If you want to find real Thai brides who are dreaming of meeting a foreigner, we can help you. The best mail order bride sites are already here, so just scroll down a bit and join the whole new world of Thai dating.
Or, read the guide first. We’ll explain how much it costs, why it’s a good idea to get a Thai bride, and why it’s a bad idea to do it. We’ll talk about the most important concepts in their culture, and we’ll cover the most common stereotypes about them here.
Things you have to know before dating Thai women
A lot of men say Thai women are perfect: obedient, traditional, fun, and cute. Some men, in turn, say that these ladies are not that great: jealous, gossipy, and always smiling (which can be annoying for some, especially when they discuss serious topics).
The truth is that they are not perfect or bad, they are unique—just like women from any other country. Here are the top five things you have to know about them.
- Thailand is the Land of Smiles, as a lot of people say, and it’s not that far from reality. They’re friendly, open-minded, and very hospitable—and yes, they smile a lot, which might be considered inappropriate for some people because they often smile even when discussing important and serious things.
- Local women are very talkative, so it’s impossible to get bored here.
- But it’s not only about being talkative. Thus, some might say Thai women are quite gossipy when talking to their friends. So don’t expect your bride to respect your privacy.
- They are loyal. Thai men are not loyal at all, and they often have a “mia noi” or a “second wife,” but Thai women are surprisingly faithful to their husbands.
- But their loyalty comes with a price. Thai women are often too jealous and even possessive—well, that’s expected in a society where it’s considered ok for Thai men to have a “mistress.”
These women are truly unique, as you see, and there are both good and not so good character and personality traits. So please, weigh all the pros and cons carefully before you even start talking to them.
Impressing women from this country: 3 tips
Be yourself, be confident, and be a gentleman: These are the universal dating rules that work in any country, and Thailand is no exception. However, if you want something more specific, here’s a list.
- Do not make her jealous. Thai women are not the right people to play this game with—due to social and cultural factors, they are extremely sensitive when it comes to the topic of loyalty and jealousy. You’ll need to show that you’re faithful and that you’re not going to cheat on her. That might take a lot of time and effort, but it’s very important for building a successful relationship with women from this country.
- Learn Thai language. You’ll impress her and, more importantly, you’ll impress her parents and show them you’re serious about their daughter. The Thai language is difficult. It’s tonal, and it has difficult grammar, so you’d better start learning it in advance. You’ll love the result.
- Discuss everything. Even when you’re dating an American girl, it’s all about communication, and with a foreign woman from a country with a different culture, it’s even more important. There are too many differences regarding courting and dating: they have “khon kui,” which is something like a “semi-relationship.” They might have different views and expectations, they wait for men to make the first move, etc. Discuss your plans, relationship goals, and everything else—that’s how you’ll understand each other better.
Can you buy Thai brides?
No. You can’t buy a bride, Thailand is not the country where human trafficking is legal (nor is the United States). Buying a bride is impossible, it’s just what they call the process of dating a foreign woman with the goal of marrying her (we don’t know why).
It’s possible to date a Thai girl, though. It’s 100% legal, and there are dozens of good dating sites with lots of real women from this country who want to build a relationship with a foreigner.
Where to meet Thai brides
You can go online, or you can go offline—these are the most popular options. Which one should you choose? Read this to find out.
Online
We’re talking about mail-order bride sites like SakuraDate here. Here’s how this industry works:
- There are mail brides (foreign women) who dream of meeting a man from the West
- Mail brides sign up on these sites and create detailed profiles
- These sites are usually free for brides and paid for male users
- These sites are usually focused on a whole region, not on a certain country, so you can meet not only Southeast Asian women but also Japanese, Chinese, and Korean ladies there.
- Mail bride platforms are easy to use and very similar to American dating apps, with just a few differences
| Pros | Cons |
| Thousands of real Thailand ladies for marriage | You’ll only meet thousands of real ladies if you choose a decent, legit dating platform. If you choose a bad site, you’ll probably lose money there |
| Very detailed profiles and a very high response rate—the best websites, like SakuraDate, have a response rate as high as 80%, which is unthinkable for “traditional” dating websites where it’s usually around 20% | These sites are not free to use and might cost up to $200 per month |
| Lots of features—video chat, voice chat, gifts, etc |
Offline
This might look like the best way to meet a Thailand mail-order wife. Like, you don’t need to google her photos to make sure she’s real because she’s definitely real if you meet her offline. It’s also difficult to meet a romance scammer on the streets of Bangkok—most of them do their dirty work online because it’s easier and safer for them.
