German CV format 2026: the Lebenslauf, with free template

How is a German CV different from a UK CV?

More than most British candidates expect. The Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit), Germany's public employment service, says it is often not enough simply to translate your CV into German, because there are formal standards to follow. The Lebenslauf is a table rather than a narrative, and it travels with a cover letter and a bundle of certificates.

The agency's own guidance sets the frame: tabular, no more than two A4 pages, newest entries first. The table sets a UK CV beside a German Lebenslauf, element by element.

Should you write your German CV in German or English?

Match the advert. If it is in German, apply in German with a German Lebenslauf and Anschreiben. If it is in English, an English CV is fine, but keep the German structure: tabular dates, month and year, and certificates ready to send.

Be honest about your German. The Federal Employment Agency says many companies expect at least basic German and that English alone is often not enough, and regulated professions such as doctors and nurses have German requirements set by law. State your level on the European scale, for example Deutsch: B1, with the certificate and date if you have one. Never claim a level you could not hold an interview in.

Do not run a UK CV through a translation tool and send it. Literal translations of UK job titles read badly. Keep the English title where there is no clean German equivalent, and have a fluent German speaker check the final text.

How do you structure a Lebenslauf, section by section?

The Federal Employment Agency's model uses these sections, in this order. Use the German heading for a German application; the English meaning is in brackets.

• Persönliche Angaben (personal details): name, address, phone and email. Date and place of birth are commonly included; family status and nationality are voluntary.
• Berufserfahrung (professional experience): newest first. Month and year from and to on the left; job title, employer and town on the right, with three to five short bullet points.
• Ausbildung und Studium (education and training): degree, university, dates and final grade. School can shrink to one line once you have years of experience.
• Weiterbildung (further training): courses and certificates relevant to the job, with dates.
• Kenntnisse (skills): IT and software, languages with levels, and a driving licence if the job needs one.
• Ehrenamt und Interessen (volunteering and interests): optional, and only if they support the application.
• Ort, Datum, Unterschrift (place, date, signature): optional. The agency says a signature shows the CV is current.
• Gaps: list any break of more than two months and say what you did, whether study, travel, caring or a career break.

Do you need a photo on a German CV?

No law requires one, and the Federal Employment Agency now says a photo is no longer a must. It also notes that some employers ask for anonymised CVs, with no photo and nothing that reveals gender or origin. The General Equal Treatment Act (AGG) protects applicants against discrimination on grounds of ethnic origin, gender, religion or belief, disability, age and sexual identity, in adverts and in interviews.

Photos remain common, though. The agency's own application guidance still lists personal details with a photo, on the CV or on an optional cover sheet. Our advice: for a German-language application to a traditional employer, a professional portrait at the top is the safe choice. For an English-language application to an international firm, leave it off. Never use a passport photo, a holiday picture or a selfie.

On other details, the agency says family details and nationality are voluntary, religion goes on only if the employer asks, and parents' professions are not needed. For a British applicant, nationality is worth stating because it tells the reader which residence permit route applies.

How should you present UK qualifications and employers?

German readers want a level they recognise. Give your degree's English title, classification and university, then the German level if you have it. The Central Office for Foreign Education (ZAB) issues a Statement of Comparability, an official certificate comparing a foreign degree with a German qualification. Many employers ask for one, particularly in the public sector, and you need to show comparability for a Blue Card or skilled worker permit anyway. It does not convert UK grades into German ones, so give your classification as it stands.

Before you apply for one, check how your university and degree appear in anabin, the ZAB's database covering education systems, institutions and qualifications from about 180 countries.

Under each employer, add one line of context: sector, size and what you ran. A German reader may know the largest UK brands but not a regional NHS trust or a mid-sized distributor. If your profession is regulated in Germany, show your recognition status, for example Anerkennung beantragt (recognition applied for) with the month.

What goes in a German cover letter (Anschreiben)?

A complete German application, vollständige Bewerbungsunterlagen, means a cover letter, an optional cover sheet, the Lebenslauf and certificates. The Federal Employment Agency's advice for the Anschreiben:

• Keep it to one A4 page.
• Check the company address and the contact person's name.
• Say where you found the job: the advert, a job fair or a personal recommendation.
• Write short, active sentences and avoid würde and könnte (would and could).
• Show why you are the right fit, with your professional and personal qualifications.
• Give a possible start date if the advert asks for one.
• Mention salary expectations only if the advert asks.
• Add your scanned signature to an emailed or online application.
• For a British applicant, add one sentence on your residence position, for example that you will apply for an EU Blue Card once you have an offer.

Which attachments do German employers expect?

Evidence. The agency advises attaching your latest school certificate (optional after many years of experience), your degree or training certificate, relevant course certificates and, where possible, an Arbeitszeugnis from each former employer. Send scans or copies, never originals, and put the strongest document first. Some employers also ask for a Motivationsschreiben, a letter about your personal reasons for wanting the role.

An Arbeitszeugnis is a written employer reference. Every employee in Germany has a legal right to one when a job ends, and can ask for a qualified version covering performance and conduct. UK employers do not usually write anything comparable, so ask former managers for a reference letter on headed paper that confirms your title, dates and main responsibilities, and attach those instead.

Combine everything into one PDF in a sensible order unless the employer asks for separate files, and include your Statement of Comparability if you have one.

Do German employers use online application portals?

Many do. The agency says the advert tells you how to apply, whether by email, post or a company's own application portal, and that you should follow the employer's preference. Treat the portal as your first reader.

• Keep the table simple: two plain columns parse better than text boxes or graphics.
• Use standard German headings for German applications so the fields map correctly.
• Upload the formats requested. If the portal takes one file, combine cover letter, CV and certificates in that order.
• Name files clearly, for example Lebenslauf_Surname.pdf.
• Complete every form field, even when the same detail is in your CV.

What should you leave off a German CV?

Each of these either breaks the German model or gives a reader a reason to hesitate.

• A referees section: German employers look to written references instead.
• Your parents' professions, which the agency says are not required.
• Religion, unless the employer asks.
• A disability, unless it affects the work. The agency suggests mentioning it only then.
• Salary history or expectations, unless the advert asks.
• Playful designs and colour changes, which the agency advises against.
• Gaps of more than two months with no line explaining them.