Marriage Biodata Format: Free Templates + How to Write One

Quick answer: A marriage biodata is a one- or two-page profile that a family shares with prospective matches. A good one has seven parts: a recent photo, personal details, community and horoscope details (if your family follows them), education and work, family background, a short "about me", and what you are looking for in a partner. Keep it honest, specific and free of private ID numbers, and share it as a PDF.

For most Indian families, the biodata is the first thing the other side sees, long before any phone call or meeting. It gets forwarded on WhatsApp, printed for elders, and read and re-read by parents, siblings and sometimes a family astrologer. A clear, truthful biodata gets the right replies. A vague or inflated one gets the wrong ones, or none at all.

Our Relationship Managers at Rishtadekhoo read and verify biodatas every day for Gujarati, Jain and NRI families. This guide sets out what works: what to include, how to write each part, three free templates you can copy, and the mistakes that cost families good matches.

What is a marriage biodata?

A marriage biodata (also written "bio data for marriage" or "matrimonial biodata") is a short document introducing a person who is looking for a life partner, along with their family. It is the standard first step in an arranged marriage in India. One family shares it, and the other decides from it whether to take the conversation further.

It is not a job resume. A resume sells your skills to an employer. A biodata helps two families judge compatibility: values, background, lifestyle, location and expectations, as well as education and career. That is why it includes things a resume never would, such as family details, native place and, for many families, horoscope details.

In practice, a biodata is used in three ways:

•        Family to family: parents send it to relatives, friends and community contacts, usually on WhatsApp.

•        Through a marriage bureau: a Relationship Manager uses it to shortlist and introduce matches. At Rishtadekhoo we also verify the details in it before it is shared.

•        For a first decision: elders, siblings and sometimes an astrologer read it before agreeing to a call or meeting. It must make sense to all of them.

What to include in a marriage biodata

Every strong biodata covers the same seven sections, in roughly this order. The order matters: families scan the top half first and decide in seconds whether to read on.

The examples above are illustrative, not real people.

Three fields cause the most hesitation:

•        Income: optional. If you include it, give a range ("₹12–15 lakh a year") rather than an exact figure, and make sure it matches what you can document. Our team verifies job and business claims, and so will a careful family.

•        Horoscope details: include them only if your family or the families you are approaching use kundali matching. If you include them, be exact about the birth time. A wrong time changes the chart, and matches are rejected on it.

•        Complexion and weight: leave them out. They add nothing a photo doesn't show, and many families now see them as outdated. Height is the only physical detail families consistently ask for.

How to write a marriage biodata, step by step

Set aside an hour, and write it together with the person it is for. Biodatas written only by parents often miss what the person actually wants. Those written only by the person sometimes leave out family details that elders expect.

1.       Collect the facts first. Gather exact birth details, degree names, employer, siblings' details and native place. Check the birth time against the birth certificate or the family's janmakshar.

2.       Choose the format and language. English works for most families. A bilingual English–Gujarati version helps when elders in the other family will read it. Use one template from the next section and keep it to 1–2 pages.

3.       Fill in the factual sections. Personal, community, education, work and family details are facts, so write them plainly. No adjectives are needed here.

4.       Write "About me" in your own voice. Aim for 3–5 sentences on how you spend your time, what you value and how you see family life. Specific beats generic. "I cook dal-dhokli for the family every Sunday and run 5 km three mornings a week" tells a family far more than "I am simple, honest and family-oriented," which nearly every biodata says.

5.       Write partner preferences as priorities, not a checklist. Name the 2–3 things that truly matter, such as values, diet, city or willingness to relocate. Be open on the rest. A long list of demands narrows the field and reads as inflexible.

6.       Add the photo. Use one recent, well-lit photo. Guidance is below.

7.       Proofread with someone else. Check spellings of names, degrees and places, and make sure dates and ages agree with each other. One typo in a name is the most common error we correct.

8.       Export as a PDF and name the file properly, for example Priya-Shah-Biodata.pdf. Then share it only with families you are seriously considering.

Tip from our Relationship Managers: before sending, ask yourself whether a stranger reading it would know three real things about you that set you apart. If the answer is no, rewrite the "About me".

Free marriage biodata templates

Copy any template below into Word or Google Docs and replace the brackets, or download the ready-made versions. Each is designed to fit on one page with a photo.

