New member and I have no Idea as to what I am doing

[bjstorm69]

I have always been interested in a Russian bride because of my Russian heritage, but the cost is unknown to me and all of this is a bit intimidating.  Any estimates on an inexpensive way of marriage to a Russian women and bringing her to the United States?  I am retired and have limited income, so this may be an unrealistic venture for me.  Can anyone give me a general Low ball price and tell me what direction to go, this would be greatly appreciated!

[Turboguy]

There is the old adage that if you have to ask the price you can't afford it and many will tell you that you can't.  I am not quite that pessimistic but it isn't cheap.   Doing it right is not inexpensive.  You really need to spend enough time with a woman to know that you want to marry her and for her to know that she wants to marry you and that involves more than one trip at $ 4000 or more each.  Some have done it in one trip.  After you meet her you have her airfare here, lets say a grand and the K-1 visa costs, along with adjustment of status once you marry which is going to total close to 2 grand plus the costs of supporting her and she won't be able to work for a while. 
 
I spent far more than most and well into six figures but most do it for far less.   I would say $ 20,000 would be typical but again some have done it for far less.
 
There is a lot of information on this site.  Read all you can and you can learn a lot.  Pay particular attention to the 10 commandments, don't use any agency where you pay by the letter and don't use a K-1 to decide if you want to marry someone.  That is not what it is for.  Decide first.

[Muzh]

Doing it right is not inexpensive.  You really need to spend enough time with a woman to know that you want to marry her and for her to know that she wants to marry you and that involves more than one trip at $ 4000 or more each. 

4 Grand??? Are you kidding? A round trip ticket can go between $800 and $1600, depending on the season.

Now where and how are you planning on spending the $2400 remaining as a worse case scenario?

@ Bjstorm You'll be told you can't do it. They may be correct.

Have you ever traveled overseas? Have you ever been camping? If the answer is no, then forget it. Because then you'll need the minimum of $4000 TG allures to.

[GoodOlBoy]

Any estimates on an inexpensive way of marriage to a Russian women and bringing her to the United States?

Welcome to RWD Bjstorm69.
 
There is only one positive thing that I read from your post. Being retired, you would have plenty of time to spend with your prospective FSUW in her hometown.
 
That beings said, there is NO inexpensive way to do this.
 
The previous poster says $20,000.
GOB would say double or triple that and maybe a little more to boot.
Along with what was previously mentioned by TG, you will also need to provide health/dental care, a car, car insurance, drivers school/license, new clothing, trips back home to see her family (VERY important!), maybe University? and a whole slew of other necessities.
 
 

  I am retired and have limited income,

Do yourself a big favor...... Stay home and enjoy retirement!
 
GOB
 
FWIW..... The road to and from Moscow is littered with the empty wallets, shattered dreams and broken hearts of many AM who have tried this adventure.

[Misha]

The question also hinges on what you seek as well. Realistically, you should be seeking a woman at most 5 years younger than you if you want to have a real chance at a lasting relationship (some some may say otherwise). Given this, I expect that you would be much better seeking a woman closer to home. She will understand your language, will much more likely be in better health and will also be more likely to marry you because she likes and hopefully loves you. She will likely have her pension, you yours. You won't have to worry about health insurance as much. All told, in spite of the myth of the traditional woman, I wager that given the option of a woman in her 60s from your home country and a woman from the FSU, that you will be much happier over the long run with the woman from home.

[GQBlues]

....I spent far more than most and well into six figures but most do it for far less.   I would say $ 20,000 would be typical but again some have done it for far less....

...The previous poster says $20,000.
GOB would say double or triple that and maybe a little more to boot.
Along with what was previously mentioned by TG, you will also need to provide health/dental care, a car, car insurance, drivers school/license, new clothing, trips back home to see her family (VERY important!), maybe University? and a whole slew of other necessities....

... Any estimates on an inexpensive way of marriage to a Russian women and bringing her to the United States?  I am retired and have limited income, so this may be an unrealistic venture for me.  Can anyone give me a general Low ball price and tell me what direction to go, this would be greatly appreciated!...

LOL! While I agree with both Turboguy & GOB with what they said above, apparently that's a dated way of thinking. Muzh and Misha apparently have a way where you can do this for far, far far less. For starters, drive around your neighborhood and get acquainted to its weekend activities. The answer to one of your concern will be answered if you do that. LOL.
 
