The Spanish CV: photo, and a data-protection line
Updated 19 August 2026
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The Spanish CV keeps conventions that the US and UK have shed, and adds one that surprises applicants from outside the EU: an explicit data-protection line.
The shape of it
| Spanish CV | |
|---|---|
| Length | 1-2 pages |
| Photo | very common, close to expected |
| DNI / NIE | optional, and usually better left off |
| Data-protection clause | expected |
| Order | reverse-chronological |
The photo
Including a photo is normal in Spain, either on the document itself or supplied separately. It is not read as vanity, and leaving it out is not penalised, but including one is unremarkable, which is not the case in the US or UK.
Your DNI: probably leave it off
This is where advice diverges, so it is worth being precise.
The DNI (national ID for Spanish citizens) or NIE (for foreign residents) still appears on many Spanish CVs, and remains genuinely standard in formal sectors: public administration, finance, law, education.
That said, it is a government identifier with real value to anyone who obtains it, and it serves no purpose at the screening stage. The safer default is to leave it off and supply it when asked, which is invariably at the offer or contract stage. Include it upfront only when a posting explicitly requests it.
The data-protection clause
Spanish CVs carry a short line authorising the employer to process the personal data in the document. It usually sits at the very bottom, in small type.
Under the GDPR an employer generally has a lawful basis to process an application without separate consent, so the line is not a legal requirement in the way it is often described. But it is an established convention, its absence is noticed, and it costs one line.
A standard formulation:
De acuerdo con la normativa vigente en protección de datos (RGPD UE 2016/679), autorizo el tratamiento de mis datos personales con la finalidad de participar en procesos de selección.
Sections
- Datos personales: name, city, phone, email
- Experiencia laboral: reverse-chronological
- Formación académica
- Idiomas: with CEFR levels, taken seriously in Spain
- Informática / competencias
Languages matter more than you expect
Spanish employers pay close attention to the languages section, and English level in particular is often a decisive filter. State CEFR levels rather than vague descriptions, and name any certification with its year.