Resume rules in Benin
What employers in Benin expect on a Curriculum Vitae (CV), what the law lets them ask for, and where the two disagree.
Call it a CV for Benin or a resume for Benin: it's the same document. Employers there usually want it written in French.
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: Not found
Customary to include a photo
What the law says: No law requiring or prohibiting CV photos
Date of birth: Common
Common, inferred from visa requirements
What the law says: No explicit legal requirement; however date of birth required by Ministry of Labor when sponsoring foreign employees
Marital status: Not found
Not specified; unclear if expected
What the law says: No explicit legal requirement on CV; marital status is personal data under Law 2009-09
Sex or gender: Uncommon
Uncommon, not typically included
What the law says: No legal requirement on CV; general anti-discrimination law applies
Nationality: Not found
Not typically included
What the law says: No legal requirement on CV
National ID number: Uncommon
Uncommon on CV itself
What the law says: No legal requirement on CV
The rest of the entry
- Local name of the document
- Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Language to submit in
- French
- Typical length
- 2 pages maximum
- Signature and date
- Not specified as requirement
- Religion, ethnicity or caste
- Prohibited to request: Article 6 of Law 2009-09 prohibits collection/processing of data revealing racial or ethnic origins, political/philosophical/religious opinions, or trade union membership without express consent
- Health, disability or pregnancy
- Prohibited to request: Article 6 of Law 2009-09 prohibits collection/processing of health and sexual life data without express consent
- Other customary attachments
- Work permit from Ministry of Labor; proof of employment; for foreign nationals: passport, criminal background check, proof of employment
- Employer may not ask for
- Employers cannot request or process without consent: racial/ethnic origin, political opinions, religious beliefs, union membership, health data, sexual life data, according to Article 6 of Law 2009-09 and Constitutional protections
- Named statutes
- Law No. 2009-09 of 22 May 2009 on Protection of Personally Identifiable Information; Book V of Digital Code of Benin (2017) on Personal Data Protection; Constitution Article 21 and 26 protecting privacy
- Data protection regime
- Law 2009-09 (2009) + Book V of Digital Code (2017); Constitutional protection under Articles 21 and 26
- Anti-discrimination statutes
- Law 2009-09 Article 6 on personal data; Constitutional protections on privacy and dignity
- Local language source
- English only
Where this came from
Looked up 2026-08-15. Independently checked 2026-08-15. High confidence. Result of that check: Confirmed.
Notes: Benin has relatively strong personal data protection law (Law 2009-09) which is older than GDPR and considered innovative for Africa at the time. Strong protections for sensitive data. Labour Code emphasizes practical experience over education. No explicit CV format requirements found.
Researched with AI assistants working from a written checklist, then independently checked. How we researched this