Stick around and read, read, read....LOL. I have a full day today but when I do get the time I'll give you a very nice synopsis of what I've gathered around here in the recent past in terms of general advice as so many things came to light that are pretty hysterical if they weren't sad in a way. I'll call it Soup Du Oxymoron. I thought we may as well attempt and manage to confine them in a more manageable manner instead of having newbies flip through pages and pages of thousands of threads.
 

...There is a lot of information on this site.  Read all you can and you can learn a lot.  Pay particular attention to the 10 commandments, don't use any agency where you pay by the letter and don't use a K-1 to decide if you want to marry someone.  That is not what it is for.  Decide first....

[JR]

TG's $4k per trip is very do-able, it depends upon your accomodations, eating habits and lenght of stay. I think he (TG) spent around 100k to get to where he is: happily married to a young RW hottie.
If you're retired and on a restrictive fixed income I'd pitch my tent in my own back yard and enjoy the local flora and fauna. You may not even qualify for the I-385 or whatever the number for the Affidavit of Support is. If you want to explore your heritage there may be some local RW in your area, you could check into that.
Best of luck to you whatever you decide to do!

[GQBlues]

Oh, one more thing before I leave for now....what's the significance of '69' on your handle? LOL. If that's your age, then as far as the Life Stages Pairing Formula folks have equated around here, you should be searching for women in her early 40s. LOL.

[Misha]

Muzh and Misha apparently have a way where you can do this for far, far far less.

Yes, find the right woman and marry for the not the right reasons, notably because you have both fallen in love and know that you are compatible, confident that love will grow over the. Marry "по расчёту" and yes you will need the bling. But, I see that you are once again intent on 

[JR]

Trips can be done for less than $2k total if you're staying with your lady and she is frugal. Too many variables to put a firm price on it though.

[Muzh]

Yes, find the right woman and marry for the not the right reasons, notably because you have both fallen in love and know that you are compatible, confident that love will grow over the. Marry "по расчёту" and yes you will need the bling. But, I see that you are once again intent on 

Misha, I really don't know why you bother. You know that if you disagree with him you are wrong but if you agree with him you are maladetz.

Also, all this "LOL" here and there.

There is this character in one of the Russian Lists who is a very angry person. Everyone knows he is a very angry person. You don't have to know him to see that. BUT, whenever he is saying something to you he will finish the sentence with a )))))))))))))))) indicating he is very happy "helping" you. And then he will finish his post with a "Have a Nice Day " after he berates you or whomever needs berating because you didn't agree with his world view.

So take it with a grain of salt.

[Muzh]

Trips can be done for less than $2k total if you're staying with your lady and she is frugal. Too many variables to put a firm price on it though.

Absolutely. However, to accomplish that you'll need time to get to know the lady and for her to know you. And since he's retired, I don't think he should be in any rush.

Still, he'll need to consider his traveling habits and what he is willing to put up with, in addition to any potential physical impairment.

But considering his traveling habits are on the up and up and no real physical debilitating condition he should be able to do his first trip for around $2K.

Now, keep in mind what GOB mentioned. Once she gets here there will be some expenses that have to be met. There's no way around it. Except....

I know a retired guy who moved to Crimea some 10 years ago to be with his (much younger) honey and the last I heard from him, he is still honeymooning. God bless him.

[Turboguy]

TG's $4k per trip is very do-able, it depends upon your accomodations, eating habits and lenght of stay. I think he (TG) spent around 100k to get to where he is: happily married to a young RW hottie.

I just said 6 figures.  The best guess I could make is that I spent between $ 125,000 and $ 150,000.  My total number of trips was probably in the 25 range.  I did end up with a very wonderful wife that made it all worth while. 
 
That said, had RWD existed and had I known about it I could have saved a ton of money and avoided a lot of mistakes.   The three big agency tours and the follow up trips were among the bigger mistakes.  Also when I started my search you had to rely on snail mail and travel arrangements were very tough.  My other major mistake was getting involved with my first fiancee.  Of course I was one of those hard headed prople who didn't listen when people here told me it would be a mistake.
 
Cost of a trip.  I always liked to go in the fall and spring when airfares were lower but the weather wasn't terrible.  Cost of airfare should be in the $ 1000.00 - $ 2,000 range depending on where someone is flying from and what time of year.  I have seen airfares much higher.    A decent apartment $ 60 -  100 a night, maybe more if the destination is Moscow.  Add in taxis, meals, visa and odds and ends I think my 4 grand was probably pretty close but if someone is wanting to watch expenses it could be done for far less, even the 2 grand that has been mentioned.  On a few occassions I stayed at the ladies apartment for free.  Some of the ladies I met were very frugal and others expected 5 star restaurants every night.   
 
