Dutch CV Format: An English CV for Jobs in the Netherlands

You can apply for most jobs in the Netherlands with an English CV whenever the vacancy is written in English. The Dutch CV format itself is short and factual: one to two A4 pages, your most recent experience first, plain and direct wording, a languages section with levels, and no certificates or reference letters attached. A photo and date of birth are optional and advice on them is split, so for an English-language role leaving both off is a safe choice. Your CV usually goes with a one-page motivation letter, and if you are not an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, the employer will normally need to be an IND recognised sponsor to hire you.

A note on terms: the Dutch use the word CV for this document and call the cover letter a motivatiebrief, or motivation letter. If you’re coming from the US or Canada, a Dutch CV is what you would call a résumé.

Can you apply for jobs in the Netherlands in English?

Follow the language of the vacancy. Expatica’s guide to applying in the Netherlands says the posting usually states the language required and that an English posting means an English application. The EU’s EURES guide to living and working in the Netherlands adds that application letters are better received in Dutch unless the advert says otherwise.

Dutch CV format at a glance

Dutch CVs have fewer fixed rules than a German Lebenslauf, but official and careers sources agree on the basics:

Sources: EURES and Expatica, linked above, The Hague International Centre and YoungCapital’s Dutch CV guide.

Photo, date of birth and personal details

This is where Dutch advice splits. YoungCapital says a professional photo is common but not required, and that a date of birth is common though optional. Expatica says Dutch employers don’t usually require a photo, to add one only if asked, and to leave out your date of birth and marital status. A CV article on the Leiden International Centre site lists a photo, date of birth and marital status among the things you don’t need.

The law leans towards the cautious advice. Business.gov.nl, the Dutch government’s portal for employers, says they may not discriminate in recruitment and selection on grounds including age, race (which covers nationality), religion, gender, sexual orientation, marital status and disability or chronic illness, and may not ask about an applicant’s personal life or health. It also points to the Netherlands Institute for Human Rights, which gives opinions on equal-treatment complaints.

A Dutch CV template in English

Copy this labelled layout into your word processor and keep it to one or two A4 pages. If you would rather fill in a form, the EU’s Europass CV builder, which works in 31 languages, is an alternative.

[First name Last name]

[City, Netherlands, or your current city and country] · [Phone with country code] · [Email] · [LinkedIn URL]

Right to work: [for example: EU citizen, no permit needed; or: needs a highly skilled migrant permit]

Profile [optional]: [Two or three lines: your role, your years of experience and the two strengths this vacancy asks for most]

Work experience

[MM/YYYY] – present | [Job title], [Company], [City, country]

[One line on what the company does, if it isn’t well known in the Netherlands]

• [Three to five bullet points, each starting with what you did and ending with the result]

Education

[MM/YYYY] – [MM/YYYY] | [Degree and subject], [University], [City, country]

Languages

English: [native or CEFR level] · Dutch: [CEFR level, such as A2, plus any course] · [Other languages]

Skills

[Tools and skills the vacancy names that you really have]

Activities and interests [optional]: [Volunteering, sport or clubs, only if they add something]

Rules that catch English speakers out

• Write plainly. Cut “passionate”, “results-driven” and “world-class”, and let a number or an outcome make the point.
• Give languages as CEFR levels. The Common European Framework of Reference runs from A1 to C2 and is understood across Europe.
• Show start and end dates for every job and course, as EURES advises, so the timeline is easy to follow.
• Don’t attach certificates or reference letters unless the vacancy asks for them.

The motivation letter

EURES advises keeping the letter to one sheet of A4 and covering three things: why you are applying, why you are suited and motivated, and that you would like an interview. It notes that motivation is a key selection criterion, and that interviews tend to focus on why you chose this job at this company, often over two or three rounds. Expatica adds that the letter should be formal and concise; in a Dutch letter the standard opening is “Geachte meneer/mevrouw”.

