Resume rules in Sweden
What employers in Sweden expect on a Curriculum Vitae (CV), what the law lets them ask for, and where the two disagree.
Call it a CV for Sweden or a resume for Sweden: it's the same document. Employers there usually want it written in Swedish, 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: Common
Common, but less mandatory than in some EU countries; omitting is acceptable
What the law says: No legal requirement; EU discrimination law restricts employer requests for photos
Date of birth: Uncommon
Uncommon, often omitted to avoid age discrimination
What the law says: No legal requirement; personal data protection law restricts processing
Marital status: Uncommon
Uncommon, not expected
What the law says: No legal requirement under Swedish law
Sex or gender: Uncommon
Uncommon, may appear if relevant to role
What the law says: No requirement; discrimination law prohibits gender-based screening
Nationality: Uncommon
Uncommon, work permit status may be mentioned if relevant
What the law says: No legal requirement
National ID number: Not found
Not included, considered privacy risk
What the law says: No requirement to include personal ID number
The rest of the entry
- Local name of the document
- Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Language to submit in
- Swedish, English
- Typical length
- 1-2 pages
- Address detail expected
- City or postal code area, not full address
- Signature and date
- Not typically expected; handwritten signature uncommon
- Officially prescribed form
- None; Europass optional
- Religion, ethnicity or caste
- No requirement; discrimination law prohibits consideration
- Health, disability or pregnancy
- No requirement; discrimination law (but disclosure of relevant accommodations may be voluntary)
- Other customary attachments
- References sometimes expected at request
- Employer may not ask for
- Age, marital status, family plans, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, union membership, health/disability status (per Discrimination Act)
- Named statutes
- Diskrimineringslag (Swedish Discrimination Act, 2008:567)
- Data protection regime
- GDPR (EU 2016/679) + Swedish Data Protection Act (Dataskyddslagen 2018:218)
- Anti-discrimination statutes
- Diskrimineringslag (Swedish Discrimination Act, 2008:567)
- Local language source
- Swedish
Where this came from
Looked up 2026-08-15. Independently checked 2026-08-15. High confidence. Result of that check: Confirmed.
Notes: EU member state with strong employment protection. Photo inclusion has declined over decades due to discrimination awareness. Many employers specifically request photo-free CVs.
Researched with AI assistants working from a written checklist, then independently checked. How we researched this