Marriage Biodata Format: What to Include and How to Write It

A marriage biodata is usually the first thing another family learns about you. It is shared on WhatsApp, printed for relatives and compared with other proposals, often in less than a minute. A good biodata is short, honest and easy to scan.

The standard format

Most biodatas follow the same order, which families are used to reading:

1. Personal details: name, date of birth, height, marital status, diet, languages, current city and native place.
2. Religious and horoscope details (optional): religion, community, gotra, rashi, nakshatra, manglik status, and birth time and place.
3. Education and career: highest qualification, institution, occupation and, if you wish, employer and income.
4. Family details: parents’ names and occupations, brothers and sisters, and family type.
5. About me and expectations: a few lines in your own words, and what you hope for in a partner.
6. Contact details: one contact person, usually a parent, and a phone number.

A photo usually sits at the top right. An optional heading line, such as a blessing your family uses, can go above your name.

What to write in each section

Personal details

Write your height in both feet and centimetres if the biodata may travel abroad. For marital status, be precise: “never married”, “divorced”, “widowed” or “awaiting divorce”. Listing the languages you speak helps families judge how easily everyone will communicate.

Education and career

Give the qualification and where you studied, for example “B.E. Computer Engineering, Pune (2018)”. For work, the role matters more than the company name. Income is optional; if you include it, a yearly figure or range is common.

Family

Families often read this section first. Give each parent’s name and occupation, then each brother and sister with their education or work and marital status. “Joint” or “nuclear” family is a useful one-word summary.

About me and expectations

This is the only part in your own voice, so make it count. Two or three sentences about your values, interests and what matters to you are enough. For expectations, name the few things that genuinely matter rather than a long list.

What to leave out

• Documents: never attach Aadhaar, PAN or passport copies to a biodata you share widely.
• Your full address: city and area are enough until families know each other.
• Appearance labels: descriptions of skin colour or looks add nothing and can put good matches off.
• Exaggeration: an inflated salary or title will come out in the first real conversation.

Tips for a biodata families trust

• Use one recent photo, taken in good light.
• Check every date and name twice.
• Keep formatting simple: one font, clear headings, no crowded borders.
• Save it as a PDF so it looks the same on every phone.
• Update it when anything changes, and date it if you like.

Formats for different traditions

The core format works for everyone, but families add different details. A Hindu biodata often includes horoscope details, a Muslim biodata often mentions sect and religious practice, and an NRI biodata adds residency status. See all biodata formats, or make yours with the free biodata maker.