I do think the 5 year younger comment someone made is overkill.   That might be ok for a 28 year old but if the OP is in his 60's or late 60's I think a woman in her 50's would not have an age gap problem.  There are some quite attractive older ladies in the FSU.
 
I have seen a few do this with a very limited income and have success.  I would not recommend that to anyone so to me it is more a matter of how badly he wants to do it and if he can find a woman who is willing to give up a frugal life in her home country for a frugal life in a foreign country away from her family and friends.  There are some who will do that and some that won't. 
 
All in all, it can be done but does that mean it should be done?   Maybe try Mamba and find a RW in the USA.

[GoodOlBoy]

.... find a woman who is willing to give up a frugal life in her home country for a frugal life in a foreign country away from her family and friends. 

Perfect description TG.
Given the OP's situation, that would be his "dream" RW in a nutshell!
 
GOB

[Faux Pas]

For Russia excluding your travel costs and airfare which can vary greatly depending on the season and destination. This is in my personal opinion and based on my personal experience. Others mileage may vary. A rule of thumb for a 10 day trip is this:

Outside your bigger cities of Moscow and St. Pete, Novosibirsk may a few others, $100 bucks a day is doable but, seriously on the cheap. Example: a 10 day visit $1000 budget. Doable in the provincial areas, not so much, probably near impossible in the major metro's. You can do this with a "livable" apartment bordering on a dump and mostly eating in and not venturing out much. Even the kid gypsies will leave you alone. Really, what's the point? If you can live on love with no cash needed. This might be the budget for you

$150 a day ($1500 for a 10 day trip) A little more flexibility in the provincial areas. Slightly better accommodations and "some" regular restaurant meals at the more inexpensive places. Simple and low cost entertainment is a possibility. Again doable but, dicey accommodations and highly restrictive for entertainment in the bigger cities. Meals are back to inside the flat and on a shoestring. Some of the panhandling Babuskas might be tempted to take up a collection for you.

$200 a day ($2000 for 10 days) In the bigger cities a decent enough flat. Dining in regularly is near mandatory with the ability to dine out at the less expensive joints. If you are a good miser you may even enjoy a nice restaurant once and if really good, twice. Entertainment is limited and simple. In the provincial areas you are quite the wealthy vacationer. With a decent flat you can eat out often at many of the restaurants of you or your lady's choosing. Venture to nearby cities and sights. Some theater or ballet. You'll have a few rubles for the kid gypsies and Babuskas.

$250 a day ($2500 for 10 days) In the bigger cities you'll have a decent enough flat and enough cash to eat out often at more of the mid level restaurants and perhaps once, maybe twice at a finer establishment. Eating in will likely still be mandatory maybe half the time. A trip to the theater, ballet and perhaps a tour. In the provincial areas/smaller cities you'll live like a king. You can afford a very nice flat or a 3-4 star hotel room (forget this in the bigger cities) If you so choose you can eat out in the nicer restaurants every day. You'll have enough for all the tours, ballets or other entertainment you choose. It's a vacation, live like it.

Of course there are variations in between $125, $175 but none of those really matter. This is just an outline rule of thumb of what it takes. Some can do the $100 bucks a day, others wouldn't think of anything less than $250. It largely depends on YOUR expectations. I suggest, you live in the FSU for your duration much as you would on vacation back home.

[Misha]

I do think the 5 year younger comment someone made is overkill.

That someone is me.

That might be ok for a 28 year old but if the OP is in his 60's or late 60's I think a woman in her 50's would not have an age gap problem.  There are some quite attractive older ladies in the FSU.

This is where I disagree. One of our acquaintances who is in her fifties would never consider a man 15 or 20 years old    If you want to push it, 10 years or less, would be less risky, but don't assume that a woman in her fifties who is entering into a marriage of convenience won't bail if she finds greener pastures 
 

Maybe try Mamba and find a RW in the USA.

My suggestion, go an Orthodox Church if you are Orthodox or even just curious and see who you can meet there. Invariably, you will have the mothers sponsored by their daughters... At least if you hit it off, you will know that it is unlikely that it will be for a passport....   

