Biodata, Résumé or CV? What to send when you apply to Europe from South Asia

8 min read · Updated October 6, 2026

In short

Send a CV, not a biodata. In India, Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka a biodata is a long personal profile — date of birth, religion, caste, father's and mother's names, height, weight, marital status, sometimes a signed declaration — still common for government jobs (and, in everyday use, for marriage profiles). European employers don't want any of that, and some of it actively works against you: religion and health details such as blood group are "special category" data under the GDPR; religion, caste, age and marital status are exactly the signals EU equal-treatment law is designed to keep out of hiring; and the rest (father's name, height, complexion, the declaration and signature) is simply irrelevant. Strip those, keep and strengthen your experience, skills, languages and education, and add the one personal detail EU employers genuinely need from a non-EU applicant: your work-authorisation or visa status. Date of birth, photo, nationality and marital status are country-dependent — still common in Germany and parts of Central Europe, avoided in the UK, the Netherlands and the Nordics. Keep it to one or two pages, in English for international and IT roles or in the local language where it's expected.

Three words, three different documents

In South Asia the three words are often used loosely, but they describe different documents — and only one of them travels well to Europe:

Biodata — a long personal profile: date of birth, gender, religion, caste, father's and mother's names, height, weight, marital status, nationality, permanent address, often a photo and a signed declaration. Still common for government jobs, and in everyday use the same word means a marriage profile.
Résumé — a short, tailored summary of experience, skills and education, usually one page. The norm in the private sector, IT, banking and multinationals.
CV — in Europe, the standard job-application document: one or two pages, experience-first, tailored to the role. This is what a European employer expects to receive.

Why a biodata backfires in Europe

It isn't just that European employers find the extra details unusual. The fields a biodata adds fall into three different problems — and it's worth knowing which is which:

Special-category data. Religion, and health details such as blood group, are "special category" personal data under Article 9 of the EU's GDPR. An employer has no reason to receive them at the application stage, and many will be uncomfortable that they did.
Discrimination signals. Religion, caste (which can signal ethnic origin or religion), age and marital status are exactly what the EU's equal-treatment directives keep out of hiring decisions. Putting them on your CV invites the very bias the law is there to stop.
Simply irrelevant. Your father's and mother's names, height, weight, complexion, and the "I hereby declare…" statement with your signature have no role in European hiring. They use up space and mark the document as unfamiliar.

What to remove, what to keep — and what to add

Converting a biodata is mostly subtraction, with one important addition:

Always remove: religion, caste, father's and mother's names, height, weight, complexion, blood group, and any family or horoscope details.
Remove the end-of-document declaration and signature, and replace a generic "Objective" line with a two- or three-line profile that says what you do and what you're looking for.
Decide country by country: date of birth, photo, nationality and marital status are still common in Germany and parts of Central Europe, but avoided in the UK, the Netherlands and the Nordics. Check the country you're applying to.
Keep and strengthen: your work experience written as achievements, your skills, your languages with levels (Europe uses the A1–C2 scale), and your education.
Add your work-authorisation status — for example "Requires an EU work permit (employer sponsorship)" or "Holds a German Opportunity Card". It's the one personal detail EU employers genuinely need from a non-EU applicant, and leaving it out wastes everyone's time.

Translate your education, don't just list it

A European recruiter won't know your local exam names or grading scales, so explain them rather than copying them across:

Name the level, not just the exam: next to local names such as SEE/SLC, +2 or HSC, say what they are (for example "secondary school leaving certificate" or "higher secondary certificate").
Explain your grades: a percentage, "First Division" or a CGPA means little on its own — add the scale (for example "CGPA 3.6 / 4.0") so the reader can judge it.
For regulated professions and many work permits you'll also need your qualifications formally recognised through the ENIC-NARIC network — our guide to working in the EU from South Asia covers that process.

Length, format and language

The shape of the document matters as much as its content:

One or two pages. A biodata is often longer; a European CV that runs to three or four pages reads as unedited.
Experience first, most recent at the top, with consistent dates and a clean, single-column layout that applicant-tracking systems can read.
English is fine for international companies and most IT roles; for healthcare, trades, hospitality and much of the job market in Germany, France, Italy or Spain, a CV in the local language gets much further.

Building it with TakeMeUp

TakeMeUp's CV builder has no fields for religion, caste, father's name, height or a declaration at all — the structure is a European CV from the start. The personal-detail defaults (photo, date of birth) follow the language you build in, so choose it deliberately:

Build in English for an English-language application — it uses US-style defaults that leave out the photo, date of birth and marital status, the safest stripped-down starting point. (Want a photo for a German application? Build it in German.)
Build in the language of the country you're applying to (for example German or Polish) and that country's conventions follow automatically.
The Nepali interface is there so you can work in your own language, but a CV created in Nepali follows Nepal's conventions (photo and date of birth included) — build the CV itself in English or your target language.

How to convert a biodata into a European CV

1
Strip the biodata-only fields
Remove religion, caste, father's and mother's names, height, weight, complexion, blood group, the declaration and the signature.
2
Decide the country-dependent details
Check whether your target country expects a photo, date of birth, nationality or marital status — common in Germany, avoided in the UK, the Netherlands and the Nordics.
3
Add your work-authorisation status
State clearly whether you need an EU work permit or already hold a permit or job-seeker card. Employers need this to consider you.
4
Translate your education and languages
Explain local exam names and grading scales, and give your language levels on the European A1–C2 scale.
5
Rebuild it in one or two pages
Experience first, written as achievements, in English or the local language — and build it in that language so the right conventions apply.

Frequently asked questions

Is a biodata the same as a CV?

No. A biodata is a long personal profile used mainly for government jobs in South Asia (and, in everyday use, for marriage). A European CV is a one- or two-page, experience-first document. For any job in Europe, send a CV.

Should I include my religion or caste on a CV for Europe?

No. Religion is special-category data under the GDPR, and religion and caste are exactly the signals EU equal-treatment law keeps out of hiring. Including them can only work against you.

Should I add a photo and my date of birth?

It depends on the country. Both are still common in Germany and parts of Central Europe, but avoided in the UK, the Netherlands and the Nordics. Check the norm for the country you're applying to.

Do I need to mention my visa or work-permit status?

Yes — it's the one personal detail you should add. EU employers need to know whether they would have to sponsor a work permit, so state it clearly near the top of your CV.

What about the declaration and signature at the end of my biodata?

Remove them. European CVs don't include a declaration that the information is true, or a signature — they make the document look unfamiliar to a European recruiter.

Should my CV for Europe be in English?

For international companies and most IT roles, English is fine. For healthcare, trades, hospitality and much of the job market in countries like Germany, France, Italy or Spain, a CV in the local language gets much further.

How long should my CV be?

One or two pages. A biodata often runs longer, but a European CV of three or more pages reads as unedited — keep only what's relevant to the job.

Sources

Ready to build your CV?

Create a professional, ATS-ready CV in minutes — free, no sign-up to start.

Build my CV — free

Related guides

← All guides