| Success rate | 92% |
| Average cost of a mail order bride | From $4,000 |
| Average age of Indian brides at first marriage | 21.4 y.o. |
| Best site to find an Indian mail order wife | SakuraDate |
| Average divorce rate | 8% |
Best Sites to Find Indian Brides
I asked Andrew Hough to share his top picks among Indian dating sites:
| Rank | Site | Free Trial Link |
|---|---|---|
| #1 | SakuraDate | |
| #2 | EasternHoneys | |
| #3 | OrchidRomance | |
| #4 | TheLuckyDate | |
| #5 | PhiliTalks |
As a visual person, I love how generous the beautiful ladies are on SakuraDate. They share lots of photos and detail their personalities and needs. And with a dozen search filters, it’s easy to hone in on the most compatible partners. Besides, new members get 30 free credits to start chatting at once.
How to Find Indian Bride: Best Way to Meet Indian Brides
India is the fifth fastest-growing online dating market in the world. Before the pandemic, only around 20 million Indians were using online dating sites and apps, but in 2023, the number quadrupled and exceeded 82 million users. The Indian online dating scene has a few peculiarities. For one, the gender ratio is extremely skewed, with only one woman for nine men using dating apps. For another, despite Indian society’s conservative norms, most men are merely looking for hookups rather than serious relationships or spouses.
All things considered, it’s no wonder Indian women are shifting away from mainstream dating sites and apps and towards platforms with balanced gender ratios and mature men seeking serious relationships. I asked Andrew to share more on popular niche apps for Indian brides to give you a better idea of what to expect.
Four out of five dating site members use them regularly to find dates, but the majority of them are disappointed and frustrated by the matches generated. They attribute the frustration to relationship expectation disparities. Whereas women are mostly interested in commitment, Indian men prefer to play the field. International dating sites unlock new opportunities for urban women to find compatible Western men. Here are a few popular platforms they frequent:
- SakuraDate offers some of the most detailed dating profiles and flexible search filters. This combination helps find compatible matches, and chat tools ensure you can build a strong connection.
- EasternHoneysis a perfect mix of social and dating features. Members can regularly update their feeds with photos, making it easy to identify the most active daters within a dynamic dating pool of thousands.
- TheLuckyDateis a great starting point for online dating rookies. Its streamlined design and navigation won’t give anyone trouble, and unique features like disappearing photos and video messages add intrigue to conversations.
All three dating sites offer free signup and a small welcome bonus to unlock premium functionality for new users unwilling to invest in credits.
Other Popular Ways to Find an Indian Bride
If you’re uncomfortable looking for Indian mail order brides on niche platforms, let me suggest a few alternative ways of finding compatible matches.
Global dating powerhouses like Bumble, Chamet, and Tinder are extremely popular in India and can produce successful matches. But there are as many downsides to using them as there are benefits.
Pros:
- Basic membership is usually free for men and women
- There are thousands of gorgeous women to choose from
- Most apps are available on the web, Android, and iOS
Cons:
- International dating features often require a subscription
- Most users are interested in short-term affairs and hookups
- Indian women are usually looking for local men, not Westerners
Apps like HiHi or Aisle are geared towards arranged marriage for Indian girls (and their families) desperate to find good matches, and you can try to make the most of them, as long as you remember potential pitfalls.
Pros:
- Arranged marriages are still thriving in India
- There are thousands of single girls looking for husbands
- Most Indian brides on these apps are serious about getting married
Cons:
- Girls looking for local matches don’t speak English well
- Their financial expectations of Western men are often unrealistic
- Conservative parents rarely approve of American men, causing tension
Many Indians still prefer traditional dating by meeting new people at social events, cafes, or bars. Spending a few weeks in India to find a girlfriend is feasible but not for everyone.
Pros:
- You won’t be fooled by photo filters and effects
- Staying in India is relatively affordable outside the high season
- Any town presents thousands of eligible Indian women for dating
Cons:
- Relocation is more likely to produce a bride than a short vacation
- Full immersion into an Indian culture tends to be overwhelming
- Indian girls may prefer short-term flings with tourists but not marriage
None of these and other approaches to dating Indian women are perfect, but you can make either of them work if you carefully consider the pros and cons. You can test and combine several strategies to boost your chances of finding an Indian bride.
How to Get an Indian Bride
Much like traditional dating, online relationships evolve through several stages. And the basic journey from making up your mind to find an Indian wife to getting married goes like this:
- Research top dating platforms for Indian singles.
“There are dozens of options among mainstream and niche dating sites, but I suggest you focus on the latter, as they are typically designed for single women and men seeking serious relationships and marriage. Check out the platform’s online reputation, skim user reviews, and assess the dating pool and pricing. Trustworthy platforms, like SakuraDate, will offer free signup and a welcome bonus for you to test the dating functionality without risking your wallet.”—Andrew Hough.