[Your name, phone, email]

[Company], [Contact person]

[City], [date]

Application for [job title], vacancy [reference number]

Dear [Ms or Mr Surname],

[Why this role and this company: one specific reason, not a compliment.]

[Why you: the two most important requirements in the vacancy, each with one real example and result.]

[Why the Netherlands, your earliest start date and your right to work, for example: “As an EU citizen I can start on 1 March without a permit.”]

[That you would welcome an interview.]

Kind regards,

[Name]

How to tailor your CV to a Dutch vacancy

Many Dutch vacancies, in either language, are built from three blocks: what you will do, what they ask of you, and what they offer. Treat the middle block as your checklist. Our guide to tailoring your CV to a job description has the full method; for a Dutch vacancy:

1. List every requirement in the “what we ask” block, including language levels and tools.
2. Match each one to real evidence and move your strongest matches to the top of your latest role.
3. Use the vacancy’s exact terms for skills you genuinely have, so a recruiter searching for them can find them.
4. Be exact about Dutch. If the vacancy says Dutch is a plus and you are at A2, say A2. For a requirement you only partly meet, see should you apply if you don’t meet every requirement.

To check the result, Leepo’s free résumé checker compares your CV with one vacancy and lists the matched and missing keywords.

Worked example

A shortened, fictional vacancy, written in English:

Customer Success Manager, Amsterdam. What you will do: onboard new business clients, run quarterly reviews, reduce churn. What we ask: 3+ years in customer success or account management at a software company; HubSpot or Salesforce; fluent English; Dutch or German is a plus. What we offer: an international team. We are an IND recognised sponsor.

Ana, a fictional customer success manager at a software firm in São Paulo, maps it to her real experience:

Before: Customer Success Manager. Responsible for client relationships and satisfaction.

After: 03/2022 – present | Customer Success Manager, [Company], São Paulo, Brazil

Software company selling payroll tools to about 2,000 business clients in Latin America.

• Reduced churn across 45 business accounts from 9% to 6% in 2025
• Run quarterly reviews with the ten largest clients, using HubSpot to track health scores and renewals
• Onboarded 30 new clients, cutting average setup time from six weeks to four

Every figure is Ana’s own, and the plain wording suits a Dutch reader.

Work permits: what to know before you apply

If you are an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, the IND (the Immigration and Naturalisation Service) says you need no residence permit and your employer needs no work permit for you. Most other professionals come through the highly skilled migrant scheme: the employer must be a recognised sponsor listed in the IND’s public register, the employer applies for the permit, and the salary must meet a threshold. The IND’s 2026 amounts, which change every 1 January:

If in the last three years you graduated from a Dutch bachelor’s or master’s programme, or from a master’s or doctorate at a university ranked in the top 200, look at the orientation year permit. It lasts one year and cannot be extended, and while you hold it you may work freely without your employer needing a work permit. The government’s overview explains the scheme in plain terms. This is general information, not legal advice; check the IND for your own case.

Read the vacancy for sponsorship lines before you write a word. Leepo’s “Can you apply?” check reads the years of experience asked, where the company hires, work permit and visa sponsorship lines and degree requirements, and tells you in words whether you qualify.

Getting a foreign diploma evaluated

For most jobs you don’t need one. IDW, the Dutch credential evaluation service, says an evaluation is usually not mandatory but an employer may ask for it, and it costs €148.83. If your profession is regulated in the Netherlands, contact the authority for that profession first and follow its procedure instead.

Dutch CV checklist

• One to two A4 pages, most recent first, with start and end dates
• Plain, factual bullet points with real results and no inflated adjectives
• Languages section with CEFR levels, including your honest Dutch level
• One right-to-work line; no marital status, health or religion
• No certificates or reference letters attached unless asked
• A one-page motivation letter written for this vacancy
• Moving to Germany or Canada instead? See our English CV for Germany and Canadian resume format guides.