Country guide
Brazilian CV format: how to write a currículo for Brazil
In Brazil the CV is called a currículo (short for curriculum vitae). It is a concise document in Portuguese, built around the role you want, and it leaves out the photo and identity numbers that some applicants still add. This guide covers layout, personal data and the law behind it, and what to sort out if you are applying from abroad.
What is the standard CV format in Brazil?
A Brazilian currículo is short and objective: your name and contact details, a direct objective tied to the role, work experience from the most recent job back, then education and relevant courses. Public employment guidance from São Paulo advises against a photo, ID numbers such as RG and CPF, salary expectations and hobbies, and recommends having two or three people proofread it.[1]
Brazilian CV conventions at a glance
| Topic | Usual in Brazil |
|---|---|
| Name of the document | Currículo (curriculum vitae). "CV" is also understood. |
| Length | No official page limit. Guidance warns against writing too much; one to two pages suits most profiles. |
| Photo | Leave it out. São Paulo's guidance lists the photo among things to avoid. |
| Personal details | Name, address or city, phone and email. No RG, CPF or driving licence numbers, and no marital status, age or family details. |
| Order | Most recent job first. Dates, company sector, job title, main achievements and duties for each. |
| Dates | Month and year (03/2022 – atual) are common. Keep one format throughout. |
| Language | Portuguese, unless the posting is in English. Write without the first person ("eu desenvolvi"). |
| Cover letter | No official rule. Send a short carta de apresentação or email note when the posting asks for one. |
| References | No need to list them on the currículo. Have names ready if an employer asks. |
| Application software | If an employer uses an online form or applicant tracking system, a single-column file with standard headings reads most reliably. |
Layout and structure of a Brazilian currículo
The São Paulo municipal employment guidance puts the name at the top in a prominent position, followed by contact details and a direct objective. Experience runs in reverse-chronological order, and education lists the institution, the highest level reached and the year of completion, even if the course is still in progress.
| Section | What to include | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Cabeçalho (header) | Full name, city and state, phone, email, LinkedIn. | Label phone numbers clearly if you give more than one. |
| Objetivo (objective) | One or two lines naming the role or area you want. | Change it for every application. |
| Experiência profissional | Dates, company and its sector, job title, achievements, then brief duties. | Results first, in short noun or verb phrases. |
| Formação (education) | Institution, degree, year of completion or "em andamento". | Give the Portuguese name of foreign degrees where one exists. |
| Cursos e idiomas | Courses linked to the target role, languages with a real level. | Only list a language you can actually use at work. |
For phrasing by role, browse resume examples such as the accountant example or the data analyst example.
Photo and personal data: what the law says
Lei nº 9.029/1995 prohibits any discriminatory or limiting practice for access to an employment relationship on grounds of sex, origin, race, colour, marital status, family situation, disability, professional rehabilitation or age. Article 2 makes it a crime to demand a pregnancy or sterilisation test, certificate or declaration. Details such as marital status, children and date of birth therefore have no place in the hiring decision, and you do not need to volunteer them.
The LGPD, Brazil's data protection law, adds two principles that point the same way. The necessity principle limits processing to the minimum needed for its purpose, and data must not be processed for unlawful or abusive discriminatory ends. The law treats racial or ethnic origin, religious conviction, political opinion, union membership, health and biometric data as sensitive personal data. A currículo is processed by every company you send it to, so keep it to what the job requires.[2][3]
A skeleton Brazilian currículo
A one-page outline for a mid-career professional. All data is placeholder text.
Cabeçalho
[NOME SOBRENOME]
São Paulo, SP · +55 11 9xxxx-xxxx · your-name@example.com
linkedin.com/in/your-name
Objetivo
Analista financeiro pleno, com foco em planejamento e controladoria.
Experiência profissional
04/2021 – atual · [Empresa], varejo · Analista financeiro
Reorganizei o fluxo de caixa semanal de 12 lojas e reduzi o prazo de fechamento mensal.
02/2018 – 03/2021 · [Empresa], logística · Assistente financeiro
Formação
Bacharelado em Ciências Contábeis · [Instituição] · 2017
Cursos e idiomas
Power BI (40 h) · Excel avançado · Inglês avançado · Espanhol intermediário
Example with placeholder details, not a real person
No photo, RG, CPF, marital status or date of birth. The figures are illustrative; use only results you can explain at interview.
How to write a Brazilian currículo in six steps
- 01
Start from the posting
List the tasks, tools and requirements it repeats. The job description keyword matcher shows which of them your currículo does not mention yet.
- 02
Write a direct objective
Name the role or area in one or two lines. A vague objective tells the recruiter you send the same file everywhere.
- 03
Strip unnecessary personal data
Remove photo, RG, CPF, driving licence number, marital status and age. Keep name, city, phone, email and LinkedIn.
- 04
Describe results, newest first
For each job give dates, company sector and title, then two to four achievements. Avoid "eu" and keep the phrases short.
- 05
Tailor it to each application
Reorder achievements around what the employer asks for. You can optimise your resume for one job straight from the posting link.
- 06
Proofread twice and check
Ask two or three people to read it for spelling and accuracy, then run the free resume checker before you send it.
Templates that suit Brazilian applications
Photo-free designs that keep the structure above. All designs are in the template gallery.
Beacon
A clean single-column default for corporate, finance and technology roles.
Executive
A traditional, sober look for banking, law and public-facing professional roles.