[Turboguy]

Well, so we don't waste too much time deciding if a 55 year old woman would be interested in a 69 year old man as someone guessed because of the ending two letters of his handle.  I just clicked on his profile.   I believe that the "69" was the year he was born.  He is 42.  I think we have a whole new ballgame here.

[GoodOlBoy]

Good catch TG.
 
OP, you are 42 retired with "limited" income.
 
Are you disabled?
 
Can you go back to work?
 
Military (benefits)?
 
BJstorm69, if you care to give the forum some more details about your situation, we might be able to provide you with some accurate advice.
 
GOB

[BC]

I met my to be wife while travelling so there were no costs for searching...

Regardless, after 3 or 4 subsequent visits and marriage, I believe the total was well over 20+25K with most of the tickets bought with airline miles. (of course a bit cheaper here in EU)

4 or 5 K per 14 day trip? no qualms with that at all. - normalna IMHO.

I do agree with the 9th commandment...

Treat international dating the same as dating someone from your home country. The biggest difference is the cost (travel, phone. etc). This is an expensive process. Don't believe anyone that tells you otherwise.

http://www.russianwomendiscussion.com/index.php?action=ezportal;sa=page;p=34

[TheTraveler]

Wherever you go in Russia, make sure you hit an Orthodox Church on Sunday.
 
For an older retired guy, it's a target-rich environment...  Like a big-agency social for old people, except the ratio of women (mostly old widows) to men is even higher (as if that's even possible!).

[Gator]

Can anyone give me a general Low ball price and tell me what direction to go, this would be greatly appreciated!

A "low ball" price equates to spending as few days as possible to find a bride.  The meeting and romancing can be done for minimum money, yet I would not recommend it because it increases the risk of marrying the wrong woman.  Besides, why curtail such time as this period is so much fun.
 
You are retired.  Do you expect your wife to work?  Keep in mind that the biggest demand for your time and money comes after marriage. 
     

[GQBlues]

BJStorm69-
 
As promised here's a little gem to think about and hopefully addresses a portion of your Q...
 
Depending of course on your personal case, costs involved in getting a Russian woman wife vary widely. So I’ll just stick to the wonderful advice given out by our esteemed members Muzh and Misha. Keep in mind, for this segment I will just note the period from the time you filed your fiancée visa all the way up to the end of the year after her arrival.
 
This involves filing necessary forms to DHS/USCIS, and involves two separate processes. The first, petitioning her as a non-immigrant, and the second, adjustment of her status (after you marry) changing her status to conditional permanent resident for satisfying the requirement of the 129F.
 
Muzh and Misha’s budget for the first year’s expense: $10,000.00/immigrating person, i.e. your wifey.
 
K-1 Filing:
 129F 340.00, Medical 100.00, I-134 0.00 = $ 440.00
Adjustment of Status:
EAD (765-Employment Authorization – Social Security card) 380.00*, Advance Parole 360.00*, 485 (Adj. of Status) 985.00, Biometrics 85.00 = $ 1,810.00.
 
It’s very important to note that for some reason there seem to be varying cases as to whether or not your wife (now) actually still needs to get a medical check-up once again, that’s in addition to the one she already took during her interview. It has to do with some vaccination certification, IIRC. If you happen to have to do this again, then it’ll cost some monies too but for this exercise, let’s just say you’re one lucky doogie and didn’t really have to. Be prepared nonetheless.
 
So, for just these immediate governmental documentations, you’re left with $ 7,750.00 from that $10,000.oo/yr/person budgetary advice.
 
Since you’re retired, you’ll likely have to buy her medical insurance with a $10,000.00 deductible like Gator did. But that's only if you really want to. If so, then that’s a $4,000.00 lollipop. Which would leave you $3,750.00.
 
Of this amount, here’s a few things you’ll need to spend on, and mind you, how you spend this is entirely up to you.
 
1. Expenses incurred for her interview. Since the medical exam had to take place at least 24 hours prior, then you can either get her a room to spend the night in or tell her to bring a sleeping bag and sleep on the Embassy’s sidewalk so you can save some money there.
 
2. You’ll need to tell her to pack some shaslik or even a couple of mayonnaise (they love this stuff, man) sandwich for food, enough for the entire period so you can save money there, too. Sunflower seeds will be good to pass the time. Apparently, Misha does this every time he travels.
 
3.   Transportation to/from her town to the Embassy, well, she’s Russian and well, they walk. So this should not cause a change with their normal mode of transportation, agree?
 
