CV format for Saudi Arabia and the UAE: photo, date of birth and visa status
Gulf recruiters expect personal details that Western CVs leave out. What to include on a Saudi or UAE CV, what to leave off, and why one CV can't serve both.
Short answer: a CV for a job in Saudi Arabia or the UAE usually carries a personal-details block that a Western CV leaves out: a professional photo, your nationality, your visa or residency status, and often your date of birth and notice period. Include the ones that help a recruiter decide quickly whether you can legally start. Leave them all off when you apply to an employer that screens the Western way. You will need two versions of your CV, not one compromise.
This guide covers what goes on a Gulf CV, why, and where the conventions stop applying.
Why Gulf CVs look different
A recruiter in Riyadh or Dubai is usually answering two questions at once: can this person do the job, and can we actually hire them? The second question depends on visa, sponsorship and residency rules. In the UK or US, a candidate's right to work is often checked later. In the Gulf it is frequently the first filter, which is why the details that answer it sit at the top of the page.
That is the whole logic of the Gulf format. The personal details are there to save the recruiter a phone call, not for decoration.
The personal-details block: what to include
Put this block directly under your name and contact line. Only include what is true and current.
| Field | Include? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Nationality | Yes | Recruiters use it to judge visa steps and, in Saudi Arabia, localisation rules for the role. |
| Visa / residency status | Yes, if you are in the country or hold a transferable visa | "Residence visa, transferable" or "Iqama, transferable" answers the recruiter's first question. If you're outside the country, say so plainly. |
| Current location | Yes | City and country. "Cairo, Egypt, available to relocate" is fine. |
| Notice period | Usually | "One month" or "Immediate". Gulf employers often plan start dates around it. |
| Professional photo | Common, not universal | Expected in many client-facing, hospitality and banking roles. Passport-style, neutral background, business dress. No selfies. |
| Date of birth | Optional | Still common on Gulf CVs, but rarely decisive. Include it if the posting or the recruiter asks. |
| Marital status | Optional | Traditionally listed; increasingly left off. Include only if you're comfortable with it. |
| Driving licence | If relevant | Matters for sales, field and site roles. Say which country issued it. |
| Current / expected salary | Only if asked | Many application forms ask for it separately. On the CV itself it can box you in. |
Two things to never add: your passport number, and a copy of your ID. Neither belongs on a CV, and both create risk if the file is forwarded.
Saudi Arabia: what's specific
- Localisation shapes the shortlist. Saudi Arabia's Nitaqat programme requires private employers to keep a share of Saudi nationals in their workforce, and some professions have their own localisation rates. As an expat applicant, a clear nationality and iqama line lets the recruiter judge in seconds whether the role is open to you. More in Saudization explained for expat job seekers.
- Iqama status matters. If you are already in the Kingdom, say whether your iqama is transferable. A new employer requests the move through the Employee Transfer service on Qiwa, and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development sets conditions for it, for example a valid commercial registration and compliance with the Wage Protection System on the employer's side. The conditions change, so check the current rules on Qiwa before you describe your iqama as transferable.
- Engineers: under the Engineering Professions Practice Law, practising an engineering profession in the Kingdom requires Professional Accreditation from the Saudi Council of Engineers. If you have it, list it with your professional grade. If you don't, check the Council's requirements for your specialisation.
- Arabic or English: most private-sector postings in English expect an English CV. For government-linked employers or Arabic postings, have an Arabic version ready. See Arabic CV or English CV?
Not legal advice. These rules change; check the official source linked in each point before you rely on it.
UAE: what's specific
- Visa status is the most-screened line. "UAE residence visa (employment), transferable", "Golden Visa", "Visit visa, valid until 15 January" or "Outside UAE, requires sponsorship" are all fine. Pick the one that's true.
- Free-zone vs mainland doesn't need to be on the CV. It matters to the employer's paperwork, not your application.
