A marriage CV in the UK is a one or two page profile that a British Asian family sends to another family, or to a matchmaker, when looking for a rishta. It gives the person's age, height, education, job, faith, family and the place in Bangladesh, Pakistan or India the family comes from.
In India the same thing is called a biodata. This page is for families settled in the UK who have just been asked, "Can you send his CV?"
If you are in India and judging a proposal from someone in the UK, our NRI biodata for UK page is the one for you. It covers visa lines and salary in pounds.
How a UK Marriage CV Is Different from an Indian Biodata
The layout is almost the same. What changes is the weight given to each part.
A family in Coimbatore wants the star, rasi and lagnam near the top. A family in Tower Hamlets wants to know if the boy prays, whether he grew up here, what he studied after his A-levels, and whether his family's roots are in Sylhet town or a village in Moulvibazar. A Gujarati family in Leicester may ask for the community and the native village in Gujarat before anything else.
Three more differences come up again and again:
- Age is written plainly as a number, along with the date of birth.
- Education uses UK terms: GCSEs, A-levels, a degree with the grade (2:1, First), and a master's if there is one.
- Most Muslim families leave out the horoscope section completely. Many Gujarati Hindu families still add the rashi and the time of birth.
What Fields to Put on a UK Marriage CV
Keep it to one page if you can. Two at the most.
| Section | What to write |
|---|---|
| Personal | Full name, age and date of birth, height, place of birth (for example "Born in Whitechapel, London"), marital status |
| Faith | Religion, sect or school if your family mentions it, how you practise ("Prays five times, reads Qur'an daily", "Visits the mandir most weekends") |
| Education | GCSEs and A-levels in one line, then the degree, university and grade. Add Islamic study if any (hifz, alimiyyah course) |
| Work | Job title, type of employer, city. Salary only if your family wants it |
| Family | Father's and mother's names and jobs, brothers and sisters (married or not), where the family lives in the UK |
| Roots | District and village in Bangladesh, Pakistan or India. For example "Sylhet, Beanibazar" or "Mirpur, Azad Kashmir" or "Navsari, Gujarat" |
| Languages | English, plus Sylheti, Bengali, Urdu, Punjabi, Pahari or Gujarati, whichever you speak |
| About me | Four or five honest sentences on your habits, interests and what you hope for |
| Contact | One parent's name and mobile number. Not the candidate's own number, unless the family prefers that |
A photo is usual, but some families send the CV first and share the photo only after both sides say yes. Both ways are common.
Bengali and Sylheti Marriage CVs in the UK
Most British Bangladeshi families trace their roots to the Sylhet division, so the "roots" line matters. Write the district and the upazila or village: "Sylhet, Golapganj" tells an aunty in Bethnal Green far more than "Bangladesh".
Many Sylheti families also add:
- whether the family has property or close family still in Bangladesh;
- the father's village name, because elders often know each other's villages;
- whether the person speaks Sylheti at home, Bengali, or both.
The CV itself is nearly always in English. If grandparents in Sylhet will read it, some families make a second copy in Bengali script. Sylheti does not have its own widely used print script today, so the Bengali copy is the usual choice.
Pakistani and Kashmiri Marriage CVs in the UK
Pakistani and Mirpuri families often add the biradari (the family's clan or community, such as Jatt, Rajput or Arain) in a line of its own. Some families now leave it out on purpose. Both are common, and it is your family's call.
Write the city or district in Pakistan and the languages spoken at home. Hijab and beard lines are common too. Write only what you are comfortable with.
Gujarati Marriage CVs in the UK
Gujarati Hindu and Jain families in Leicester, Harrow and Wembley often keep the Indian biodata pattern. They add the community and the native village in Gujarat. Families who came via Kenya or Uganda often mention that too. Some add the gotra, the rashi and the time of birth. Diet is a big line here: vegetarian, Jain food, or eats eggs.
A Filled Sample Marriage CV for the UK
This is a made-up person. Change every detail to your own.
| Field | Sample |
|---|---|
| Full name | Tahmina Begum |
| Age | 26 (born 3 March 2000) |
| Height | 5 ft 3 in |
| Born and raised | Whitechapel, London |
| Marital status | Never married |
| Religion | Muslim, Sunni |
| Practice | Prays five times, wears hijab, attends Qur'an class on Saturdays |
| Education | GCSEs and A-levels, Tower Hamlets. BSc Pharmacy (2:1), University of Bradford. Pre-registration year at an NHS hospital |
| Job | Pharmacist, community pharmacy, Stratford |
| Family | Father: Abdul Malik, retired restaurant owner. Mother: Rahima Begum, homemaker. One elder brother (married), one younger sister (at university) |
| Roots | Sylhet, Beanibazar |
| Languages | English, Sylheti, Bengali |
| About me | I like cooking for the family on weekends and long walks in Victoria Park. I would like a practising partner who is close to his family and happy to live in London. My parents will speak first. |
| Contact | Abdul Malik (father), 07xxx xxxxxx |
Notice what is not there. No salary for the girl, because her family did not want it. No caste line. No long list of expectations. If a family wants a "looking for" line, one sentence at the end of About Me is enough.
Common Mistakes on UK Marriage CVs
- Writing a job CV. Nobody needs your module list or your dissertation title.
- Three pages of expectations. Keep it to one honest line.
- Old photos. Use one taken in the last six months, in clear light.
- A height or age in the CV that does not match what the family says on the phone.
Making a Marriage CV as a PDF
You can make one on our maker at /templates. Pick "This Biodata Is For: Male / Female", choose English, Bengali, Urdu or Gujarati as the print language, and set Religion to Muslim or Hindu. For Muslim, the horoscope section switches off by itself, and a Sect option appears under Add More Details.
Lines like "Roots" or "Practice" go in with Add Your Own Field. The download is an A4 PDF and a JPG image, and A4 is the UK paper size too.
The next screen also offers an editable Word file of the same CV. Free downloads carry a small "Made free at hellobiodata.com" line at the bottom.
Our Muslim marriage biodata page has more designs, and the Bengali Muslim biodata format shows a full Bengali-script version.
Common questions
What Is a Marriage CV in the UK?
A marriage CV is a short profile used by British Asian families when looking for a match. It has personal details, faith, education, job, family and roots, much like an Indian marriage biodata.
What Should a Muslim Marriage CV in the UK Include?
Name, age, height, education, job, how you practise (prayer, hijab, Qur'an study), sect if your family mentions it, family details, roots in Bangladesh, Pakistan or India, languages, a short About Me and a parent's contact.
Should a Sylheti Marriage CV Be in English or Bengali?
English for families in the UK. Make a second copy in Bengali script if elders in Bangladesh will read it.
How Long Should a Marriage CV Be?
One page is best. Two pages at the most, if the family section is long.
Should I Put My Salary on a Marriage CV in the UK?
It is optional. Many families leave it out for girls and write the job title and employer type instead. If you include it, write it as pounds per year.
Is There a Free Marriage CV Template for the UK?
Yes. Our maker has 63 free designs, prints in English, Bengali, Urdu, Gujarati and eight other languages, and gives a PDF, a JPG and a Word file.
Related Guides
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