Resume rules in South Africa

Q: Should you put a photo on your CV in South Africa?

In practice: Avoid; optional only for appearance-relevant roles What the law says: Not required; protected under POPIA

Q: Should you include your date of birth in South Africa?

In practice: Avoid; legally unnecessary What the law says: Not required; protected under POPIA 2013

Q: Should you state your marital status in South Africa?

In practice: Avoid; can omit What the law says: Not required; protected under POPIA

Q: Should you state your sex or gender in South Africa?

In practice: Avoid; unnecessary What the law says: Protected under Employment Equity Act 1998 and POPIA 2013

Q: Should you state your nationality in South Africa?

In practice: Common for visa sponsorship considerations; include if foreign What the law says: Not required by law

Q: Should you include a national ID number in South Africa?

In practice: Uncommon; being phased out due to identity theft concerns What the law says: Not required; phasing out

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

Call it a CV for South Africa or a resume for South Africa: 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: Avoid

Avoid; optional only for appearance-relevant roles

What the law says: Not required; protected under POPIA

Date of birth: Avoid

Avoid; legally unnecessary

What the law says: Not required; protected under POPIA 2013

Marital status: Avoid

Avoid; can omit

What the law says: Not required; protected under POPIA

Sex or gender: Avoid

Avoid; unnecessary

What the law says: Protected under Employment Equity Act 1998 and POPIA 2013

Nationality: Common

Common for visa sponsorship considerations; include if foreign

What the law says: Not required by law

National ID number: Uncommon

Uncommon; being phased out due to identity theft concerns

What the law says: Not required; phasing out

The rest of the entry

Local name of the document: Curriculum Vitae
Language to submit in: English
Typical length: 1-5 pages (3-5 typical for senior roles; 1-2 for entry-level)
Address detail expected: City and province only; no full address required
Signature and date: Not typical
Religion, ethnicity or caste: Protected under POPIA 2013
Health, disability or pregnancy: Protected under POPIA 2013
Other customary attachments: References listed directly on CV
Employer may not ask for: Employers may not request sensitive personal information early in recruitment: race, gender, religion, health, disability, age, marital status, ID number per POPIA
Named statutes: Protection of Personal Information Act 2013 (POPIA); Employment Equity Act 1998 (both in English)
Data protection regime: POPIA (Protection of Personal Information Act) 2013
Anti-discrimination statutes: Employment Equity Act 1998; POPIA 2013
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: Confirmed.

Notes: POPIA is strict and binding on employers from application stage. Employers are legally required to confirm every person is authorized to work in South Africa. South African government explicitly advises omitting photo, date of birth, ID, race, marital status, and dependents from CV. References are uniquely included on CV itself rather than provided on request.

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