Guide · applying in another country
Resume format for Singapore
What employers in Singapore usually expect on a resume, what they usually don't, and where that guidance comes from.
These notes are about what employers may ask or require, not about what you must do. TAFEP's guidance is written for employers. It tells them to leave fields such as age, gender, race, religion and marital status off application forms, and to ask for an NRIC number or date of birth generally only at the job offer. It does not tell you what to put on your resume. It is guidance rather than a law, but the government can act on employers who ignore it, for example by limiting their work pass applications. A law, the Workplace Fairness Act 2025, has passed but, as of 2 October 2026, has not come into force. The Ministry of Manpower says it aims for the end of 2027. Guidance, not legal advice.
Usually or often left out in Singapore
- Birthdate or age
- Civil status
- Religion
- Height and weight
- Sex or gender
- Photo
- Government ID numbers (national ID, tax or social security)
- Parents, spouse or children
- Race or ethnicity
Not flagged
- Place of birth. We did not find an official or recruiter source that says to include it or leave it off. TAFEP's rule for employers is to ask only for information related to the job. If you apply for a work pass later, the official form asks for your place of birth at that stage.
Detail by detail
| Detail | In Singapore | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Birthdate or age | Usually left out | TAFEP — Fair recruitment practices for employers in Singapore (18 May 2026) Guidance for employers, not a law. |
| Civil status | Usually left out | TAFEP — Fair Job and Employment Application Forms Guidance for employers, not a law. |
| Religion | Usually left out | TAFEP — Fair Job and Employment Application Forms Guidance for employers, not a law. |
| Height and weight | Often left out. TAFEP does not name these, but its rule for employers is to ask only for information related to the job. Indeed Singapore lists height and weight among personal details to leave off a resume. If a job ad asks for them, follow the ad. | Indeed Singapore — What to include in a resume (Oct 2025) Job-board advice, general rather than specific to Singapore. TAFEP — Fair Job and Employment Application Forms TAFEP doesn't name height and weight. Its rule for employers is to ask only for information related to the job. |
| Sex or gender | Usually left out | TAFEP — Fair Job and Employment Application Forms Guidance for employers, not a law. |
| Place of birth | Not flagged | Industry practice; no official source found |
| Nationality | Worth a look. Sources differ. Jobstreet Singapore's April 2025 resume-format article calls nationality standard, its July 2023 article suggests leaving it off, and TAFEP's handbook says employers should not ask for it on application forms unless the job needs it. Citizenship or work pass status, below, is the more common line. | TAFEP — Fair Recruitment and Selection Handbook (content updated Nov 2025) Guidance for employers, not a law. It says employers should not ask for nationality, age, sex, race, religion or marital status on application forms unless the job needs it. Jobstreet Singapore — CV vs resume (Jul 2023) Job-board advice. It lists nationality among details to avoid unless a role needs it, which differs from the 2025 Jobstreet article. Jobstreet Singapore — Resume format (Apr 2025) Job-board convention, not law. |
| Photo | Often left out. TAFEP tells employers to remove photo fields from application forms, or to ask for a photo only at the job offer. Randstad Singapore lists a photo among details to leave off. Jobstreet Singapore is split: one article (March 2022) says to leave it off, while another (April 2025) says a headshot is common, especially for entry-level and government roles. If a job ad asks for a photo, follow the ad. | TAFEP — Fair Job and Employment Application Forms Guidance for employers, not a law. It tells employers to remove photo fields from application forms, or to ask for a photo only at the job offer. Randstad Singapore — Resume essentials and common CV mistakes Recruiter advice, not law. Jobstreet Singapore — Does your resume need a photo? Job-board advice is mixed; a 2025 Jobstreet guide calls a photo common for entry-level and government roles. |
| Full home address | Worth a look | Michael Page Singapore — What to include in your resume Recruiter convention, not law. |
| Government ID numbers (national ID, tax or social security) | Usually left out | PDPC — Advisory Guidelines on the PDPA for NRIC and other national identification numbers Guidance for organizations. Example 3.9 says the law does not require an employer to ask for an NRIC number on a job application; an employer may need it once it hires you. TAFEP — Fair Job and Employment Application Forms Guidance for employers, not a law. It says to collect NRIC numbers and dates of birth, generally, only at the job offer. |
| Parents, spouse or children | Often left out | TAFEP — Fair Job and Employment Application Forms Guidance for employers, not a law. |
| Objective statement | Worth a look | Michael Page Singapore — What to include in your resume Recruiter convention, not law. |
| Character references with phone numbers | Worth a look | Michael Page Singapore — What to include in your resume Recruiter convention, not law. |
| Race or ethnicity | Usually left out. TAFEP tells employers to remove race fields from application forms. MyCareersFuture, the government job portal, says details such as race, religion, marital status or address may create bias against you. | TAFEP — Fair Job and Employment Application Forms Guidance for employers, not a law. MyCareersFuture — Writing a resume: dos and don'ts (2019) Government job portal. It says details such as race, religion, marital status or address may create bias against you. |
| Citizenship or work pass status (for example Singapore Citizen, Permanent Resident or Employment Pass holder) | Fine to include. Job boards and recruiters in Singapore often suggest stating it near the top of your resume. This is common practice, not a rule. | Jobstreet Singapore — Resume format (Apr 2025) Job-board convention, not law. |
Citizenship, work pass and identity numbers
Job boards and recruiters in Singapore often suggest stating your citizenship or work pass status near the top of your resume, for example Singapore Citizen, Singapore Permanent Resident or Employment Pass holder. This is common practice, not a rule, and sources disagree: one job board calls nationality standard, while another article from the same site suggests leaving it off. TAFEP's handbook for employers says they should not ask for nationality on application forms unless the job needs it. Employers hiring on an Employment Pass or S Pass must first advertise on MyCareersFuture, and the Workplace Fairness Act, which is not yet in force, says employers may still decide against people who are not citizens or permanent residents. Our check flags a separate nationality line as worth a look, and whether to include it is your choice.
NRIC, FIN and passport numbers: TAFEP tells employers to collect NRIC numbers and dates of birth, generally, only at the job offer. Singapore's data protection regulator (PDPC) guidelines from 2018 treat NRIC, FIN and work permit numbers as numbers that organisations should generally not collect, and say there is no legal requirement to ask for an NRIC number on a job application. PDPC has said it will update those guidelines. If you are applying from overseas, you do not need to put a passport number on your resume. If you are hired and need a work pass, your employer will ask for your travel document details on the official form at that stage.
If you are used to a Philippine-style resume
Photo, civil status, birthdate, religion, height, weight and the names of a spouse and children are commonly left off Singapore resumes. Even Philippine resume guides such as FilipiKnow advise leaving off most of these unless the job requires them.
Everywhere
Leave government ID numbers off your resume: national ID, tax and social security numbers. Most employers don't need them to decide whether to interview you, and they can be misused. Share a passport number only when an employer asks for it.
Other countries: United States · Canada · Japan · Philippines. See all resume guides.
Guidance, not legal advice. When an employer asks for something specific, follow their instructions.
Check your own resume for Singapore with the Country check: we flag each item with the reason and let you remove it in one click.
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