Should you put a photo on your CV? (By country)

Why this varies so much by country

CV photo norms are shaped by each country's anti-discrimination employment law and hiring culture, not just tradition. In some markets, a photo is standard and expected; in others, including one can actively work against an application because employers are legally cautious about any information that could suggest bias in hiring, including age, appearance or ethnicity.

Countries where a photo is common or expected

• Germany, Austria, Switzerland: A professional photo is still widely expected as part of a traditional CV (Lebenslauf), though this is slowly shifting, especially among younger or international-facing companies.
• France: Common but not universally required; increasingly optional, particularly for younger applicants and larger companies.
• Many parts of Asia (including Pakistan, India, China, parts of the Middle East): A photo is frequently included and generally accepted as standard on a CV.
• Parts of Latin America: Also commonly included, though large multinational employers may follow more international norms.

Countries where a photo is discouraged or actively avoided

• United States and Canada: Photos are strongly discouraged. Many US employers will not review a resume with a photo at all, specifically to avoid any appearance of bias in hiring decisions.
• United Kingdom: Not expected, and generally advised against for the same equal-opportunity reasons.
• Australia and New Zealand: Not standard practice; leaving it off is the safer default.
• Netherlands, Sweden, and several other Northern European countries: Increasingly moving away from photos, in line with broader anonymous-hiring trends.

The safest default when you're not sure

If you're applying internationally, or to a multinational company, or simply don't know the local norm, the safer default is to leave the photo off. A CV without a photo is accepted essentially everywhere, while a CV with a photo can occasionally work against you in markets where it's discouraged — the risk isn't symmetrical.

If you do include a photo, get it right

A CV photo, where appropriate, should be a recent, plain-background headshot in professional dress, similar in tone to a LinkedIn profile photo — not a cropped social photo, a group picture, or a heavily filtered image. A poor-quality or overly casual photo can hurt an application more than including no photo at all.

What about LinkedIn and other platforms?

This guidance is specific to the CV/resume document itself. A professional LinkedIn photo is expected and beneficial almost everywhere, regardless of country, since LinkedIn is understood as a networking profile rather than a formal job application document subject to the same hiring-bias concerns.

FAQ

Is it illegal to include a photo on a resume in the US?

It's not illegal to submit one, but many US employers actively discourage or discard resumes with photos to avoid any appearance of bias, so leaving it off is the safer standard practice.

What if I'm applying to companies in multiple countries at once?

Leave the photo off by default. A CV without a photo is accepted in every market, while a photo can work against you specifically in countries where it's discouraged.