Legal

Terms of Service

Effective date: 1 May 2026  ·  Last updated: 20 March 2026

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your use of the Courtship matrimonial matchmaking platform (“Courtship”, “the Platform”, “we”, “us”). By creating an account, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Platform.

Courtship is a service for adults in India seeking a life partner for marriage. It is not a social network, entertainment platform, or casual dating service.

1. User Eligibility

You may only create and use a Courtship account if you meet all of the following requirements at the time of registration and throughout your membership:

  • Age: You must be at least 18 years of age. The minimum age is not negotiable. Providing a false date of birth to bypass this requirement is grounds for immediate and permanent account termination.
  • Marital status: You must currently be unmarried — never married, divorced, or widowed and not yet remarried, as applicable. You must not be in any legally recognised union at the time of account creation.
  • Residency: You must be an Indian citizen or a person of Indian origin. Courtship is designed for Indian matrimonial context and is not available outside India at this time.
  • Capacity: You must have the legal capacity to enter into a binding agreement under Indian law.
  • Intent: You must be using the Platform genuinely for the purpose of finding a life partner for marriage. Misuse of the Platform for any other purpose is a violation of these Terms.

We reserve the right to verify eligibility at any time. Accounts found to be ineligible will be terminated without notice or refund.

2. The Dossier and Immutability Agreement

Courtship operates on a principle of radical authenticity. Your member dossier — the profile containing your identity and personal information — is the foundation of trust on the Platform.

2.1 Dossier Sealing

When you complete your onboarding and submit your dossier for review, it enters a sealed state. Once sealed, the following identity-anchor fields are permanently immutable and cannot be changed under any circumstances:

  • Full legal name
  • Date of birth
  • Gender

2.2 Your Immutability Agreement

By sealing your dossier, you explicitly agree that:

  • The identity-anchor fields you have provided are true and accurate to the best of your knowledge.
  • You understand and accept that these fields cannot be changed after sealing, even upon request to Courtship support.
  • This immutability is enforced at the database level by cryptographic triggers and is not reversible by any Courtship employee or automated process.
  • If any of these fields are inaccurate, your only remedy is to close your account, ensure the inaccurate data is deleted, and create a new account with accurate information.

2.3 Other Dossier Fields

Non-identity fields (hometown, employer, photos, preferences) may be updated during the onboarding phase prior to dossier sealing. Post-sealing update policies for non-identity fields are communicated within the application.

3. Code of Conduct

Courtship is built on the expectation of respectful, genuine interaction between members seeking marriage partners. All members must adhere to the following conduct standards at all times.

3.1 Required Conduct

  • Communicate with all members respectfully, with dignity and care.
  • Be honest in all representations about yourself, your circumstances, and your intentions.
  • Respond to connections and communications in a timely and considerate manner.

3.2 Prohibited Conduct

The following behaviours are strictly prohibited:

  • Harassment: Any form of harassment, intimidation, threats, or unwanted persistent contact.
  • Hate speech: Content that demeans, threatens, or discriminates based on caste, religion, gender, disability, or any other protected characteristic.
  • Impersonation: Representing yourself as another person or creating a false identity.
  • Fraudulent intent: Using the Platform to solicit money, extract personal information under false pretences, or commit fraud of any kind.
  • Inappropriate content: Sharing sexually explicit, violent, or otherwise inappropriate content.
  • Commercial solicitation: Using the Platform to advertise or sell products, services, or businesses.
  • Multiple accounts: Creating more than one active account at any time.

3.3 Reporting

If you witness or experience conduct that violates these standards, use the in-app reporting function. All reports are reviewed by our trained Curators. Reports are confidential.

4. Connections: How They Work and How They End

A “connection” on Courtship is a mutual, intentional relationship between two members exploring each other as potential marriage partners.

4.1 Initiating a Connection

You may send a connection request to another member. A connection is established only when both members accept. You are not obligated to accept any connection request.

4.2 Active Connections

Active connections allow members to communicate via the Courtship chat. All communication must comply with the Code of Conduct (Section 3). Courtship does not facilitate, mediate, or guarantee any outcome from a connection.

4.3 Closing a Connection

Either member may close a connection at any time without explanation. Closure is immediate and permanent. Upon closure:

  • The connection is marked as closed and no further communication is possible.
  • Chat message history is scheduled for deletion within 30 days.
  • A closed connection cannot be reopened. A new connection request may be sent in the future, subject to Platform policies.

