A good marriage biodata does one job: it lets another family understand you in under a minute and trust what they read. Use this checklist before you send yours anywhere. Each point takes seconds to check and most take minutes to fix.
Photo (4 points)
- Taken in the last six months.
- Daylight or soft indoor light; face clearly visible.
- Shoulders-up framing for the biodata; full-length kept separately.
- No sunglasses, heavy filters, or crops from group photos. More in biodata photo tips.
Layout (4 points)
- One A4 page.
- Sections in the order families expect: personal, horoscope, education and career, family, contact, expectations, about me.
- Readable on a phone — no tiny text, no busy background.
- One clean design; a single religious symbol if your family prefers. See 110 designs.
Personal details (5 points)
- Real date of birth (age is calculated from it).
- Measured height in feet-inches and centimetres — use the height converter.
- Marital status stated plainly, including divorced or widowed where relevant.
- Religion, community and mother tongue as your family normally writes them.
- Diet, and — only if you want — smoking and drinking (No / Occasionally / Yes). These are hidden by default in our maker; turn them on if they matter to you.
Career (4 points)
- Highest degree and institution.
- Role, organisation and city ("Senior Analyst, HDFC Bank, Mumbai").
- Work timing — day shift, night shift, rotational, work from home, hybrid or own business. Unusual hours are better shared upfront. Read job and work timing in a biodata.
- Open to relocate: Yes, No or Open to discuss.
Family (3 points)
- Parents' names and occupations.
- Siblings with marital status ("Elder brother — married, Engineer, Bengaluru").
- Family type (joint or nuclear) and native place. Details in family details in a biodata.
Words (3 points)
- "About me" in three or four lines with one specific, true detail — 60 examples.
- Partner expectations in two to four warm lines — 40 examples.
- Spelling checked by someone else.
Contact and sharing (2 points)
- A working phone number with WhatsApp, usually a parent's.
- Files ready: PDF for printing, JPG for WhatsApp, and a 9:16 picture for Status.
What to leave out
- Aadhaar, PAN, bank or property documents.
- Full home address (city and locality are enough at first).
- Exact salary, unless your community expects it — see should you mention salary.
- Anything not true.
Score yourself
| Score | What it means |
|---|---|
| 23–25 | Ready to send |
| 18–22 | Fix the gaps today; they cost replies |
| Below 18 | Rebuild it — it takes 10 minutes in the biodata maker |
The maker also shows a "how complete is your biodata" meter that tells you which important fields are missing.