Resume rules in Namibia
What employers in Namibia expect on a Curriculum Vitae, what the law lets them ask for, and where the two disagree.
Call it a CV for Namibia or a resume for Namibia: it's the same document. Employers there usually want it written in English, Afrikaans.
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: Avoid
Avoid, unless specifically requested
What the law says: Labour Act 2007 prohibits employers from discriminating based on appearance; no law restricts applicants from including photos
Date of birth: Avoid
Avoid
What the law says: Labour Act 2007 does not list age as a protected discrimination ground; no law prohibits employers from requesting date of birth
Marital status: Avoid
Avoid
What the law says: Labour Act 2007 prohibits discrimination on marital status; employers cannot require this information
Sex or gender: Avoid
Avoid
What the law says: Labour Act 2007 prohibits discrimination on sex and gender; employers cannot require gender disclosure
Nationality: Optional
Optional
What the law says: No specific prohibition; employment law protects all residents
National ID number: Not found
Not standard
What the law says: No specific law restricts disclosure of national ID
The rest of the entry
- Local name of the document
- Curriculum Vitae
- Language to submit in
- English, Afrikaans
- Typical length
- 2-3 pages
- Address detail expected
- Current Namibian address preferred for expatriates; demonstrates commitment to local market
- Religion, ethnicity or caste
- Labour Act 2007 prohibits discrimination based on religion, ethnic origin, color, race; employers cannot require disclosure
- Health, disability or pregnancy
- Labour Act 2007 prohibits discrimination on disability; employers cannot require health/disability disclosure unless job-critical
- Other customary attachments
- Not found in statute
- Employer may not ask for
- Labour Act 2007 Section 1 prohibits employers from requesting or discriminating based on: sex, marital status, family responsibilities, race, color, ethnic origin, religion, creed, social/economic status, HIV/AIDS status, pregnancy status, political opinion
- Named statutes
- Labour Act, 2007 (Act 11 of 2007); Affirmative Action (Employment) Act, 1998
- Data protection regime
- Data Protection Bill 2023 (not yet enacted); currently no comprehensive data protection legislation; Constitutional right to privacy exists but limited statutory enforcement mechanism
- Anti-discrimination statutes
- Labour Act 2007; Affirmative Action (Employment) Act 1998
- 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: Corrected.
Notes: Namibia has strong anti-discrimination protections in recruitment stage. Data Protection Bill 2023 is still in early legislative stages.
Researched with AI assistants working from a written checklist, then independently checked. How we researched this