Resume rules in Switzerland
What employers in Switzerland expect on a Lebenslauf (German); Curriculum Vitae (French); Curriculum Vitae (Italian), what the law lets them ask for, and where the two disagree.
Call it a CV for Switzerland, a resume for Switzerland, or Lebenslauf: it's the same document.
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: Expected
Expected in German-speaking Switzerland and parts of French-speaking areas; uncommon in Italian-speaking region
What the law says: No legal requirement; Federal Data Protection Act restricts processing
Date of birth: Common
Common in practice despite legal tensions; often included
What the law says: No legal requirement; personal data law restricts processing
Marital status: Uncommon
Uncommon in modern practice, declining trend
What the law says: No legal requirement
Sex or gender: Uncommon
Uncommon, not typically included
What the law says: No requirement; sex equality law in place (Equal Pay Act)
Nationality: Not found
Often included, especially for immigration-relevant roles; work permit status may be mentioned
What the law says: No legal requirement
National ID number: Not found
Not typically included, considered privacy concern
What the law says: No requirement for AHV number or other ID
The rest of the entry
- Local name of the document
- Lebenslauf (German); Curriculum Vitae (French); Curriculum Vitae (Italian)
- Language to submit in
- German, French, or Italian depending on region; English increasingly accepted
- Typical length
- 1-2 pages
- Address detail expected
- City or postal code area; full address less common
- Signature and date
- Sometimes expected, particularly in German-speaking areas
- Officially prescribed form
- None mandatory; Europass optional
- Religion, ethnicity or caste
- No requirement; equality law prohibits discrimination
- Health, disability or pregnancy
- No requirement; voluntary disclosure possible
- Other customary attachments
- References common; educational certificates sometimes attached
- Employer may not ask for
- Age, marital status, family plans, religion, political views, union membership, health status (per Federal Data Protection Act)
- Named statutes
- Federal Data Protection Act (FDPA, Bundesgesetz über den Datenschutz, 1992); new FDPA 2023 (Bundesgesetz über den Datenschutz, 2023)
- Data protection regime
- Federal Data Protection Act (FDPA) + cantonal implementations + EU adequacy decision for GDPR
- Anti-discrimination statutes
- Gender Equality Act (Gleichstellungsgesetz, 1996); Federal Constitution protections
- Local language source
- German, French, Italian
Where this came from
Looked up 2026-08-15. Independently checked 2026-08-15. High confidence. Result of that check: Corrected.
Notes: Multi-lingual country with regional practice variations. Photo inclusion is most common in German Switzerland but decreasing due to discrimination concerns. No national ID number legally required despite historical practice.
Researched with AI assistants working from a written checklist, then independently checked. How we researched this