Download: Classic biodata (Word) · Classic (PDF) · Gujarati–English (Word) · Jain (Word)

Template 1: Classic marriage biodata (English)

This works for any community and for both boys and girls.

Template 2: Gujarati–English biodata

Gujarati families usually expect two extra details: mosal (the mother's family and their native place) and mul vatan (the family's native village or town). Elders often place a family through these before anything else. Bilingual headings make the biodata easy for both generations to read.

Template 3: Jain marriage biodata

Jain families match closely on sect and food practice, so a Jain biodata should state these clearly instead of leaving them to a phone call.

For NRI families: four lines to add

If the person lives abroad or plans to move, families on both sides will want these answers up front:

•        Country and city of residence, and since when

•        Residency or visa status: citizen, permanent resident or work visa

•        Plans: settling abroad, returning to India, or open

•        Availability to meet: when the person is next in India, and whether video calls are welcome before then

Marriage biodata for a girl vs a boy: what changes

The format is the same. What families look for first is often different, so put extra care into these fields:

Whichever it is, the strongest biodatas answer the other family's next question before they have to ask it.

Photo guidance

The photo is usually the first thing anyone looks at. It should simply show what you look like today.

•        Recent: taken within the last 6 months, with your current hairstyle, glasses and so on.

•        Clear and well lit: daylight facing a window works better than flash. Use a plain background.

•        Natural: no beauty filters or heavy editing. A first meeting that starts with "you look different" starts badly.

•        Appropriate dress: smart-casual or simple traditional wear. Bridal-style outfits and party photos send the wrong signal.

•        One main photo: add at most one full-length photo. Group photos make the reader guess who you are.

Mistakes we see most often when verifying biodatas

Before we introduce any profile, our team checks identity, family background and job or business details. That work shows the same mistakes again and again:

1.       Rounding up. A job title one level higher, an income at the top of a range, or a degree listed before it is complete. These come out in the first conversation, and trust is hard to rebuild after that.

2.       An old or heavily edited photo. It is the fastest way to turn a promising first meeting into an awkward one.

3.       A generic "About me". "Simple, honest, God-fearing, family-oriented" describes almost everyone, so it tells the other family nothing.

4.       A wish-list for partner preferences. Ten non-negotiables narrow the matches to a handful. Three clear priorities work far better.

5.       Too long. Three or four pages of extended family detail get skimmed. One to two pages get read.

6.       No clear contact person. If an interested family can't tell whom to call, or the number is out of date, the match is lost.

7.       Inconsistent details. The age doesn't match the date of birth, or the city differs between sections. It looks careless, or worse, like something is being hidden.

What never to put in a biodata

A biodata is forwarded far beyond the people you send it to. Treat it as public, and leave out anything that could be misused:

•        ID numbers: Aadhaar, PAN, passport or any government ID number. Share these only with a verification service you trust, never in the biodata itself.

•        Full home address: the city and area are enough.

•        Salary slips, bank details or property documents. These belong to a much later stage, if at all.

•        Personal mobile numbers of young women in copies shared on groups. Use a parent's number instead.

If a "match" asks for money, ID copies or documents early on, treat it as a warning sign. We cover this in more detail in Howto Spot a Fake Matrimony Profile in India.

Word, PDF or image: how to format and share it

Write it in Word or Google Docs, and share it as a PDF.

Formatting that reads well on a phone, where most biodatas are opened:

•        One or two A4 pages, with the photo in the top-right or top-centre.

•        One clean font at 11–12 pt, with bold section headings. Skip decorative borders and religious graphics that crowd the page; a small symbol at the top is fine if your family prefers it.

•        File size under 1 MB, so it opens quickly on WhatsApp.

•        A clear file name: Firstname-Lastname-Biodata.pdf, not final_new_2.pdf.

•        A date in the footer ("Updated October 2026"), so families know they have the current version.

Need help with your biodata?

A good biodata opens the door, and the right introductions do the rest. At Rishtadekhoo, a dedicated Relationship Manager reviews your biodata, verifies every profile before it reaches you, and introduces families only when both sides agree. We are a personalised marriage bureau in Ahmedabad with an office in Thaltej, working with Gujarati, Jain, Brahmin and NRI families.

Book a free consultation or message us on WhatsApp at +91 63777 44809.