ATS Plain
The plainest layout, for large employers that receive currículos through online forms.
Campus
Puts education, internships (estágios) and projects first, for students and recent graduates.
Cover letters and the application package
No law or public guidance makes a cover letter (carta de apresentação) compulsory in Brazil. When a posting asks for one, or when you apply by email, write a short note: the role, two or three achievements that match it and your availability. The cover letter generator drafts one from the posting in the same design as your currículo, and interview prep builds practice questions for the same role.
Leave out salary expectations unless the posting asks for them, and do not sign the currículo; São Paulo's guidance lists both among the things to avoid.[1]
Where to find jobs in Brazil
The Sistema Nacional de Emprego (Sine) is the public employment service. You register your details, education and work experience, and matching vacancies in your municipality appear on the Portal Emprega Brasil, in the Carteira de Trabalho Digital app or at a Sine office. The service is free. Keep your profile and preferred regions up to date, because vacancies are matched against them.
Private boards such as LinkedIn, Indeed, Catho and Vagas.com also list many Brazilian roles, and large employers often recruit through their own careers pages.[4]
Applying from abroad
Write in Portuguese unless the posting is in English or asks for an English CV. If you need a Portuguese version of an existing CV, resume translation keeps your layout while you adapt the content.
Immigrants who want to work in Brazil can obtain a residence authorisation for work purposes under the Migration Law (Lei 13.445/2017). The request can be filed by the immigrant or by the person or company that wants to hire them, through the MigranteWeb system; the gov.br service page lists the steps and documents. Check it directly rather than relying on figures quoted elsewhere.
Foreign degrees must be revalidated (graduação) or recognised (master's and doctorate) by a Brazilian university to be valid in Brazil, which matters for practising a profession. Requests go through the MEC's Plataforma Carolina Bori; undergraduate revalidation is carried out only by public universities with a course in the same area, and documents may need a Portuguese translation. On the currículo, name your degree as awarded and add "revalidação em andamento" if you have started the process.[5][6]
Common mistakes on Brazilian currículos
- Adding a photo, RG, CPF or driving licence number out of habit.
- A generic objective that could fit any job.
- Long paragraphs written in the first person.
- Listing courses and hobbies unrelated to the role.
- Claiming a language or skill you cannot use at work.
- Including salary expectations or a signature the posting did not ask for.
- Sending it without a second reader: spelling mistakes are easy to spot.
Frequently asked questions
- Should I put a photo on my currículo in Brazil?
- No. Public employment guidance from the São Paulo city government lists the photo among things to avoid, and Lei 9.029/1995 bars discriminatory hiring practices based on sex, race, colour, age and other grounds that a photo can reveal. Unless a posting specifically asks for one, use the space for another achievement.
- Do I need to include my CPF or RG number?
- No. Identity numbers such as RG, CPF and the driving licence number do not belong on a currículo; the employer asks for them when you are hired. Leaving them out also follows the LGPD's necessity principle, which limits personal data to what the purpose requires. Name, city, phone and email are enough.
- Should my currículo be in Portuguese or English?
- Portuguese, unless the posting is written in English or asks for an English version. Either way, say in your languages section how well you speak Portuguese. If you send both versions, make sure dates, titles and achievements match exactly, and have a fluent speaker proofread the Portuguese one before you send it.
- Do I need to revalidate my foreign degree before applying?
- Not to apply, but a foreign degree only has legal validity in Brazil once a Brazilian university has revalidated or recognised it, which the MEC describes as indispensable for professional practice. Requests go through the MEC's Plataforma Carolina Bori. Mention on your currículo if the process is already under way.
- How is a Brazilian currículo different from a European CV?
- It carries less personal data than many European CVs: no photo, no date of birth or marital status, and a short objective at the top. Conventions in Europe vary by country, so if you are adapting one CV for both Brazil and Portugal, compare with the Portuguese CV format guide.
Sources
Statements about rules and official guidance rely on these pages. We opened and read each source ourselves on the date shown.
- [1]Preparar um currículo · Prefeitura de São Paulo, Secretaria Municipal de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Trabalhoprefeitura.sp.gov.br/web/desenvolvimento/dicas/preparar_um_curriculo ·
- [2]Lei nº 9.029, de 13 de abril de 1995 (discriminatory practices in employment) · Presidência da República, Planaltowww.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/leis/l9029.htm ·
- [3]Lei nº 13.709, de 14 de agosto de 2018 (LGPD), arts. 5 and 6 · Presidência da República, Planaltowww.planalto.gov.br/ccivil_03/_ato2015-2018/2018/lei/l13709.htm ·
- [4]Buscar emprego no Sistema Nacional de Emprego (Sine) · Ministério do Trabalho e Emprego, gov.brwww.gov.br/pt-br/servicos/buscar-emprego-no-sistema-nacional-de-emprego-sine ·
- [5]Obter autorização de residência para fins laborais a imigrantes · Ministério da Justiça e Segurança Pública, gov.brwww.gov.br/pt-br/servicos/obter-autorizacao-de-residencia-para-fins-laborais-a-imigrantes ·
- [6]Entenda como revalidar diploma estrangeiro no Brasil · Agência Gov, via Ministério da Educação (MEC)agenciagov.ebc.com.br/noticias/202609/saiba-como-revalidar-diploma-estrangeiro-no-brasil ·
Keep reading
Applying in Brazil? Check your currículo first
The free checker reviews contact details, headings, dates and length, and lists what to fix before a recruiter reads it.