Resume rules in Kosovo

What employers in Kosovo expect on a Jetëgjatja / CV, what the law lets them ask for, and where the two disagree.

Call it a CV for Kosovo, a resume for Kosovo, or Jetëgjatja: it's the same document. Employers there usually want it written in Albanian and English.

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; European Europass format includes photo as optional element; no legal requirement found

What the law says: Law No. 06/L-082 on Protection of Personal Data (2019) restricts collection of personal data including photos; Law No. 05/L-021 on Protection from Discrimination prohibits discrimination on appearance-related grounds but does not mandate photos

Date of birth: Optional

Optional; common in European Europass format but not mandatory

What the law says: Law No. 06/L-082 on Protection of Personal Data regulates collection; no specific legal prohibition on requesting DOB but must be justified by processing need; Law No. 05/L-021 prohibits discrimination based on age (protected characteristic)

Marital status: Optional

Optional; not standard on Europass

What the law says: Law No. 05/L-021 on Protection from Discrimination protects against discrimination on family status grounds; not prohibited to request but employer may not discriminate based on marital status in hiring

Sex or gender: Optional

Optional; not standard on Europass

What the law says: Law No. 05/L-021 on Protection from Discrimination and Labour Law No. 03/L-212 prohibit gender discrimination in recruitment; employers must establish equal criteria for men and women

Nationality: Optional

Optional; may be relevant for foreign worker hiring but not standard on initial CV

What the law says: Law No. 05/L-021 protects against discrimination on grounds of national extraction or social origin; nationality/citizenship status not required on CV

National ID number: Avoid

Avoid on CV; ID verification typically handled separately in pre-employment checks

What the law says: Law No. 06/L-082 on Protection of Personal Data: collection of ID numbers (passport, national ID) requires justification and lawful basis; restriction on sensitive data processing

The rest of the entry

Local name of the document
Jetëgjatja / CV
Language to submit in
Albanian and English
Typical length
1-2 pages typical; Europass has no specified maximum
Address detail expected
City/region acceptable; full address not necessary
Signature and date
No evidence of requirement for handwritten signature or date on CV
Officially prescribed form
Europass recommended for EU-wide mobility and cross-border employment; not legally mandated for Kosovo domestic hiring
Religion, ethnicity or caste
Law No. 05/L-021 on Protection from Discrimination prohibits discrimination on grounds of religion, race, colour, and descent. Law No. 03/L-212 Labour Law reinforces protections. Employers may not request or base decisions on religion, race, ethnicity, or caste. Processing of such data prohibited under GDPR-equivalent Law No. 06/L-082 unless explicit consent given.
Health, disability or pregnancy
Law No. 05/L-021 and Labour Law No. 03/L-212 protect persons with disabilities from employment discrimination if capable of performing work. Law No. 06/L-082 restricts collection of health data (special category) to cases where legally necessary for employment accommodation. Health/disability information should not appear on CV unless candidate chooses to disclose for accommodation requests.
Other customary attachments
No prescribed attachments on CV; references may be requested separately; police clearance and medical checks only permissible if data necessary for employment and with explicit consent per Law No. 06/L-082
Employer may not ask for
Under Law No. 05/L-021 on Protection from Discrimination: employers may not request or discriminate based on race, color, sex, religion, age, family status, political opinion, national extraction, social origin, language, trade-union membership. Under Law No. 06/L-082: collection of special category data (health, religious/philosophical beliefs, union membership) requires explicit consent or specific legal authorization. Sensitive personal data may not be processed without justification.
Named statutes
Law No. 06/L-082 on Protection of Personal Data (2019, transposing GDPR into Kosovar law); Law No. 05/L-021 on Protection from Discrimination (2015); Law No. 03/L-212 on Labour (referenced in employment protections)
Data protection regime
Law No. 06/L-082 on Protection of Personal Data (2019) + Information and Privacy Agency (IPA) as independent supervisory authority; GDPR-equivalent framework
Anti-discrimination statutes
Law No. 05/L-021 on Protection from Discrimination (2015); Law No. 03/L-212 on Labour (employment protections against discrimination)
Local language source
Albanian

Where this came from

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

Notes: LAW vs PRACTICE: Kosovo's legal framework closely follows EU law (GDPR-equivalent and EU anti-discrimination directives) but there is limited published guidance on specific CV practices in Kosovo hiring market. The law restricts what employers may request and prohibits discrimination on multiple grounds, but does not prescribe CV format or content for applicants. Europass is available as European standard but no Kosovo-specific format found. Labour law framework is undergoing reform (article notes law unchanged since 2010 as of 2023). Information and Privacy Agency (IPA) established 2019 as supervisor. Most practical guidance comes from G-P recruiting guide rather than government resources, suggesting limited public employment guidance materials available.

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

5 sources we opened