4.4 Courtship’s Role

Courtship is a platform facilitator only. We do not arrange marriages, make introductions on your behalf, or guarantee compatibility. Any relationship formed through the Platform is entirely the result of your own decisions and interactions.

5. Payment and Shagun

Courtship offers premium features available through in-app purchases. The following terms apply to all payments made on the Platform.

5.1 Shagun

“Shagun” is the name for Courtship’s in-app purchase and premium membership offering. Shagun payments unlock enhanced features, priority visibility, or other premium functions as described in the application at the time of purchase.

5.2 Non-Refundable Policy

All Shagun purchases are final and non-refundable once payment is confirmed. By completing a Shagun purchase, you acknowledge and agree that:

  • You have reviewed the features included in the purchase before completing the transaction.
  • No refunds will be issued for unused portions of a subscription period, for features not utilised, or upon voluntary account closure.
  • Refunds will be issued only in the event of a verified technical error by Courtship that resulted in non-delivery of a purchased feature, at our sole discretion.
  • Account termination for violation of these Terms does not entitle you to a refund of any amount paid.

5.3 Payment Processing

Payments are processed through the Apple App Store (iOS) or Google Play Store (Android). The respective store’s payment terms also apply. Courtship does not store your payment instrument details.

6. Account Termination

Your Courtship account may be terminated — either by you or by us — under the following circumstances.

6.1 Termination by You

You may close your account at any time from within the application. Upon requesting closure:

  • Your account enters a 30-day grace period during which it is suspended but recoverable.
  • After 30 days, all personal data is permanently deleted (see Privacy Policy Section 4).
  • Active connections are closed and counterparties are notified that the connection has ended.
  • No refund is issued for any remaining Shagun subscription period.

6.2 Termination by Courtship

We reserve the right to suspend or permanently terminate your account, without prior notice and without refund, if we determine that you have:

  • Provided false information during registration or verification
  • Violated the Code of Conduct (Section 3)
  • Engaged in fraudulent, abusive, or harmful behaviour toward any member or toward Courtship
  • Failed to meet or no longer meet eligibility requirements (Section 1)
  • Used the Platform for any purpose other than genuine matrimonial matchmaking
  • Breached any provision of these Terms

6.3 Effects of Termination

Upon termination (by either party), access to the Platform ceases immediately. Termination does not affect any rights or obligations that have already accrued, including any obligations arising from conduct during the membership period.

7. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable Indian law:

  • Courtship is a platform — we are not a matchmaker, marriage bureau, or guarantor of any connection or marriage outcome.
  • We are not liable for any loss, harm, or disappointment arising from interactions between members, the failure of a connection to result in marriage, or the closing of a connection by either party.
  • We are not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising from your use of or inability to use the Platform.
  • Our total liability to you for any direct damages shall not exceed the amount paid by you to Courtship in the 3 months preceding the event giving rise to the claim.

8. Dispute Resolution

These Terms are governed by the laws of India. Any dispute arising out of or in connection with these Terms or your use of the Platform shall be subject to the following resolution process:

  • Step 1 — Grievance Officer: Contact our Grievance Officer at grievance@courtship.club. We will endeavour to resolve the matter within 30 days.
  • Step 2 — Mediation: If the matter is not resolved through Step 1, either party may initiate mediation before a mutually agreed mediator.
  • Step 3 — Jurisdiction: If mediation fails, disputes shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts at Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. You waive any objection to this venue.

Nothing in this Section prevents either party from seeking urgent interim relief from a court of competent jurisdiction.

9. Intellectual Property

All content on the Courtship Platform — including the application design, brand, text, and software — is owned by Courtship and protected by applicable intellectual property laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works from any Platform content without our express written permission.

You retain ownership of the personal data and photos you upload to your dossier. By uploading content to the Platform, you grant Courtship a limited, non-exclusive licence to use that content solely for the purpose of providing the matchmaking service to you.

10. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time to reflect changes in our service, applicable law, or operational requirements. When we do:

  • We will update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page.
  • We will notify you in-app at least 7 days before material changes take effect.
  • Your continued use of the Platform after the effective date constitutes your acceptance of the updated Terms.
  • If you do not accept the updated Terms, you must close your account before the effective date.