Resume rules in Vanuatu
What employers in Vanuatu expect on a Curriculum Vitae (CV) / Resume; French: Curriculum Vitae; Bislama: CV, what the law lets them ask for, and where the two disagree.
Call it a CV for Vanuatu or a resume for Vanuatu: 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: Common
Common for formal sectors; optional for NGO/development organizations. If included, use recent formal headshot with neutral background
What the law says: No specific rule for CV photo; employer cannot discriminate on appearance under Employment Act
Date of birth: Optional
Optional
What the law says: No specific rule
Marital status: Optional
Optional
What the law says: No specific rule
Sex or gender: Optional
Optional
What the law says: Discrimination prohibited under Employment Act; no CV rule
Nationality: Optional
Optional
What the law says: Foreign workers need work permit; no CV rule
National ID number: Not found
Not typically on CV
The rest of the entry
- Local name of the document
- Curriculum Vitae (CV) / Resume; French: Curriculum Vitae; Bislama: CV
- Language to submit in
- English, French, or Bislama (trilingual nation). English dominant for private sector/NGO; French for government/education sectors
- Typical length
- 1-2 pages
- Address detail expected
- Contact address typical
- Signature and date
- Not standard
- Officially prescribed form
- British-influenced Pacific format for English contexts; French formal structure for Francophone employers
- Religion, ethnicity or caste
- Discrimination prohibited on race, religion; no CV rule
- Health, disability or pregnancy
- Discrimination prohibited on disability; no CV rule
- Other customary attachments
- Work permits require: passport-sized photo, completed work permit form, valid passport (6+ months), educational/professional certificates, residency visa
- Employer may not ask for
- Discrimination on race, gender, religion, disability prohibited by Employment Act
- Named statutes
- Employment Act Cap 160 (1983); Privacy Act No. 27, 2000
- Data protection regime
- Privacy Act No. 27 of 2000 (limited scope; comprehensive framework still developing)
- Anti-discrimination statutes
- Employment Act 1983 / Employment Act No. 12, 2010 (prohibits discrimination on race, gender, religion, disability)
- Local language source
- French checked; English sources verified
Where this came from
Looked up 2026-08-15. Independently checked 2026-08-15. Medium confidence. Result of that check: Corrected.
Notes: Vanuatu's trilingual context (English, French, Bislama) means CV format follows the language and sector. Employment Act prohibits discrimination but does not mandate CV format. Privacy Act 2000 is limited; comprehensive framework still developing. British-influenced for English/NGO; French formal for government/education sectors.
Researched with AI assistants working from a written checklist, then independently checked. How we researched this