But is it really that great?
| Pros | Cons |
| Real women, no fake accounts | Well, actually, not all of them are real women, so you need to be careful in Thailand, especially if you approach good-looking girls in nightclubs. If that’s not the experience you’re looking for, avoid places like Khaosan Road |
| Visiting Thailand is always a good idea, the country is perfect for tourists | There’s no “Thai brides catalog,” only single girls who are ready for a short-term/casual relationship. Finding a woman for a serious relationship in Thai bars, clubs, or lounges is almost impossible |
| It’s expensive—you’ll pay at least $2,000 for a one-week vacation |
So, the verdict is clear: offline dating is cool and fun, but not if you’re serious about it. If you’re looking for a one-night stand, using a mail bride website makes no sense—but if you want something more serious, that’s the only way you should go.
How much does it cost?
There’s no such thing as buying a bride, as you already know. But you’ll need to pay anyway—dating sites are not free, a trip to Thailand is not free, as well as the visa and the wedding.
As for online dating, you’ll probably need to pay around $200-$250 a month. Today’s bride sites have a credit system, so the amount of money you’ll need depends on the amount of time you spend chatting and sending emails. In most cases, men spend around 15-20 minutes per day chatting and send up to 10 emails per month—those who chat more, send fewer emails, and vice versa. So most often, it’s either 600 minutes of live chat per month or 450 minutes of live chat and 10 emails per month. Here’s how much it costs on SakuraDate (1 credit costs $0.2).
| How you use the site | Cost (credits) | Cost (USD) |
| 600 minutes of chat, 0 emails | 1,200 credits | $240 |
| 450 minutes of chat, 10 emails | 1,300 credits | $260 |
A one-week trip to Thailand costs around $2,500, but if you book tickets in advance and go there during the low season, you can save up to $500.
As for the wedding, it usually costs from $5,000 to $30,000 in the US or $3,000-$14,000 in Thailand provided there’s no bride dowry (which is still pretty common in Thailand). The K-1 visa costs $2,500 (the visa and the green card). The total price may vary from $7,000 (if there’s a very modest wedding) to $50,000 or higher.
But it’s not like there’s a fixed mail-order bride price. You can always spend more than that or save money if you want to. For example, not everyone wants to spend $30,000 on a wedding—and you can save a lot of money if you plan a small, modest wedding party with 20-50 guests instead of 100-200. In this case, it would cost around $8,000 (if we’re talking about the US) or around $2,000 (Thailand).
What’s more, if you don’t feel any pressure and if you’re ok with the idea of not having a party, you can just do ROM without any ceremonies—this would cost you $100 or $200.
3 main concepts: must-read before marrying a Thai bride
Analyzing the cultural concepts is the best way to understand foreign women from a certain country better. Here are the three main concepts you have to know before you start meeting Thailand brides.
- The “mai pen rai” concept (something like “let the problems go”) influences their lives heavily, helps them stay positive, and makes them calm even when things are not going well. This also applies to arguments with a husband—they prefer to agree and avoid conflicts in most cases.
- Sanuk and sabai. These are quite similar concepts that are related to being spontaneous, happy, and friendly. Thai girls smile a lot, they are very optimistic, and you’ll never feel bored with them.
- The family ties are extremely strong here, and it’s not just about parents and siblings, it’s about the whole extended family. Family is the basis of society and the top priority in their lives. Loyalty to the family is above everything else, even if it comes into conflict with social norms and rules. Like, you know that Thai women are very calm and always “save face,” right? Well, not if their family is in danger.
Why do Thai girls look for foreign husbands?
What makes a beautiful and successful Thai bride join mail bride websites? There are four main reasons.
