Matrimonial on Arc

A private, family-friendly space to find a life partner. You must be 18 or older.

What this is

Matrimonial on Arc is a completely private and separate space for people looking to marry — and for families helping their loved ones find a match. It's kept entirely apart from the rest of Arc: your matrimonial profile never appears in the main feed, search or inbox. Your photos stay hidden until both sides express interest.

You must be 18 or older to use Matrimonial.

Browsing and filters

Matrimonial opens onto a browse grid of profiles, never a form. Each card shows the name, age, location and education, with the photo kept blurred until both sides express interest. At the top you can filter by religion, city and age range. Before subscribing you can still browse, with card details blurred and a prompt to subscribe to Arc Rishta when you act. If you have not set up your own profile yet, a slim Set up your profile prompt appears at the top of the grid rather than taking over the page. Founder accounts see everything without subscribing.

Subscription required

Arc Rishta is a subscription product. Before you can see any matrimonial content you need an active plan:

• Arc Rishta (£14.99/month, or the annual plan at £11.53 per 28 days): browse verified profiles, express interest, up to 6 photos, and basic filters.
• Arc Rishta Premium (£39.99/month, or the annual plan at £30.76 per 28 days): unlimited expressions of interest, see who is interested in you, up to 12 photos, advanced filters, and family access.

Tap Matrimonial in the sidebar, choose a plan, and pay securely by card. Cancel any time.

How it works

Matrimonial uses a respectful card browse with an Express Interest button (not swiping). Photos are uploaded from your device and can be hidden until both sides express interest. If you both express interest, you match, photos become visible to each other, and a conversation opens in your matrimonial inbox. Every profile shows a verification summary (identity, location, education, employment, marital status) so you can see what has been verified. See Matrimonial verification.

Confirming you are 18 or over

Matrimonial is 18+ only. When you activate Matrimonial you must first tick a mandatory box confirming: _"I confirm I am 18 years of age or older. I understand that providing false information is a violation of Arc's Terms of Service and may result in permanent account suspension and reporting to relevant authorities."_ The Activate Matrimonial button stays disabled until you tick it, and your confirmation is recorded. Arc also checks your date of birth. Members under 18 see Matrimonial in the sidebar but it is greyed out and labelled Available at 18 — it cannot be opened until they turn 18.

How to set it up

1. In the sidebar, open Connect → Matrimonial and tap Set up.
2. Tick the box confirming you are 18 or older, then tap Activate Matrimonial. You do not need a subscription to activate — activating opens the Matrimonial browse page, where you can look around and subscribe to Arc Rishta when you are ready.
3. Choose whether the profile is self-managed or family-managed (a parent can help manage it).
4. Fill in the details: name, age, religion, education, profession, location, languages, family type, a bit about yourself and your family, and what you're looking for in a partner.
5. Add photos if you like — they stay hidden until both sides show interest.
6. Tap Create matrimonial profile.

How it works day to day

• Browse: search profiles by religion, age, city and more. Photos are shown as locked until there's mutual interest.
• Express interest: on a profile, tap Express interest. The other person (or the family managing their profile) is notified.
• Interests: the Interests page shows interests you've received (Accept or Decline) and interests you've sent.
• Mutual interest: when both sides accept, it becomes a match — photos are revealed and you can message each other privately.
• Messages: the Matrimonial messages inbox is separate from your main Arc messages and only opens after mutual interest.

Family-managed profiles

If a profile is family-managed, a parent or guardian can receive interest on the person's behalf and accept or decline for them. This lets families take part respectfully.

Staying safe

Matrimonial is for people aged 18 and over only. You can only message after a mutual like, opening messages are limited, and photos cannot be sent in a chat before you match.

• Block, at three levels. Block from matrimonial only, from matrimonial and the rest of Arc, or block and report in one step.
• Report. On every profile, and it goes straight to our safety team.
• Share my plans. Before meeting, add where you are going, when you expect to be back, and a trusted contact. It stays private to you.
• Quick exit. A red Quick exit button leaves Arc instantly. You can also press Escape twice.
• Verification. Consider matrimonial verification for extra trust, and always meet safely.

See the Safety Centre for helplines in your country.

Common questions

Who can see my photos? Nobody, until you both express interest. Until then your photos stay locked.

Will this show up on my normal Arc profile? No — Matrimonial is completely separate and private.

Can my parents manage my profile? Yes — choose family-managed during setup so a family member can help.

Who can use it? Only people aged 18 and over.

Troubleshooting

• I can't open Matrimonial — you must be 18 or older; Arc checks your date of birth.
• I can't message someone — messaging opens only after you've both accepted interest.
• I can't see photos — they're revealed once interest is mutual.
• I want to pause — go to Matrimonial → Settings → Pause my profile.

Emergency exit

Every Matrimonial page has a small Exit button fixed in the bottom-right corner. Tapping it takes you straight to your home feed and does not leave the page in your browser history, so you can leave quickly and privately at any time.

Related help

• Dating
• Messaging & safety
• Help home

Last updated: 26 July 2026