Resume rules in France

What employers in France expect on a Curriculum Vitae, what the law lets them ask for, and where the two disagree.

Call it a CV for France or a resume for France: 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: Optional

Optional; increasingly discouraged due to anti-discrimination bias research. Traditional practice outdated.

What the law says: Code du travail L1221-6: data collection must have direct and necessary link to job or professional aptitude assessment. No law requires photo. Photo is biometric data; CNIL treats it as sensitive for anti-discrimination.

Date of birth: Optional

Optional; increasingly omitted in modern practice due to age discrimination concerns

What the law says: Code du travail L1221-6: birth date not directly necessary for job assessment; CNIL recommends omitting

Marital status: Avoid

Avoid; should not be included

What the law says: Code du travail L1221-6: marital/family status prohibited from collection

Sex or gender: Avoid

Avoid; not necessary

What the law says: Code du travail L1121-1: prohibits discrimination on sex/gender; information not required

Nationality: Optional

Optional; include only if relevant

What the law says: Code du travail L1221-6: nationality may be requested only if directly necessary for role

National ID number: Not found

Not found

The rest of the entry

Local name of the document
Curriculum Vitae
Language to submit in
French
Typical length
1-2 pages
Address detail expected
Contact information (email, phone) required; full address optional
Signature and date
Not commonly required
Officially prescribed form
None; Europass optional
Religion, ethnicity or caste
Code du travail L1132-1: prohibits discrimination on origin, religion, belief, etc.; CNIL: do not collect
Health, disability or pregnancy
Code du travail: cannot request health data; only relevant disability accommodations
Other customary attachments
Cover letter typically required
Employer may not ask for
Private life information (family status, personal projects, religious beliefs, age, origin, health) per L1221-6
Named statutes
Code du travail Article L1221-6 (data minimization in recruitment); Article L1132-1 (anti-discrimination)
Data protection regime
GDPR (EU 2016/679) + Code du travail (French Labor Code)
Anti-discrimination statutes
Code du travail L1132-1 (prohibition of discrimination on origin, sex, appearance, age, state of health, conviction, political/union activity, religion/belief)
Local language source
French

Where this came from

Looked up 2026-08-15. Independently checked 2026-08-15. High confidence. Result of that check: Confirmed.

Notes: Code du travail L1221-6 is the key legal restriction: employers may only request data with direct, necessary link to the job or assessment of professional aptitude. CNIL treats photos as biometric data and discourages use. Anonymised CVs were briefly legislated then repealed.

Researched with AI assistants working from a written checklist, then independently checked. How we researched this

4 sources we opened