- They love American culture. Thai women (those in their 20s/30s in particular) are very Westernized. They love the US, they know everything about it, and a lot of them dream of moving to this country.
- Some of them want to move to a better country. More opportunities, better education, and higher quality of healthcare—a lot of Thai women want to live in a better place, and Western countries look perfect in this regard.
- They believe that foreign men treat their wives with respect. In Thailand, they still have a patriarchal society with its old-fashioned values and views on gender roles—obviously, men from the West are more respectful towards their women.
- They think Westerners are more loyal than Thai men. This is pretty close to reality—we simply remind you that in Thailand, they have the concept of “mia noi” (second wife), and having a mistress is considered a sign of high social status!
Stereotypes about Thai brides
Thailand is one of the most popular mail bride countries, so it’s obvious that Thai women are surrounded by stereotypes and myths. Let’s talk about these myths.
“There are no real brides on the Internet”
Yes, some dating sites are so full of bots that they could be great proof of the Dead Internet Theory. But not all of them. There are at least three great dating platforms (we mentioned them before), and there are probably even more good ones, we just haven’t gotten to them yet. On SakuraDate, for example, you’ll meet thousands of real women with detailed profiles, and it’s not an exaggeration!
“Their families take advantage of Westerners after the marriage”
Family is always first for Thai people, and local women will always prioritize the needs of the family above anything else. The good news: you’re the family, too. The not so good news: it’s not only about the closest family.
All the aunts, uncles, and cousins are important, too, so eventually, you might find yourself flying to Manila because someone from her family needs help. On the other hand, the same rules are applied to you, so they’ll do their best to help you, too. Yes, some of them might try to ask you for money because they often think that all Americans are very rich, but you’ll deal with it.
“They are gold-diggers and scammers”
The problem with this myth is that it’s impossible to debunk it. Yes, Southeast Asia is one of the primary online scam hubs (Myanmar, Laos, and Cambodia), but it’s about all scams, not only romance scams, and it also doesn’t mean they pretend to be Southeast Asian mail-order brides to steal money.
China and some Eastern European countries are big scam hubs, too, but again, this doesn’t mean that a scammer from China pretends to be a Chinese bride. And as for gold-diggers, obviously, there are no such statistics.
All we can say here is that from our experience and from the experience of our clients, the chances of getting scammed/meeting a gold-digger are not higher in the Philippines than in any other country.
“They are too shy”
Just like most Asian cultures, Thai culture has the concept of saving face or kreng jai. They don’t want to be rude, and they don’t want to critique or hurt the person they’re talking to. And if that person is their soulmate, that feeling becomes even stronger. As a result, their non-confrontational behavior may be confused with them being passive or shy.
Yes, if you compare Thai women for marriage with, say, Chinese women, you’ll see that the average mail-order bride (Thailand) is much more quiet and much less direct and outspoken. But there’s a fine line between being modest and being too shy or obedient, and we can say with confidence that Thai women do not cross it.
Please, remember that stereotypes are never a good thing. Even if they’re based on real facts, they can affect your perception of foreign women and lead to unrealistic expectations—and that’s not the best beginning of your international dating journey.
Still have questions?
Thai women are so popular for a good reason. Traditional, caring, feminine, calm, polite—they make great wives, and they will not disappoint you.
Want to learn more about Thai girls or about Asian ladies in general? Read our FAQ section then—we have some interesting questions and answers there.
FAQ
Yes. Every year, hundreds of Thai wives enter the US legally on a K-1 and a CR-1 visa. If your relationship is real and your documents are ok, you don’t need to worry about it.
Yes. There are literally thousands of Thai mail-order brides available right now. The only thing you have to do to meet them is join a legit dating app. We know that at least three real couples met on SakuraDate in 2023, for example—that’s how you understand that a website is legit.
No, Thailand mail-order brides are not motivated by financial reasons…Solely. But it’s not like they don’t care about it at all. You don’t need to be a millionaire to succeed, of course, but they expect foreign husbands to be financially stable.
Yes, they do. Thai society is very patriarchal, and their views are pretty old-fashioned, which is not a bad thing in this case. They believe that a woman’s role is to make her husband happy, and they think that building a career is not as important as supporting a family.