CV format for the United Arab Emirates
In the United Arab Emirates, you apply with a CV. It runs to one or two pages, and a photo is expected. It lists personal details such as your nationality, visa status, date of birth and marital status. Work experience comes before education.
At a glance
Format: Middle East and Gulf CV
Shared with Saudi Arabia and 17 other countries.
- Photo
- Expected
- Use a professional headshot.
- Length
- 1 to 2 pages
- Personal details
- Extensive
- Nationality, visa status, date of birth and marital status.
- Section order
- Experience first
- References
- On request
- Local name
- CV
- Special fields
- Driver’s license
- Paper
- A4
- 210 × 297 mm
- Writing direction
- Right to left
- For the Arabic version of a bilingual Arabic and English CV.
These are each country’s usual conventions, not rules. Real practice varies by employer, industry and seniority, and it is changing with anti-discrimination law, screening software and remote hiring: photos are fading even where they were traditional, and multinationals usually expect none. Treat this as a starting point.
How it is written
A photo, your nationality and your visa status, written with MOHRE (the UAE’s labor ministry) and applicant tracking systems in mind.
- Built around visa-based employment: nationality and residency status (an Iqama, an Employment or Golden Visa) sit just under the contact details, and in the Gulf they are often mandatory.
- A professional summary near the top.
- Bilingual in Arabic and English, with the Arabic version written right to left.
- Experience in the region is emphasized.
What to leave out
The photo and personal details, at a multinational
Multinationals usually expect the international format: no photo, and contact details only.
Questions
Do I need a photo on a CV in the United Arab Emirates?
Yes. A photo is expected in the United Arab Emirates. Use a professional headshot. Multinationals usually expect a CV without one.
How long should a CV be in the United Arab Emirates?
One or two pages.
Which personal details go on a CV in the United Arab Emirates?
Usually your nationality, visa status, date of birth and marital status.
Does education or work experience come first in the United Arab Emirates?
Work experience comes first, then education.
Should I list references on a CV in the United Arab Emirates?
Not on the page itself: references are given on request.
Applying for a job in the United Arab Emirates?
CVMake detects the job’s country from the posting and formats the CV for it.
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