Resume rules in Malawi
What employers in Malawi expect on a Curriculum Vitae, what the law lets them ask for, and where the two disagree.
Call it a CV for Malawi or a resume for Malawi: it's the same document. Employers there usually want it written in 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 (may be advantageous for customer-facing roles)
What the law says: Employment Act Chapter 55 prohibits discrimination based on birth status but does not mandate or forbid photos on CVs
Date of birth: Optional
Optional but sometimes included; modern best practices moving away from inclusion
What the law says: Employment Act Chapter 55:01 prohibits employment discrimination based on birth status but does not specifically address date of birth or age; note: 'birth' refers to birth status (legitimacy) not date of birth
Marital status: Avoid
Avoid (modern best practices discourage inclusion)
What the law says: Employment Act Chapter 55:01 prohibits discrimination based on marital status
Sex or gender: Avoid
Avoid
What the law says: Employment Act Chapter 55:01 prohibits discrimination based on sex
Nationality: Not found
Include only for work permit-relevant positions
What the law says: Employment Act does not restrict but may be relevant for work permit status
National ID number: Not found
Not found
The rest of the entry
- Local name of the document
- Curriculum Vitae
- Language to submit in
- English
- Typical length
- 1-2 pages maximum
- Address detail expected
- City and district
- Religion, ethnicity or caste
- Employment Act Chapter 55:01 prohibits discrimination based on religion and ethnic origin
- Health, disability or pregnancy
- Employment Act Chapter 55:01 prohibits discrimination based on disability
- Employer may not ask for
- Employers prohibited from discriminating on: race, colour, sex, language, religion, political opinion, nationality, ethnic origin, disability, birth, marital status, family responsibilities
- Named statutes
- Employment Act No.6 of 2000 (Chapter 55:01); Maternity, Parental and Adoption Benefits Act (address pregnancy protections)
- Data protection regime
- Not found in available sources
- Anti-discrimination statutes
- Employment Act 2000, No.6 (Chapter 55:01)
- 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: Disputed.
Notes: Employment law provides clear guidance on what NOT to include rather than prescriptive requirements; modern practice is moving toward non-discriminatory CV standards similar to international best practices; discrimination law reflects British-influenced employment framework
Researched with AI assistants working from a written checklist, then independently checked. How we researched this