If she balked and/or complained about any of this, you must be man enough and remind her she’s doing this for loooove. Trust me on this one, the gallery will applaud you for it. Rah-Rah! Hip, Hip, Hooray! (See what I mean?  )
 
So, since we covered this segment, and really, you haven’t yet spent another dime off the $3,750.00..let’s move to the next segment.
 
Her pre-immigration transitional period, including travel.
 
1.  You can tell her to walk westward and follow the setting sun until she hits an ocean. That would be called the Atlantic Ocean. But trying to cut cost here will only cost you in other ways, too i.e. schengen visas, snacks during the walk (sunflower seeds are good, cheap too).
 
Note: I didn’t experience this, so please forgive me if I just plunked $ 300.00. This will leave you $3,450.00. I know it sux. But remember to remind her it’s all about loooove.
 
2.   If she walked, then she’ll need a kayak to paddle across the Atlantic. Remember, if you opted for this, you’ll need to spend monies on a cheap jacket as the ocean will likely be fairly cold at nights. Yes, the kayak, too…yup, again, due to lack of personal experience here, I’m laying out another $200.00 for those two equipments. Make sure to tell her to bring some silicon sealer in case the kayak has some holes in it. OK…another $5.00 for that sealer…So you’re left with $ 3,245.00.
 
btw - Don’t worry about how fast or slow she can row to the US shore. The K-1 visa is good for 6 months. Surely, unless she stops at Harwich, UK, she should make it here within 5 months.
 
3.    Option ‘B’, which is what I did, buy her a R/T ticket and for the sake of discussion, let’s coin in $800.00. It cost me $2,400.00, but that’s from Novosibirsk to Los Angeles. You’ll instead be left with $ 2,950.00. So, let’s just assume for now you love her just a little more and bought her the plane ticket instead, OK? So we’ll stick to the 2,950 bucks.
 
So now the delivery day comes rolling in (aren't you excited?). Your brand new Russian wife is finally at your doorsteps and you still have a whopping $2,950.00 to spend for the rest of the year!!!!! That’s a whopping $8.08/day for her food, clothes, vacation, ticket home, wedding, English lessons, celebrations, tampons, etc…!!!!!
 
Now, if this may all seem very silly to you, wonder no more. It is. This exercise, as silly as it is, ought to at least do two things for you.
 
a) Give you a good sense how this will likely cost you far MORE than $10,000.00 the first year despite how voracious these guys will argue about it, AND, more importantly;
 
b) No matter what you do in life, as always, be very careful where and who you get your advice from.
 
Good luck.
 
* Disclaimer: The asterisks represent optional expenses. Apparently, if the woman really loves you, she won’t have a need to come back home anytime within the first year. If she balks and complains about this, remind her all about loooove.

[onlyFSU4me]

 So far I've made 5 trips, got married, paid for the immigration fees and am waiting for her to get approved to come here to Canada. Up to now I've spent about 17,000.00. The last two trips I've stayed at her place so there were no apartment or hotel costs and there will be probably 2-3,000 more to pay by the time she's here. So 20,000 sounds about right in my case.
 I was lucky enough to find a lady who is good at finding apartments for good prices to stay at in Kiev and when we went on vacation and I pretty much have to drag her to a restaurant to eat, otherwise she always cooks at home. So the extra spending has been minimal. 

[Patagonie]

So far I've made 5 trips, got married, paid for the immigration fees and am waiting for her to get approved to come here to Canada. Up to now I've spent about 17,000.00. The last two trips I've stayed at her place so there were no apartment or hotel costs and there will be probably 2-3,000 more to pay by the time she's here. So 20,000 sounds about right in my case.
 I was lucky enough to find a lady who is good at finding apartments for good prices to stay at in Kiev and when we went on vacation and I pretty much have to drag her to a restaurant to eat, otherwise she always cooks at home. So the extra spending has been minimal.

Onlyfsu4me is barely the typical "lucky guy" (nothing wrong with this, TurboG the worker. So in the Best case you have 20 grands before the first year. I would say below 4 grands per month forget, better to have 7 per month, wich is the comfortable amount to start this - probably long adventure - adventure. When you are not comfortable you will not reach your maximum peak of attraction and you are more encline to make the wrong decisions.

[tfcrew]

In 1999 my f129 filing fee was $95.
Now it is $340.
Next year...?