in a home country:
- Direct communication with Ukrainian women
- No visa problems
- No assimilation problems
- Small dating pool
- A lot depends on luck
Usually, I also consider going to the destination country or immigrating to a country where you can meet a bride, but unfortunately, it’s not safe in the case of Ukraine. So, take a look at the benefits and drawbacks once again, analyze each option more carefully, and you’ll understand what’s right for you.
How to Get a Ukrainian Bride
Regardless of the Ukrainian dating sites you choose to explore, the mechanics of building relationships with beautiful Ukrainian women remain the same and involve the following steps:
- Make your dating profile stand out and draw maximum attention.
Most men don’t care much about their dating profiles, so it’s your chance to stand out. Start with a high-resolution profile photo that highlights your best traits. Then, add a few more shots in different environments to showcase your interests. Finally, be generous with your self-description and your preferences if the dating site allows for it as SofiaDate does.
- Search for hot Ukrainian brides without limiting your options.
Search filters are a double-edged sword. They can make your search easier, but they can also reduce your option to zero. To avoid extremes, start slow with two or three parameters that really matter, like age or marital status. If you still get too many results, add a few more parameters until the number of search results becomes manageable.
- Try all available communication tools to pick your favorites.
I prefer emails to live chat and video messages to photos, but you won’t know what works for you until you experience all options. I suggest making specific requests if you want to splurge on video messages. For example, ask mail order Ukrainian brides to take you on a short video tour of their kitchen or bedroom.
- Keep track of important chats and message chains.
Most dating sites, including Sofia Date, don’t have easy navigation tools for dozens of messages you’ll likely receive within the first days. If you’re sure you’re not interested in some of the ladies, delete the chats and use stars to highlight important conversations. This will help you navigate your inbox until you choose one or two girls to chat with.
- Support a lasting online relationship until you’re ready for IRL dates.
Set up a schedule but make it flexible enough to work in the long-term, as your relationship will likely remain long-distance for at least a few months. If you can make it work with all the limitations of a Ukrainian marriage agency or dating site, your IRL relationship should go swimmingly.
Ukrainian Bride Price
! Important note: Online dating sites do not sell Ukrainian women. The estimates I share are dating expenses you may incur while pursuing a long-term relationship with one of them.
Based only on the four major spending categories, I estimate the cost of dating a Ukrainian woman to be around $4,400. This number includes:
💻 Online dating site fees — from $100 per month. If you choose a credit-based dating site, your monthly spending will depend on the rates, the services you use, and how much time you spend chatting with Ukrainian brides online. The first months are usually more active and costly, but the average spending settles between $100 and $200 per month soon enough. If you spend a year looking for the right woman, your online dating budget should be between $1,200 and $2,400.
Here’s a quick glimpse of prices you can expect to find on a legitimate Ukrainian dating site:
- SofiaDate charges from $12.99 (35 credits) to $200 (1,000 credits), and you’ll spend 20 credits for every 10 minutes of live chat.
- BravoDate credit package rates range from $9.99 (20 credits) to $149.99 (750) credits, and live chat is worth 2 credits per minute.
- TheLuckyDate pricing ranges from $19 (4,500 credits) to $179 (80,000 credits), with live chat rates at 200 credits per minute.
If you’re unsure which dating site to try, free registration and signup bonuses allow you to experiment with all of them without risking a penny.“
✈️ International visits to Ukraine — from $800 per week. As there are no direct flights to Ukraine during the Russian invasion, you’ll have to travel to Poland (around $450) and catch a train to Ukraine (about $90), as well as cover accommodations ($200). Still, I advise against visiting the country in the middle of a full-scale war. If possible, organize a meeting in Poland, which should be much safer for both of you.
📋 K-1 visa and related paperwork fees — around $2,300. The total sum includes the filing fees for Form I-129F and DS-160, as well as a medical exam and adjustment of status. You may incur additional costs if you need to hire an immigration attorney.
💒 Wedding spending — about $100 for a marriage license. Getting married in a courthouse or city hall is the most affordable option. If you go with an elaborate ceremony and reception, budget for $15,000 to $45,000.
As you can see, the cost of dating a beautiful Ukrainian woman isn’t as outrageously high as many believe, and there are ways to reduce it further.
How To Save Money
To keep your spending within budget, consider these tips:
Choose communication means with the best value for money. One video message can be worth a dozen letters, but you won’t know until you try. So experiment and choose the tools that make the most sense to you.