- Set up a free dating profile on a reliable niche dating site.
“Like most people, Indian singles focus on the profile photo first. So, I suggest you pick your best shot for the main photo and add at least four extra photos that represent who you are. For example, if you spend long hours at work, take a selfie in your office, but if you like outdoors, make sure to add a candid picture of you enjoying your time hiking or lounging in the park. SakuraDate allows you to upload 10+ photos, so use this chance for all its worth.”—Andrew Hough.
- Search for compatible matches using filters or swiping.
“After you specify India as your primary dating destination, consider other search tools on offer. For instance, SakuraDate offers over a dozen filters that range from hair and eye color to drinking and smoking habits. I recommend you start with a couple of parameters to see how the search works before adding extra filters. The more search criteria you specify, the fewer dating options you’ll have.”—Andrew Hough.
- Experiment with different email and chat tools to find what suits your needs best.
“With a 10-hour time difference between the US and India, scheduling live chats can be a problem. Instead, you could use SakuraDate to exchange letters during the week and arrange for real-time chats over the weekend when you both have time to spare. I also recommend creating a flexible schedule for your chats to keep up the relationship momentum if you have serious intentions.”—Andrew Hough.
- Establish a long-distance dating routine until you’re ready to meet in person.
“Video and audio messages, video calls, and gift delivery are necessary elements of a long-distance relationship. Even if you don’t have a budget for gold jewelry, virtual dates will help develop intimacy, and small tokens of affection will make your relationship feel more real for both of you.”—Andrew Hough.
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Best For Newcomers | Try For Free |
SakuraDate |
Indian Bride Price
! You cannot buy an Indian woman online and have her delivered to your doorstep like a new coffeemaker from Amazon. Instead, you can use online dating sites to start a serious relationship. The cost of long-distance dating is what I mean when I’m talking about the cost of Indian ladies.
The minimum price of an Indian mail order bride is around $4,000. Let’s unpack this number to help you budget potential expenses.
💻 Online Dating Fees — From $100 per Month
Once again, I’ll let our resident online dating expert weigh in on dating site fees.
It can be challenging to compare online dating charges when you use credits instead of monthly subscriptions. So, let me share my approach to assessing the costs across three popular platforms:
- SakuraDate – rates range from $12.99 for 35 to $200 for 1,000 credits, and a 10-minute live chat is worth 20 credits or $4. New members get those same ten minutes for free, thanks to a welcome bonus.
- EasternHoneys – credit packages cost from $9.99 for 20 to $149.99 for 750 credits, and 10 minutes of live chat are worth 20 credits or around $4, though new members get 10 minutes for free with 20 bonus credits.
- TheLuckyDate – credits come in packages from $2.99 for 2,000 to $179 for 80,000 credits, and 10 minutes of live chat are worth 2,000 credits or around $4.5. You can get those 10 minutes for free with 2,000 bonus credits.
These sites are mid-range platforms. Sakura date is even cheaper than most mail order bride sites, while EasternHoneys and OrchidRomance are not too expensive Asian dating sites where you’ll be notified about the exact cost of using every special feature.
✈️ International Travel — From $1,100 per Week
If you decide to visit your bride in India, a roundtrip airfare will cost around $800. You’ll need about $300 per week for accommodations, food, transportation, and entertainment. But the travel bottom line will depend on your destination and time of the year. High season in tourist destinations can double your expenses if you’re not careful.
📋 Immigration Paperwork Charges — From $2,300
To be fair, the filing charges of the K-1 visa application (Form DS-160) rarely exceed $500, but you’ll also need to cover the cost of the petition for an alien fiance (Form I-129F), medical exam fees, and other charges. Once you get married, your bride will also need to go through the adjustment of status, which will cost an additional $1,200+, biometrics included. You may also need to budget for immigration attorney’s services.
I did not include the wedding spending in this calculation because it can be as low as $100 if you settle for getting married in a city hall or as high as $45,000 if you go all out on a luxurious ceremony and reception.
Some Indian couples spend up to a fifth of their lifetime earnings on a lavish wedding ceremony. The trend intensified after the pandemic, and some couples have turned wedding spending into a competition to flaunt their status and impress family members and friends. If you cannot afford to spend $150,000 or more on a wedding, you should discuss your Indian bride’s expectations and the potential for a private ceremony with a pared-down guest list.
How to Save Money
If you’re worried finding the right Indian girl will ruin your credit history, consider these ways to cut down expenses:
- Choose dating sites with the best value for money. Account for free bonus credits at registration, the cost of viewing private photos, and chatting before making the final decision.
- Plan your international flight well ahead. Account for seasonal demand and book your flights outside the high season, if possible.
- Host a wedding reception in India. A simple setup in Goa will cost you under $4,000, whereas a similar event in the US is at least $15,000.
