Resume rules in Taiwan
What employers in Taiwan expect on a 履歷 (liúlì, resume) + 自傳 (zìzhuàn, self-introduction essay), what the law lets them ask for, and where the two disagree.
Call it a CV for Taiwan, a resume for Taiwan, or 履歷: 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 and strongly conventional. Professional headshot with solid-color background. Resumes with photos receive 3x more interview invitations than without
What the law says: Employment Service Act Article 5 prohibits employers from requiring non-employment-related personal information; photo requirement must be justified as employment-necessary
Date of birth: Common
Common to include, though legally optional
What the law says: Employment Service Act Article 5 prohibits discrimination on age and restricts employer requests for non-employment personal data; date of birth falls under potentially restricted information but conventional practice includes it
Marital status: Common
Common to include but should omit when applying to multinationals
What the law says: Employment Service Act Article 5 restricts requests for non-employment personal data
Sex or gender: Optional
Optional; generally omit for international roles
What the law says: Employment Service Act Article 5 prohibits discrimination on sex/gender; no CV rule
Nationality: Optional
Optional unless applying as foreign worker
What the law says: No specific CV rule; Work Gold Card track and Article 46 categories regulate foreign worker permits
National ID number: Not found
Never on CV; submitted separately if required
What the law says: Employment Service Act Article 5 prohibits retaining national ID cards against will
The rest of the entry
- Local name of the document
- 履歷 (liúlì, resume) + 自傳 (zìzhuàn, self-introduction essay)
- Language to submit in
- Traditional Chinese (繁體字). English accepted for international roles but Traditional Chinese required for most positions
- Typical length
- 履歷: structured form (104 Job Bank platform); 自傳: 500-1000 Chinese characters (narrative essay)
- Address detail expected
- Contact information required; full address not necessary
- Signature and date
- Typed signature optional; handwritten signature not required
- Officially prescribed form
- 104 Job Bank platform standard for 履歷; 自傳 written as narrative essay, not bullet points
- Religion, ethnicity or caste
- No specific CV rule
- Health, disability or pregnancy
- Employment Service Act Article 5 restricts requests for non-employment health data
- Other customary attachments
- 2-component system required: 履歷 (structured resume via 104 platform) + 自傳 (self-introduction narrative essay); professional photo (NT$300-800 from local studios typical)
- Employer may not ask for
- Employment Service Act Article 5 prohibits: discrimination on race, class, language, thought, religion, political party, origin, birthplace, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, appearance, zodiac sign, blood type, union membership; requiring non-employment personal information; false job advertising; document retention; demanding deposits; work violating public morality
- Named statutes
- Employment Service Act (就業服務法), Article 5; Articles 46-58 regulate foreign worker permits
- Data protection regime
- Not found as specifically named statute in available sources; Employment Service Act Article 5 addresses privacy restrictions on employer requests
- Anti-discrimination statutes
- Employment Service Act (就業服務法) Article 5 (comprehensive anti-discrimination: race, class, language, thought, religion, political party, origin, birthplace, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, appearance, zodiac, blood type, union membership)
- Local language source
- Traditional Chinese (Taiwan) verified; Chinese sources reviewed
Where this came from
Looked up 2026-08-15. Independently checked 2026-08-15. High confidence. Result of that check: Confirmed.
Notes: Taiwan's Employment Service Act (就業服務法) Article 5 is the key statute: it prohibits employers from requesting non-employment personal data and prohibits discrimination on 12+ protected characteristics including age, marital status, appearance. Conventional Taiwanese CV practice includes photo and date of birth, even though technically optional under the law. Two-component system (履歷 + 自傳) is standard, typically submitted via 104 Job Bank platform. Traditional Chinese (繁體字) absolutely required. Photo practice is strong despite legal optionality—reflects market expectation, not legal mandate.
Researched with AI assistants working from a written checklist, then independently checked. How we researched this