Resume rules in Belgium
What employers in Belgium expect on a Curriculum Vitae (CV), what the law lets them ask for, and where the two disagree.
Call it a CV for Belgium or a resume for Belgium: it's the same document.
This is research, not legal advice. Employment and data protection law changes, state and provincial rules matter in federal countries, and practice varies by industry and seniority. Each entry shows when it was looked up and how confident we are. Where nothing reliable was published it says Not found rather than a guess.
Law and practice, side by side
The label on the right is what local hiring expects. The two lines under it are the law and the habit, which often disagree.
Photo: Common
Common; approximately 60% of CVs include photos
What the law says: No legal requirement; GDPR Article 88 allows member states to regulate employment data. Employer may not request photo as condition of consideration under discrimination law.
Date of birth: Common
Common; often included but not required
What the law says: No legal requirement; GDPR Article 9 restricts processing of age-related data without justified need. Date of birth collection for recruitment must be justified.
Marital status: Uncommon
Uncommon; generally avoided
What the law says: No legal requirement; prohibited under non-discrimination principles (Belgian Law Against Discrimination)
Sex or gender: Optional
Optional; some include, others omit
What the law says: Not required; Directive 2006/54/EC prohibits sex discrimination in employment
Nationality: Common
Common when relevant to work authorization
What the law says: Not required; Directive 2000/43/EC prohibits ethnic discrimination; nationality is separate from ethnic origin
National ID number: Not found
Rare; may be requested in separate background check documents
What the law says: Not required on CV; national ID numbers protected under GDPR
The rest of the entry
- Local name of the document
- Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Language to submit in
- French, Dutch, English (for international positions)
- Typical length
- 1-2 pages
- Address detail expected
- Full address or city of residence common; not legally required
- Signature and date
- Not typically expected or required
- Officially prescribed form
- Europass format available and widely accepted; no official Belgian format
- Religion, ethnicity or caste
- Prohibited under Directive 2000/43/EC (ethnic origin) and Directive 2000/78/EC (religion/belief); not required on CV; requesting or acting on this information is illegal discrimination
- Health, disability or pregnancy
- Not required; GDPR Article 9 restricts health data; Directive 2000/78/EC prohibits disability discrimination. Only request if related to reasonable accommodations needed.
- Other customary attachments
- References typically expected; certificates/diplomas often requested after selection
- Employer may not ask for
- Age, marital status, family plans, religion, ethnic origin, health status, disability (unless related to reasonable accommodation), sexual orientation, political beliefs, trade union membership
- Named statutes
- GDPR (EU 2016/679) + Belgian Personal Data Protection Authority oversight; Belgian Law Against Discrimination (Loi portant création d'une Commission pour l'égalité des chances entre hommes et femmes, 1999); Council Directive 2000/78/EC (Framework Employment Equality Directive); Council Directive 2006/54/EC (Equal Treatment Directive); Council Directive 2000/43/EC (Racial Equality Directive)
- Data protection regime
- GDPR (EU 2016/679) + Belgian Data Protection Authority (Autorité de Protection des Données)
- Anti-discrimination statutes
- Council Directive 2000/78/EC (religion, disability, age, sexual orientation); Council Directive 2006/54/EC (gender); Council Directive 2000/43/EC (racial/ethnic origin); Law of May 10, 2007 (loi du 10 mai 2007 tendant à lutter contre certaines formes de discrimination)
- Local language source
- French, Dutch
Where this came from
Looked up 2026-08-15. Independently checked 2026-08-15. High confidence. Result of that check: Corrected.
Notes: Belgium has three official languages (French, Dutch, German); most CVs use French or Dutch depending on region. Photo inclusion is common practice but not legally required. Under GDPR and EU anti-discrimination directives, employers may not request or use most personal characteristics for screening. Age-based discrimination is prohibited.
Researched with AI assistants working from a written checklist, then independently checked. How we researched this