As you can see, dating Indian mail order brides isn’t as expensive, and there are ways to keep expenses in check, even when you account for international travel and wedding plans.
Success Stories
I love yoga and Indian food, but I never connected my fascination with the culture with dating until a friend suggested to me. I found Rani within a month, and we hit it off right away. It took us a while to get to the point of meeting in person, and we had a pretty lengthy engagement while waiting for her visa to come through. By now, we’ve been together for nearly five years, and she is the most caring and gentle woman I’ve ever met, even if she can be stubborn at times. Even my friends, who were a bit weirded out by my choice at first, are now secretly jealous of my Indian wife. She’s an amazing cook, an attentive partner, and a doting mother. And our baby girl is just as beautiful as her mom.
After getting to know Anju through and having met her in person, I realized she was nothing like what I expected and very different from other Indian girls. For one, she contacted me first and was very direct and open about her expectations. Besides, her English was good enough to get most of my jokes.
Thanks to her software engineering degree and solid career, I knew for sure she wasn’t after money or a better life, which was one of my biggest fears. Our relationship is a partnership, and I like it that way. Anju had no trouble adjusting to the US, and she’s already landed a great job. We’ve only been married for six months, so we’re not thinking of babies yet, but I know she wants a big family, just like I do.
Cons of Finding a Bride from India
- Like many Asians, Indian women can sometimes be very loud
- Even a small wedding ceremony can involve over 100 guests
- Your Indian wife’s relatives can be pretty nosy and overbearing
Although no two Indian families are alike, most Indian parents will be extremely involved in their daughters’ lives, even halfway across the world. And that’s a good reason to get to know them while you visit your bride in India. It will also be a perfect time to get used to crowds and noise that will likely be present in your relationship in one form or another. If you discover you don’t feel comfortable with that, consider searching for your perfect bride in another Asian country, like Japan or South Korea.
Indian Bride Interview
During my research, I came across dozens of Indian mail order bride profiles on dating sites and reached out for an interview. Aigerim (36) from New Delhi was kind enough to shed light on her experience with TheLuckyDate and dating Americans online.
Hi, Aigerim! Thanks again for answering a few of my questions. Let’s start at the beginning. What prompted you to sign up for TheLuckyDate?
I’m a bit of a rebel, and I hate going with the flow. Most Indian men prefer their women to be silent and obedient, without any interests outside of taking care of the household and raising kids. But for me, that’s not enough, and I haven’t met a local man who would be supportive of my dreams. So when I ran across TheLuckyDate online, it seemed like a great way to meet foreign men and see if they were any different. Turns out they are, and I love it!
How do you feel about being a mail order bride?
I don’t think about myself in those terms. It’s more like using online dating to find a long-term partner or husband, even if he’s not Indian. I didn’t expect to get married in a few months when I signed up for a dating profile, and I’m certainly not a commodity to be bought.
Do men really expect to buy Indian mail order brides online? Have you had any unpleasant experiences with that?
Sure. Most Americans I chat with are nice and polite, but I got a couple of messages from guys who clearly expected me to do anything they wanted for money. Of course, I blocked them immediately, but the whole experience made me more careful of who I talk to and what I share on dating sites.
I’m sorry to hear that, but I hope you’ve had good chats, too. Do any of them stand out?
Of course! If I only came across creeps, I’d have given up a long time ago. Usually, I get about a dozen messages per week from different men, but there is only a handful I chat with regularly. I’m especially fond of Stanley. He’s very sweet and caring, and we have a lot in common, so our chats are always a treat.
Any plans to meet him or other guys in person?
We’ve only been chatting for a couple of months, so I’m not sure either of us is ready for the next step. I’d really like to meet him in person, but I realize a trip half across the world is pretty pricey, and it would eat up his days off. If he offers to visit me, I’ll have to make sure the trip is worth his while, and I already have a couple of ideas.
I wonder what your parents think about your international dating experiences. Are they supportive?
Not really. It’s a sore point with us. They prefer to think of it as a “phase”, and they hope I’ll give up and settle down with one of the guys they choose for me. It’s not like I’m an only child, and they already have grandkids, but my being single is a hit to their reputation. Our family friends are always on them about what they did wrong when raising me that I wouldn’t agree to an arranged marriage. I’m honestly not sure what they’ll think or do if I bring an American boyfriend or fiance home. There’ll be fireworks and not the good kind.
I hope they’ll change their mind when they see how happy you are, though I’m sure they’ll miss you if you decide to relocate to America. Is that your plan? If so, how do you see your future in the US?
Yes, I’d love to move to the US with my husband and start a family. I would also prefer to get a job, even if it’s part-time or freelance. I’m a beautician, so hopefully, I could find a job after I get a permit and probably a license. Of course, kids would be my priority, but I don’t want to be a burden, nor do I expect my husband to support me full-time.