Let your girlfriend suggest where to stay and go out. Although Ukraine is pretty affordable, tourist traps can charge extra, and having a local on your arm will significantly lower your expenses.
Put off a wedding reception to reduce urgency charges. Most vendors will make you pay through the nose if you give them less than three months’ notice, so get a marriage license but plan a reception for a later date.
Remember to negotiate your expectations with your future Ukrainian wife to avoid disappointment and misunderstandings.
Success Stories
I didn’t expect anything to come out of it when I set up a account. I was window-shopping, unwilling to spend money on chatting with girls with so many free apps out there. So when Iryna contacted me, I had fun scrolling through her photos, but I had no intention of responding until I looked closer at her profile and her message. Somehow, she hit a nerve, and I had to learn more about her. Before I knew it, I was spending every other night chatting with this woman I’d never met, and I had to meet her in person to see if she was real or fake. Turned out, she was even more mesmerizing in person. Three years after getting married, I still can’t believe I’d almost lost my chance to know her.
I’d been a for a year before the war began, but I had never sought out Ukrainian girls before then. And I didn’t expect to find someone as charming and funny as Darya when I decided to reach out. At first, I just wanted to offer support, but we slipped into flirting almost immediately. You cannot imagine how nerve-wracking it’s been waiting to hear from her after reading the news of the shelling. I couldn’t even visit her in Kyiv because she was too afraid to let me come, so we had to meet in Poland. But the horror will soon be over for both of us. Once the embassy processes her visa application, she’ll join me, and I’ll be able to keep her safe. I know it won’t be easy for either of us, but I’m ready to work on our relationship, and she’s just as stubborn as I am.
Cons of Finding a Bride from Ukraine
- Ukrainian women fleeing from war may suffer significant psychological issues
- Many Ukrainian ladies are recent divorcees with children from prior marriages
- Language and cultural barriers can exacerbate common relationship troubles
Ukrainian women are especially sensitive right now, so you should be careful mentioning the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as well as anything Russia or Belarus-related, to avoid provoking strong negative reactions. You should also be prepared to face mood swings, depression, flashbacks, and other symptoms of post-traumatic stress from women coming from Ukrainian cities that suffered from constant bombings. If you notice severe signs of mental health issues, suggest seeking professional help, either in the form of therapy or medication. Left unaddressed, such problems can cause significant damage to your relationship.
Ukrainian Bride Interview
To get a better idea of what Ukrainian mail order brides are like and what they seek from relationships with foreign men, I contacted Anna (31) via SofiaDate. She was kind enough to answer my questions and share her first-hand experience with online dating.
Hi, Anna! I love your dating profile. Is it as effective as I think? Do you get a lot of messages?
Hi, Laurent. I have no idea if it’s really effective because I have nothing to compare my profile with, but I get a handful of messages every week. That’s more than enough for me.
I’m getting ahead of myself. Can you tell me a bit about your first steps in online dating? When did you join SofiaDate?
Sure. I remember it well because I signed up a few months after the war began, so I think it’s been around a year and a half.
What prompted you to sign up? Why did you choose international dating over local apps? What I’m trying to ask is how did you become a mail order bride.
I’m not a fan of the term, really. It makes me sound like something that could come in a box. I much prefer to think about it as long-distance relationships with guys from all over the world. It was an impulsive decision, a way to take my mind off the horrible things happening around me. And I didn’t want to go on Tinder or other apps because the choices have become pretty limited, and most guys there don’t want anything beyond a couple of nights of meaningless sex.
That seems to be the case in most countries. So, are men on SofiaDate really that different? Did they meet your expectations?
I didn’t know what to expect, but they are different. And it’s not just about speaking a different language. Most European and American guys I chat with are genuinely nice and interested in what I have to say. In my previous relationships, that wasn’t always the case. I may just be unlucky, but the few guys I dated were focused only on the food I could put on the table and other household chores I could complete. I don’t mind taking care of that, but I want a partner who can see me as more than a maid or a cook.
That’s an understandable desire, so I get your frustration. Did you meet someone like that online? Is there anyone special you can tell me about?
I don’t want to jinx it, so I won’t tell much. But there is a guy I really like. He’s a bit older than me, in his early forties, but I love how mature he is compared to most men my age. We have been chatting for a few months, nearly every day.
Are you going to meet him anytime soon?
