Do you need a photo on a German CV? Custom vs. the law in DACH

Photo on a German CV: what custom expects, what the AGG says, what a good Bewerbungsfoto looks like, and how Austria and Switzerland differ.

jobvance team10 min read

Contents

Picture two CVs for the same job. The first is a one-page UK-style CV: name, email, a profile, bullet points. The second is a German tabellarischer Lebenslauf (tabular CV): dated rows down the left, and in the top-right corner, a head-and-shoulders photo of the applicant in a dark blazer against a grey background.

A London recruiter might find the second one odd. A recruiter in Stuttgart or Graz might feel the first one is missing something. Both reactions make sense where they happen. You just need to know which one you're facing.

The short version: in Germany and Austria, a photo on your CV is customary but voluntary. In Switzerland, the standard application file includes one, and the legal backdrop is different. Here is what that means in practice.

Germany: customary, but your call

The Bundesagentur für Arbeit (BA), Germany's Federal Employment Agency, sums it up in its May 2026 Bewerbungskompass (application guide): a photo is "keine Pflicht mehr" (no longer mandatory), many companies don't ask for one, and it is still "weiterhin üblich" (customary). Its summary box puts it in one line: "Ein Foto ist freiwillig, aber weiterhin üblich." A photo is voluntary, but still common.

So the expectation is real, but it isn't universal. As a rule of thumb, a traditional Mittelstand (mid-sized, often family-owned) manufacturer is more likely to expect a photo than a Berlin tech company that hires in English. Treat that as a tendency, not a rule.

The legal background is the Allgemeines Gleichbehandlungsgesetz (AGG), Germany's General Equal Treatment Act. Three provisions are worth knowing:

  • § 1 lists the protected grounds: race or ethnic origin, sex, religion or belief, disability, age, and sexual identity.
  • § 6 says that job applicants count as employees under the act ("Als Beschäftigte gelten auch die Bewerberinnen und Bewerber"). The act covers the application stage, before anyone has hired you.
  • § 7 bans discrimination on any § 1 ground, including when the employer only assumes that you have the characteristic.

The AGG doesn't mention photos. But compare a typical headshot with that list: it reveals your likely age and sex at a glance, and often more.

That is why Germany's Federal Anti-Discrimination Agency (Antidiskriminierungsstelle des Bundes) advises employers who run anonymised application procedures to remove, ideally, all data that hints at an AGG ground, "insbesondere Fotos" (especially photos). Its 2019 hiring guide also gives a concrete example: an application must not be rejected just because the applicant wears a headscarf in her application photo.

For you, this means that leaving the photo out is an accepted choice in Germany, not a mistake. Whether it's the smart choice depends on the employer, which is covered below.

Austria: the most detailed photo specs

Austria's public employment service, the AMS (Arbeitsmarktservice), has a whole page on the Bewerbungsfoto (application photo), and it gets specific:

  • Place it on the first page of the CV, top right or top left, near your name and contact details, or on a cover page if you use one.
  • Size: about 4.5 × 6.0 cm, portrait format (3:4 or 4:5).
  • For digital applications, at least 600 × 800 pixels.
  • A neutral, calm background, such as light grey, muted blue or beige.
  • Clothing that fits the industry you're applying to.
  • "Schnappschüsse, Fotos aus dem Urlaub und Fotos ohne Planung sind unpassend." Snapshots, holiday photos and unplanned photos don't belong.

When a public employment service publishes pixel dimensions, the expectation is clear. It is still not a requirement. The AMS CV guide (updated May 2026) says it directly: "Ein Foto ist im deutschsprachigen Raum üblich, aber nicht verpflichtend." A photo is customary in the German-speaking world, but not mandatory.

Austria's Gleichbehandlungsgesetz (Equal Treatment Act) protects applicants on the grounds of sex, ethnic origin, religion or belief, age and sexual orientation, according to the AMS. It covers job ads and the hiring process, including applications and selection. In practice, expect most Austrian employers to assume you'll include a photo.

Switzerland: part of the standard dossier, with a different legal backdrop

The EU's EURES portal describes the usual Swiss application file as a motivation letter, "einen Lebenslauf (mit Foto)" (a CV with photo) and copies of qualifications and references, with the CV at most two A4 pages. A September 2025 guide from the career guidance service of the canton of Graubünden lists a "professionelles Bewerbungsfoto" on the CV or the cover page under layout. Neither source frames it as optional, so plan to include one.

