Facebook keeps the list of countries where Dating is available on its help page. The list includes the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina. It also includes the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain and Italy. In Asia, it includes the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. Living in one of those countries is not the whole story, though, because Facebook says it may also restrict which accounts can use Dating.

The countries on the list

Here are the countries Facebook names on its Dating help page, grouped by region so you can find yours quickly:

  • North America: the United States, Canada and Mexico.
  • South America: Brazil and Argentina.
  • Europe: the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain and Italy.
  • Asia: the Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam.

That is not the complete list. Facebook's help page carries the full one, so if your country is not named here, check there before you assume Dating is out of reach.

Your country is not the only condition

A man in the United States or the United Kingdom can still find Dating missing from his Menu. Facebook says it may restrict which accounts can access Dating, and it names some of the reasons an account can lose access:

  • Being under 18.
  • Having a new or inactive account.
  • Going against its Terms of Service or Community Standards.

So if you live somewhere on the list and still cannot see Dating, look at your own account first. An account that is only a few weeks old, or one you barely use, can be the reason. So can any past trouble with Facebook's rules.

This is also why two friends in the same city can have different results. One sees Dating in his Menu and the other does not, and the difference lies in their accounts, not their location.

The fix for a new or quiet account is simply time and ordinary use. There is no shortcut worth taking.

If your country is not on the list

If Facebook's full list does not include where you live, Dating is not available to you there.

Do not try to get around that. Going against Facebook's Terms of Service is one of the reasons it gives for taking Dating away, so any trick that bends the rules puts the rest of your account at risk too. Use the dating apps that do work where you live. The skills that get you dates on one of them carry straight over to the others.

Traveling to a country on the list

Men often ask this before a trip: will Dating work when I get there?

Facebook's requirement is about the country you live in, not the one you happen to be visiting. So if your home country is not on the list, a trip to one that is does not change the rule. If it is on the list, check the app once you land, and treat whatever you find as a bonus rather than the plan for the trip.

Travel dating rewards the same habits wherever you are. Keep conversations short and get to a plan within a day or two, because your time in the city is limited. Suggest somewhere close to where you are staying, so a drink is easy to say yes to and easy to extend. And if a woman seems unsure, a quick phone or video call before you meet settles her nerves and yours.

Treat it like any of the dating apps

Once you are in, Facebook Dating works best when you treat it like any other app worth your time.

Lead with a clear, recent photo of your face in good light. Add a few that show how you actually live. Answer the questions it asks you with specific details rather than general ones, so she has something real to reply to.

When you write to a woman, keep it short. One light comment about something specific in her photos, and an easy question she can answer in a line. That beats a long introduction every time.

From matches to a date

Whichever country you are in, the point is the same: turning an online conversation into an evening out.

Once things are easy between you, suggest a drink as a casual idea after a few messages. A few messages later, ask for her number so you can settle the day and the place. Pick somewhere public and simple to reach, and keep the first date short.

A conversation that goes on for weeks without a plan is not a good sign, whichever app it happens on. Move it forward while her interest is fresh.