- Photo expectations vary by employer. Local and regional firms often expect one. Some multinationals in DIFC or ADGM screen the Western way and prefer no photo. Read the posting and the company's careers page. When in doubt, follow what the application form asks for.
- Discrimination rules exist. Article 4 of Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021, the UAE labour law, prohibits discrimination in employment on the basis of race, colour, sex, religion, national or social origin, or disability. The same article says rules that increase the participation of UAE citizens in the labour market are not discrimination. It does not set out what a CV may contain, so follow what the employer's application form asks for.
Not legal advice. These rules change; check the official source linked in each point before you rely on it.
The Western/ATS version: strip it all out
If you apply to a European, UK or US employer, or to a multinational that screens candidates the Western way, remove the photo, date of birth, marital status and nationality. Keep work authorisation only as a plain line if it's relevant ("Authorised to work in the UAE").
Why bother with two versions? Because each format signals something. A Western recruiter who receives a CV with a photo and marital status may read it as unfamiliar with their norms. A Gulf recruiter who receives one with no visa line has to email you to ask, and may simply move to the next CV.
ATS systems in the Gulf
Many large Gulf employers use applicant-tracking systems, the same families as elsewhere. The practical rules are the same too:
- Use a simple single-column layout. Tables and text boxes in the main body can scramble when parsed.
- Put the personal-details block in plain text, not an image. A photo is fine as a separate element; your nationality written inside the photo is not.
- Use the job title and skill words the posting uses, where they are true for you. Don't paste in keywords you can't back up in an interview.
- Save as PDF unless the posting asks for Word.
A worked example
Fictional candidate: Ahmed, an Egyptian civil engineer in Cairo with eight years' experience, applying to a contractor in Riyadh.
Gulf version, top of page:
- Ahmed Hassan, Civil Engineer (photo, top right)
- Cairo, Egypt · +20 … · ahmed@…
- Nationality: Egyptian
- Visa status: outside KSA, requires an employment visa
- Notice period: one month
- Saudi Council of Engineers: his professional grade, if he is accredited
Western version of the same CV (for a UK consultancy's Cairo office): the same name and contact line, no photo, no nationality, no visa line, no notice period. The experience section is identical. What changes is only what the reader needs to decide.
Note what Ahmed does not do in either version: claim a Saudi project he didn't work on, or list software he's only watched a tutorial about. The format is the easy part. The content has to be true.
A checklist before you send
- Does the top third answer "can we hire this person?" (nationality, visa, notice)?
- Is the photo professional, recent, and appropriate for this employer, or removed for a Western-style employer?
- Is every personal detail current? An expired visa line is worse than none.
- Did you use the posting's own words for skills you really have?
- One version for Gulf-style employers, one for Western-style. Is this the right one?
How Taqdim handles this
Taqdim keeps both formats from one profile. When a job is in a Gulf country, it suggests the Gulf CV mode (photo and personal details you've entered), and you can switch to the Western mode, which strips them. The personal details only appear if you entered them; nothing is guessed or inferred. Taqdim is designed to draw every line of the tailored CV from your own profile, and you review everything before you use it. More on how it works, or read whether Taqdim ever invents content.
Taqdim is in closed beta. If you're applying in Egypt or the Gulf, join the waitlist.
This article is general information, not legal advice. It describes common hiring conventions and summarises some official rules. Visa and labour rules change, so check the official sources below before you rely on them.
Sources
- Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (KSA), Nitaqat Mutawar announcements: hrsd.gov.sa
- Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (KSA), Transferring Expatriate Worker service: hrsd.gov.sa
- Qiwa, employee transfer service: qiwa.sa
- Saudi Council of Engineers, Professional Accreditation: saudieng.sa
- Saudipedia (Saudi Ministry of Media), Engineering Professions Practice Law: saudipedia.com
- UAE Government portal, work permits: u.ae
- UAE Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation: mohre.gov.ae
- Federal Decree-Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations, Article 4: uaelegislation.gov.ae
- UAE Government portal, protection of workers' rights: u.ae