It depends almost entirely on where the job is. In Germany, Austria and Switzerland a photo is still the norm. In the UK, Ireland and the US you should leave it off. Much of the rest of Europe sits in between: common, accepted, rarely required.
No EU country legally requires a photo on a CV, and employers in several countries aren’t allowed to ask for one in the job advert. So the question is about local custom, not rules.
Country by country
| Country or region | Photo? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Germany, Austria, Switzerland | Usually yes | Traditional part of the Lebenslauf. Leaving it off is accepted more and more, especially at international firms, but many recruiters still expect one. |
| Romania, Poland, Czechia, Hungary, Bulgaria and most of Central/Eastern Europe | Common, optional | Many applicants include one. Neither including nor omitting it is unusual. |
| France, Belgium, Luxembourg | Common, optional | Still frequent in France, though anonymised CVs are encouraged in some sectors. |
| Spain, Italy, Portugal, Greece | Common, optional | Often included, particularly for customer-facing roles. |
| Netherlands, Nordic countries | Mixed | Some people include one, many don’t. Follow the company’s style. |
| United Kingdom, Ireland | No | Recruiters may discard CVs with photos to avoid discrimination claims. |
| United States, Canada | No | Strongly discouraged for the same reason. |
Treat this as guidance, not law. Practices vary by industry and company, and they are changing. The trend across Europe is slowly toward no photo.
Exceptions that matter more than country
International companies with English-language hiring processes often follow UK or US habits even in Germany or Romania. If the job ad is in English and the company is a global tech firm or a consultancy, no photo is the safer choice.
Roles where appearance is part of the job, such as acting, modelling, some hospitality and front-of-house positions, may ask for photos explicitly. Then include one, or a separate set as requested.
If the advert says no photos, or asks for an anonymous application, follow it.
And when you’re unsure, look at the company’s LinkedIn page or careers site. If employees’ profiles and the “meet the team” page are full of professional photos, a photo on your CV won’t look out of place.
Why some recruiters prefer no photo
Photos reveal age, gender, ethnicity and other characteristics that shouldn’t influence hiring and, under EU equal-treatment law, must not. Several studies of CV screening have found that photos do shift recruiters’ judgements, consciously or not. Some employers would rather not see them at all, both to be fair and to avoid any later suggestion that a decision was based on appearance.
That doesn’t mean including a photo is wrong in countries where it’s normal. It does mean you shouldn’t feel obliged to include one if you’d rather not.
If you include one, make it a good one
A bad photo hurts more than no photo. Some simple rules:
- Recent, from the shoulders up, facing the camera or at a slight angle.
- Plain, light background. A wall works; a beach does not.
- Dressed the way you would for the interview.
- Good natural light, sharp focus, no filters.
- A neutral, friendly expression. A slight smile is fine.
- No cropped group photos, sunglasses, selfies at arm’s length or holiday pictures.
A friend with a modern phone and a window can produce a perfectly good photo in ten minutes. A professional headshot (usually €30–80 in most EU cities) is worth it if you’re applying for senior or client-facing roles in Germany or Austria.
Place the photo in the top corner of the first page, next to your name, at roughly passport size. Never as a background or watermark.
Applicant tracking systems and photos
A photo itself doesn’t stop an ATS reading your CV, as long as the rest of the document is real text. The issues come from templates that put your name or contact details inside an image next to the photo. Keep text as text. More detail in our guide to ATS-friendly resumes.
Keep two versions
If you’re applying in several countries, keep one CV with a photo and one without. In our builder you can upload a photo and turn it on or off with the “Show photo” switch, and duplicating a resume takes one click, so you can have a German version and an international version side by side. The Modern template is designed around a photo in its coloured sidebar; Classic and Minimal look just as good without one. Browse them on the templates page, and read CV vs resume for the other differences between European and US applications.
