Resume rules in Colombia
What employers in Colombia expect on a Hoja de Vida, what the law lets them ask for, and where the two disagree.
Call it a CV for Colombia, a resume for Colombia, or Hoja de Vida: 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 - frequently requested, especially by domestic companies; multinational employers often less strict
What the law says: No legal requirement for photos on CV; personal data protection under Ley 1581 (Law 1581 of 2012) and constitutional Article 15 (habeas data right). Employer cannot make photo a hiring condition if it exposes applicant to discrimination.
Date of birth: Expected
Expected - commonly included in personal data section (datos personales), alongside name, nationality, ID number
What the law says: No legal requirement to include date of birth on CV; protected by data minimization principles in Ley 1581 and constitutional habeas data rights; employers cannot use age as hiring criterion (Ley 1010 addresses discrimination)
Marital status: Optional
Optional - increasingly omitted as discriminatory; larger employers moving away from this requirement
What the law says: No legal requirement; protected by equality law (Ley 1010 prohibits discrimination including marital status discrimination)
Sex or gender: Avoid
Avoid - should not be disclosed unless specifically required for a role-specific reason
What the law says: Protected under Ley 1010 (Law 1010 of 2006 addresses workplace harassment and discrimination)
Nationality: Common
Common - often listed in personal data section, especially for domestic positions
What the law says: No explicit CV requirement; visa/work permit requirements separate from CV content (regulated by Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
National ID number: Common
Common - frequently included in personal data section for domestic employers
What the law says: No requirement to include national ID (cédula) on CV; personal data protection applies
The rest of the entry
- Local name of the document
- Hoja de Vida
- Language to submit in
- Spanish; English acceptable for multinational employers
- Typical length
- 1-2 pages
- Address detail expected
- Full address or city typical in personal data section; increasingly omitted in multinational contexts
- Signature and date
- Not standard; signature not typically required on electronic CVs; date may appear but not mandated
- Officially prescribed form
- None officially prescribed; Europass accepted; domestic employers often expect traditional format with personal data section
- Religion, ethnicity or caste
- No requirement to disclose; protected under equality and non-discrimination law (Ley 1010 covers race, ethnicity, religion)
- Health, disability or pregnancy
- No requirement to disclose; protected under Ley 1581 and equality law; disability accommodations requested separately post-hire
- Other customary attachments
- References often requested; certifications/diplomas typically required separately; not as CV attachments
- Employer may not ask for
- Age, marital status, political affiliation, sexual orientation, disability (if not job-relevant), health/medical history (Ley 1010 and equality law prohibit discrimination-based requests)
- Named statutes
- Ley 1581 de 2012 (Law 1581 of 2012) - Personal Data Protection; Ley 1010 de 2006 (Law 1010 of 2006) - Workplace Harassment and Discrimination; Código Sustantivo del Trabajo (Labor Code, Article 56) - worker dignity and privacy
- Data protection regime
- Law 1581 of 2012 (personal data) + Law 1266 of 2008 (financial data) + Decree 1377 of 2013 (implementing regulation) + Constitutional Article 15 (habeas data); enforced by Superintendencia de Industria y Comercio (SIC)
- Anti-discrimination statutes
- Ley 1010 de 2006 (workplace discrimination and harassment); Código Sustantivo del Trabajo; Constitutional protections (equality and dignity)
- Local language source
- Spanish
Where this came from
Looked up 2026-08-15. Independently checked 2026-08-15. High confidence. Result of that check: Confirmed.
Notes: Photos are common practice but not legally required; there is tension between local CV convention (which includes personal data) and data protection principles. Employers cannot condition hiring on personal characteristics protected by Ley 1010.
Researched with AI assistants working from a written checklist, then independently checked. How we researched this