IMBRA explained from the text of the law
The International Marriage Broker Regulation Act is short, specific and almost unknown to the men it covers. Here is what it says, quoted and paraphrased from the statute itself.
Last reviewed: 2026-11-06
This is an explanation of a public law, written for general information. Statutes are amended, and your facts matter. For your own situation, read the current text and consult an immigration attorney.
What IMBRA is
IMBRA is section 833 of Title VIII of the Violence Against Women and Department of Justice Reauthorization Act of 2005 (Public Law 109–162), signed on 5 January 2006. Its main provisions are codified at 8 U.S.C. § 1375a, with related changes to the K-1 rules in 8 U.S.C. § 1184(d). Section 1375a was later amended by Public Law 113–4 (7 March 2013). The law has two purposes that pull in the same direction: give foreign women information that lets them judge the American man who wants to contact them, and make it harder for repeat abusers to use fiancée visas.
Who counts as a marriage broker
The statute defines an “international marriage broker” as a corporation, partnership, business, individual or other legal entity, wherever organised, that charges fees for providing dating, matrimonial or matchmaking services, or social referrals, between US citizens or nationals (or lawful permanent residents) and foreign national clients, by providing personal contact information or otherwise facilitating communication between individuals.
Two exceptions are written into the definition. A traditional matchmaking organisation of a cultural or religious nature that operates on a nonprofit basis and complies with the laws of the countries where it operates is not a broker. Neither is an entity that provides dating services if its principal business is not international dating and it charges comparable rates and offers comparable services to everyone it serves regardless of gender or citizenship.
“Personal contact information” is also defined broadly: names and addresses, e-mail or messaging addresses, phone numbers, or “the provision of an opportunity for an in-person meeting”, and even a forum to obtain such information. A photograph or general information about background and interests does not count as personal contact information.
What a covered broker must do
Before a covered broker gives an American client the personal contact information of a foreign national client, the statute requires, in summary, the following.
- Search the National Sex Offender Public Website for records on the American client.
- Collect a signed certification from the American client, with documentation or an attestation, covering: any protection or restraining orders; arrests or convictions for a long list of violent and sexual offences (homicide, assault, battery, domestic violence, rape, sexual assault, child abuse, stalking, kidnapping, trafficking and others); arrests or convictions related to prostitution; arrests or convictions for controlled substance or alcohol offences; marital history, including how many times married, how each marriage ended and whether the client has previously sponsored someone to whom he was engaged or married; the ages of any children under 18; and every state and country where the client has lived since age 18.
- Give the woman the results, in her primary language: the sex-offender search results (or confirmation that none were found), the signed certification and the accompanying documentation, and the government information pamphlet on legal rights and resources for immigrant victims of domestic violence.
- Get her written consent, signed, in her primary language, to release her contact information to that specific American client.
| Step | Who acts | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Broker | Searches the sex-offender website; collects the American client’s certification |
| 2 | Broker | Gives the woman the results, the certification and the pamphlet in her language |
| 3 | Woman | Reads, decides and signs written consent for that specific man |
| 4 | Broker | Only then releases her personal contact information to him |
What a broker must never do
- Market anyone under 18. A broker may not provide any individual or entity with contact information, a photograph or general background information about a person under 18. To comply, it must obtain a valid copy of each foreign client’s birth certificate or other proof of age issued by a government entity, note the date received, retain the original for seven years and produce it on request to an enforcing authority.
- Pass her contact details to anyone except an American client. The statute bars disclosure to other entities and to prospective clients or recruits who are not yet clients.
- Release her details before the steps above are complete.
Note what is absent from the list. The statute does not oblige the broker to verify that a woman’s profile is accurate, or that her photos are hers, beyond establishing her age. That is the gap to keep in mind when you read the word “verified” on an agency page.
