Following Recommendation 30b of the Bacteriological Code (1990 Revision), a proposal of minimal standards for describing new taxa within the family Halomonadaceae is presented. An effort has been made to evaluate as many different approaches as possible, not only the most conventional ones, to ensure that a rich polyphasic characterization is given. Comments are given on the advantages of each particular technique. The minimal standards are considered as guidelines for authors to prepare descriptions of novel taxa. The proposals presented here have been endorsed by the International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes Subcommittee on the Taxonomy of Halomonadaceae.