The legal picture differs from Germany and Austria. Switzerland's Gender Equality Act (Gleichstellungsgesetz, GlG) bans discrimination based on sex across working life, and applies to all employment relationships. The Federal Office for Gender Equality explicitly lists hiring (Anstellung) as covered.

For other grounds, Switzerland has no general anti-discrimination law. In a 2016 report, the Federal Council called protection against discrimination in private law "lückenhaft" (patchy) and noted that Parliament had always rejected a general anti-discrimination law. In September 2025, two federal commissions (EKF and EKR) called for one to close the gaps. The federal government's legal guide on racial discrimination says that employers are in principle free to decide whom they hire. If a private employer turns you down because of your origin, skin colour or religion, the guide points only to general personality protection under civil law and the principle of good faith. The guide adds that applicants from EU or EFTA countries can also rely on the non-discrimination rule in the Agreement on the Free Movement of Persons.

None of this means Swiss employers discriminate freely. It does mean the German rules don't carry over to Zurich. If a specific case matters to you, get Swiss legal advice rather than relying on a blog post.

What a good Bewerbungsfoto looks like

If you include a photo, it has to look intentional. The BA's guide is blunt about this: "Lieber kein Foto, als ein schlechtes Foto." No photo beats a bad one.

Do:

  • Head and shoulders, looking into the camera.
  • A calm, neutral background, so no visible room, bookshelf or office plant.
  • What you'd wear to the interview at this company. A bank and a design studio call for different clothes.
  • A friendly expression. The BA recommends a slight smile, the AMS a friendly one.
  • A recent photo. The BA suggests a new one if yours is more than a year old, or if you've since changed your hair, glasses or beard.
  • For a CV in Germany, roughly 4 × 6 to 4 × 8 cm, according to the BA.

Don't:

  • Selfies, holiday shots, blurry or heavily cropped images.
  • AI-edited phone pictures. The BA warns that recruiters often spot them and react sceptically.
  • Heavy retouching or filters. The AMS recommends only minimal post-processing.
  • A biometric passport photo. It isn't forbidden, but its neutral, no-smile look works against the friendly expression both agencies ask for.
  • Low-resolution files. Use at least the AMS minimum of 600 × 800 px so the photo stays sharp in a PDF.

Placement: by convention, the photo goes on the first page of the Lebenslauf (CV), usually top right. Some applicants put it on a Deckblatt (cover page) instead. In that case, the BA recommends not repeating it on the CV. Keep it out of the Anschreiben (cover letter). The photo belongs with your CV, not your letter.

The BA calls a photo from a professional photographer "die beste Wahl" (the best choice). Many photographers in DACH advertise Bewerbungsfotos specifically. It isn't mandatory, but if you're applying for several jobs, one good session will cover your whole search.

When to leave it out

The posting asks you to. Some employers explicitly ask for applications without a photo, or run an anonymised procedure. Follow the instructions. Sending a photo anyway suggests you didn't read the posting closely.

The company hires in English. If the posting is in English, the team works in English, or the company is headquartered in the US or UK, a CV without a photo may fit the company's own norms. This is a judgement call, not a rule. Check the company's careers page or the LinkedIn profiles of people in the role you want, and match what you see.

You don't have a good photo. A missing photo looks like a choice. A bad photo looks careless.

You'd rather not. In Germany and Austria, the employment agencies call the photo voluntary, so that's a legitimate reason. Leave the space empty. There's no need to write "Photo available on request", and don't explain your decision in your Anschreiben.

A quick decision table

SituationPhoto?
German-language posting, traditional employer, GermanyInclude one, unless you have a reason not to
Posting in AustriaUsually include one
Posting in SwitzerlandUsually include one
English-language posting, international teamOptional; match the company's culture
Posting asks for no photo or an anonymised applicationLeave it out
Only photo you have is a selfie or a cropLeave it out until you have a proper one

The takeaway

  • Germany: customary but voluntary, and expectations vary by employer. The BA says so explicitly.
  • Austria: the AMS spells out the specs and calls the photo usual but not mandatory. Plan to include one.
  • Switzerland: part of the standard dossier. The Gender Equality Act covers hiring. For other grounds there is no general anti-discrimination law, and the Federal Council calls protection in private law patchy.
  • A good photo is professional, calm and recent. A bad photo is worse than none.
  • If the posting says no photo, send no photo.

For everything else that goes on the page, see the German CV format guide.

In jobvance, you decide for each application whether the exported CV shows your photo. You also choose the language of your CV and cover letter for each application, English or German, whichever the posting calls for.

Sources

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