Penalties
| Conduct | Penalty |
|---|---|
| A broker violates, or attempts to violate, the child-marketing, collection, informed-consent or disclosure rules | Civil penalty of $5,000 to $25,000 per violation |
| Same violations, criminal | Fine under title 18 or imprisonment of up to 1 year, or both |
| Same violations, committed knowingly | Fine or imprisonment of up to 5 years, or both |
| Misusing information a broker collected under the Act | Fine or imprisonment of up to 1 year, or both |
| An American knowingly lying, with intent to defraud, about his own required self-disclosures to recruit someone abroad | Fine or imprisonment of up to 1 year, or both |
The last row is the one most clients overlook: the law applies to the man too. These penalties are in addition to any other civil or criminal liability.
The K-1 limits that go with it
The companion rules in 8 U.S.C. § 1184(d) apply to anyone petitioning for a fiancé(e) visa, with or without a broker. Three points matter.
- The petition is approved only on satisfactory evidence that the couple met in person within the two years before filing, have a bona fide intention to marry, and are legally able to do so.
- The government may not approve a petition unless it has verified that the petitioner has not previously petitioned for two or more applicants, and that, if a previous petition was approved, two years have passed since it was filed. The Secretary may waive these limits where justification exists, but, except in extraordinary circumstances, not for a petitioner with a record of violent criminal offences against a person.
- A tracking database records multiple petitions. After a second approval, the petitioner is told he has been entered. Once a petitioner has had two such petitions approved, if a further one is filed less than ten years after the first, both the petitioner and the beneficiary are notified of the number of previous approvals.
USCIS adds on its K-1 page that the couple must intend to marry within 90 days of the fiancé(e) entering the United States. That page was last reviewed on 23 March 2018; always check the current version.
What IMBRA does not do
- It does not guarantee that the information a man provides is true. The government pamphlet itself must warn that records may be incomplete, because a client may have no criminal record or may not have reported his history truthfully.
- It does not cover services outside the definition, including the two exceptions above, or contacts a man makes on his own on a general platform.
- It does not verify the woman’s identity or intentions.
- It does not regulate agencies in Russia or Ukraine as such. It regulates brokers that serve American clients, wherever the broker is located.
How to use this as a client
- Ask whether the service considers itself a covered broker. If it does, ask how it collects and records the background information and when the woman receives it.
- Expect to be asked for your history and to sign a certification. A service that never asks is either outside the law or ignoring it.
- Be honest in the certification. Fraudulent failures to self-disclose carry criminal penalties.
- Do not treat compliance as a quality seal. It shows a process exists; it does not show that every profile is genuine.
- If you plan a K-1 petition, check your own history against the two-petition and two-year limits before you spend money on travel.
The publisher of this site, Agence CQMI, runs a matchmaking agency for American clients. You can see how it describes its own method on its US site. We mention it for transparency and not as an endorsement of any provider, and the standard to hold it to is the one in this guide.
Two claims, checked
“Every international matchmaking site has to run background checks on its American members.”
It depends on whether the service meets the statutory definition of a broker and whether an exception applies. A fee-charging service whose business is international introductions between Americans and foreign nationals is covered. A general-purpose dating service that charges comparable rates to everyone is carved out. A matchmaking organisation of a cultural or religious nature operating on a nonprofit basis is also carved out.
Source: 8 U.S.C. § 1375a(d)(4)
“IMBRA means a woman can be sure the man contacting her is safe.”
The Act gives her information and a right of consent, but its own pamphlet requirements acknowledge that the information may be incomplete or inaccurate. It lowers risk; it does not remove it.
Source: 8 U.S.C. § 1375a(a)(2)(H)
Sources and date consulted
- 8 U.S.C. § 1375a (definitions in subsection (d)(4), broker duties in (d)(1) to (d)(4), penalties in (d)(5)). Cornell LII, consulted 2026-11-06.
- 8 U.S.C. § 1184(d), K-1 petitions and the tracking database. Cornell LII, consulted 2026-11-06.
- USCIS, Nonimmigrant Visa for a Fiancé(e) (K-1), reviewed 2018-03-23, consulted 2026-11-06.
To report suspected fraud, use ReportFraud.ftc.gov (US Federal Trade Commission) or the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center, both checked on 2026-11-06. If you see an error in this guide, tell us.