I’d love that, but I’m not sure about the logistics. I really don’t want him to experience the bombings and drone attacks I’ve been living with for two years because I know he’ll be even more worried about me than he already is. I guess we’ll need to organize a meeting in Moldova or Romania since I can get over the border from Odesa pretty quickly. But we’ll need to make sure our days off align, and it will be pretty overwhelming to meet him abroad, so I’m a bit nervous.
Have you been abroad? Do you plan on leaving Ukraine if your relationship becomes more serious?
I love traveling, though I’ve mostly been to the beach resorts of Egypt and Turkey. But I’d love to see more of Europe and the US if I get the chance. Leaving Ukraine for good would be hard because my whole life is here, but I think I’m ready to embrace a new life somewhere I can finally feel safe.
Do your friends and family support your online dating?
My parents have been pestering me about moving to the EU since the beginning of the invasion, and many of my friends have already moved there. I don’t think they realize how serious I am about finding a husband abroad, but I’m sure they’ll support my decision when they see how happy I am.
Why Do Ukrainian Women Look For Foreign Husbands?
Financial security may have been the primary motivation among Ukrainian mail order brides before, but for the last two years, most of them have been seeking safe harbors away from the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Many sought divorce after leaving their husbands and embraced the chance to start their new lives in the EU and the US. Moreover, as the war drags on, the male population of Ukraine dwindles, leaving Ukrainian women with fewer potential partners. Many Ukrainian brides consider leaving the country and marrying foreigners their only chance to safely start families and raise children.
Ukrainian Mail Order Bride Statistics
To supplement Anna’s first-hard account, I collected hard facts that shed more light on Ukrainian women’s interest in international marriage:
- In 2022, the US issued 474 K-1 fiance visas to Ukrainian women and 128 K-2 visas to their children.
- Over 4.2 million Ukrainian refugees relocated to the EU during the two years of the Russian-Ukrainian war, most of them women and children.
- Ukrainian women get married young, at 23 on average, and they are typically 2.8 years younger than their husbands.
- The average fertility rate in Ukraine is only 1.16, which isn’t surprising, considering the difficulties the country is going through.
- In 2023, the number of divorces in Ukraine increased by a third, following a 17% drop in marriages.
It’s no surprise that the nationwide trauma of war has significantly affected Ukrainian marriage, fertility, and divorce statistics, and accounting for these changes should help you better understand Ukrainian women.
Ukrainian Mail Order Bride Scam
It doesn’t seem like a big problem when you hear that 70,000 Americans fell prey to online romance scams in 2022. But that amounts to one out of a thousand online daters, and their losses average at over $4,000, which is a significant sum in the current economy. While you should definitely report your losses if you fall for a scam, it’s much safer to learn about potential risks and avoid them. Here are the most common tricks scammers use:
These are the most common types of scams you can run into on dating sites, but if you notice any other suspicious behavior, be careful. Run an image search to see if the profile photos are real, pay attention to profile discrepancies, and block and report users making you uncomfortable.
How to Take a Ukrainian Bride to the US
Most Ukrainian mail order brides prefer to come to the US using K-1 fiance visas. The process involves several steps:
- Start by filing Form I-129F and providing the required paperwork, like proof of a relationship and financial support evidence.
- Ask your fiance to apply for a nonimmigrant visa by filing Form DS-160 at a local embassy.
- Have her collect the required paperwork and go through a medical examination before her interview.
- Formalize your relationship by getting married within 90 days of your bride’s arrival in the US and help her organize the shipping of her belongings.
- Help your Ukrainian wife file Form I-485 for an adjustment of status to become a US resident and Form I-765 to ensure she can find legal employment.
I highly recommend visiting the US Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Bureau of Consular Affairs websites for more details.
Final Thoughts
Ukrainian mail order brides have always been popular among American men, second only to Russian women. In two years, millions of them were displaced, widowed, or divorced, making them more vulnerable but also more open to relationships with foreigners. While European men can now meet single Ukrainian girls across the EU, Americans are less likely to run across them in the States, so it’s a good thing niche dating sites and apps help bridge the distance and build lasting relationships.
Sources of Information
- statista.com (Online Dating – Ukraine)
- statista.com (Number of users of online dating in the U.S.)
- travel.state.gov (FY 2019)
- travel.state.gov (Non-Immigrant Visa for a Fiance)
- skyscanner.com.ua
- budgetyourtrip.com
- holidu.co.uk
- consilium.europa.eu
- genderdata.worldbank.org
- data.worldbank.org
- hromadske.ua
- ftc.gov
