What to Include in a Marriage Biodata (and What to Leave Out)

A marriage biodata is the first introduction between two families. Share too little and the other side can't get a sense of who you are. Share too much and you risk personal details ending up in the wrong hands, especially once a biodata starts travelling around WhatsApp and Facebook.

Here's what almost every family expects to see, what's optional, and what should never go on a biodata.

What almost everyone wants to know

Personal details

• Name: your full name as it appears on your documents.
• Date of birth and age: give the date, not just the age, so there's no confusion.
• Height in feet and inches. Be accurate; any difference will be noticed when you meet.
• Marital status: never married, divorced, or widowed.
• Religion and nationality.
• Present and permanent address: the district is enough. Share the full address later, once talks move forward.

Blood group and weight are optional. Some people include them, some don't, and both are fine.

Education

Start with your most recent degree and work backwards. For each one, give the degree or exam, the institution, the passing year and the result. Most people include SSC and HSC.

Occupation

Your profession and organisation. If you'd rather not name your employer, describe it instead, for example "a private bank".

Monthly income is optional. Many families leave it off at first and discuss it directly later, and that's perfectly normal.

Family

Your parents' names and occupations, how many brothers and sisters you have and which of them are married. You can also mention whether you live in a nuclear or joint family.

About me

Two or three lines about your nature, interests and outlook. This is what turns a list of facts into an introduction to a person. Keep it short, honest and specific.

Partner expectations

Age range, education, location and anything else that genuinely matters to you. Be clear, but don't set conditions so strict that suitable people lose interest.

Contact

A guardian's name, their relationship to you, and a mobile number. In Bangladesh it's customary, and safer, to give a guardian's number rather than your own.

What to leave out

A biodata passes through many hands and can reach complete strangers. Never put these on it:

• National ID (NID), passport or birth registration numbers. They can be used for fraud. Show them in person if talks reach the final stage.
• Your full home address: house and road numbers. The district or area is enough.
• Bank or mobile banking details, under any circumstances.
• Detailed health information. Important matters should of course be disclosed, but in serious conversations, not on a document sent to everyone.

One more thing: our form has no field for skin colour, and that's deliberate. It isn't something anyone needs to know to get to know a person.

Before you share online

• If you post your biodata in a Facebook group or anywhere public, hide your phone number. Interested families can message you instead.
• If you don't want your photo public, blur or remove the photo in the shared version.
• When sharing by link, use one you can switch off later.

In short: share clearly what's needed to understand who you are. Leave out anything someone could use to harm you.

Checklist

Before you send it:

1. Are your name, date of birth and height correct?
2. Are your education and job details up to date?
3. Did you write two or three lines about yourself?
4. Is the contact number a guardian's?
5. No NID, full address or financial details?
6. Have you double-checked spellings and dates?

If everything checks out, your biodata is ready.