Sounds like you have it all figured out. Thanks again for taking the time to answer my questions, and best of luck on your online dating journey!
Why Do Indian Women Look For Foreign Husbands?
Most Indian girls I met on dating sites are highly educated urban ladies who resist arranged marriages and the secondary roles they are expected to play in marriage and society. Indian mail order brides aren’t only looking for a man with a wallet; they want reliable partners who can be their equals. The most ambitious ones are looking for better education and employment options in the US. Of course, individual motivations vary, so I encourage you to pay attention to profile details and discuss relationship goals and expectations to avoid misunderstandings.
Indian Mail Order Bride Statistics
For a more objective perspective on Indian brides and their plight, let’s go over a few eye-opening statistics:
- Over 685 million women live in India, and there are 1,020 women for every 1,000 males for the first time in over a decade.
- Until recently, over 90% of all marriages in India were arranged, though recent surveys show a shift towards love matches.
- Indian women tend to get married as early as 21.4 years old, with an above-average age gap. Their husbands are typically 4.6 years older.
- Following global trends, fertility rates have been decreasing in India. As of 2021, Indian ladies usually have 2 children.
- In 2022, 414 Indian women received K-1 fiance visas and brought 24 children with K-2 visas to the US.
Coupled with our interview, these numbers should give you a better understanding of Indian mail order brides’ motivations.
Indian Mail Order Bride Scam
In 2022, over 70,000 Americans became victims of online romance scams, losing $1.3 billion. Unfortunately, no dating site can guarantee foolproof security, so it’s up to you to recognize and avoid red flags, such as:
- An Indian woman you barely know asks for your financial help. That’s the biggest and most obvious of red flags. Even if the story about an ailing mother sounds very sad and realistic, never send money to anyone you meet online unless you’re 100% sure they are a real person in trouble.
- Your perfect match wants to know everything about you, especially your credit card number. Even something as innocuous as your address and phone number can be used against you, let alone your credit card details or SSN. Avoid sharing sensitive details like that, especially if an Indian lady asks for your financial information and your help receiving a payment. That’s a sure sign of a scam.
- Her photos are across multiple dating sites under different names. Use image search to find the real owner of the pictures, which are most likely stolen from an unsuspecting victim’s social media account. You can confront the suspicious woman or block and report her to the dating site administration.
- She’s very into you and wants to swap intimate photos or videos. Sharing compromising materials online is the fastest way to become a blackmail victim. Avoid sending nude pictures and videos that hold identifying details, especially if you’ve never met a potential Indian bride IRL.
- She’s always online, and her English is too good for a non-native speaker. Although Indian brides typically have high English proficiency, the time difference is likely to affect your relationship. If something feels wrong, there might be a chatbot, chat operator, or translator behind the profile, but you can only be sure if you carefully monitor your interactions and pay attention to details.
I also encourage you to keep an eye out for the latest online scams, like cryptocurrency investment schemes and money app cons, which will likely pop up on dating sites as well.
How to Take an Indian Bride to the US
Considering the latest immigration tensions, bringing a foreign bride to the US may seem an impossible hurdle, but if you break it up into manageable chunks and take one step at a time, you’ll see it’s doable:
- Before your bride comes to the US. You will need to file a petition for an alien fiance (Form I-129F), and she’ll need to file a nonimmigrant visa application (Form DS-160). Additionally, you may need to provide evidence of financial support, and your fiance will undergo a medical examination and collect extra paperwork for her interview at the consulate or embassy.
- As she comes to the US. Together, you’ll need to organize your bride’s move to the US, which will include extra expenses for her flight and the shipping of her belongings. But you’ll finally reunite on US soil once she passes border control.
- After your bride comes to the US. Under the terms of the K-1 visa, you’ll need to get married within 90 days of your Indian bride’s arrival in the US. After that, she can apply for an adjustment of status (Form I-485) and an employment permit (Form I-765).
I highly recommend you consult the websites of US Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Bureau of Consular Affairs to learn more about the process to avoid any speedbumps.
Final Thoughts
All things considered, dating an Indian woman isn’t that different from going out with an American girl. First, you’ll need to get to know each other better, then build a relationship, and if things go well, you can propose and start a family. Of course, international long-distance romance requires more effort and dedication. Still, thanks to online dating apps, messengers, and occasional trips, hundreds of American men happily settle down with Indian brides. With our tips and insights, you can find your perfect Indian wife, too.
Sources of Information:
- skyscanner.com
- budgetyourtrip.com
- travel.state.gov
- businessinsider.com
- holidu.co.uk
- data.worldbank.org
- statista.com (Gender Ration in India)
- statista.com (Fertility Rate in India)
- bbc.com
- outlookindia.com
- genderdata.worldbank.org
- ftc.gov
