The Europass CV, made effortless

By David Culemann. Updated 7 October 2026.

What a Europass CV is

Europass is the European Union's platform for describing skills and qualifications. Its CV editor offers several layouts, with information and sections you choose for the application.

The official editor at europass.europa.eu is free to use, including as a guest. You can also save a profile to create several CVs from the same information.

Who asks for a Europass CV

• The European Banking Authority's graduate traineeships list a Europass CV among the application documents.
• EUIPO's young-professional traineeships ask for a Europass CV in English.
• The Master in Advanced Materials: Innovative Recycling (AMIR) includes a Europass CV in its required documents.

Importing a CV into Europass

The official editor can reopen its own Europass PDF and XML files. A PDF downloaded from JobSprout cannot be reopened there; edit your saved resume in JobSprout instead.

Upload your existing resume here as a PDF or .docx file and edit it in the Europass layout. Save an older .doc file as .docx before uploading.

How to fill in each section

Only your name is required. Everything else is optional, so fill in what helps your application and leave the rest out.

Personal information

Name, email, phone and city are enough for most applications. Photo, date of birth, nationality and gender are all optional in the official format; add them where local practice expects them (see the table below) and leave them off elsewhere.

Work experience

Newest job first. Each entry gets its dates (the classic Europass style is MM/YYYY), your job title, the employer, and the city and country. Under it, write three to five lines on what you did, and lead each with a result someone could check, like a number or a deadline you met.

Education and training

Same order and the same date format. Give the qualification's name as it appears on your certificate, and if a reader abroad will not recognise it, add a few words in brackets saying what it is.

Language skills

List your mother tongue first, then rate every other language separately for listening, reading, spoken production, spoken interaction and writing. The levels are the CEFR scale explained below. Rate what you could defend in an interview held in that language, and keep the levels consistent with any certificate you attach.

Digital skills

The current Europass CV lists digital skills under headings you choose, such as "Data analysis" or "Design tools". There are no levels on the CV itself. Europass also runs a separate, optional digital skills test based on the EU's DigComp framework, and you can store the result in your profile.

Everything else

The editor offers sections for certifications, projects, publications, volunteering, a driving licence and more. Add one only when it has something specific in it. An empty-sounding "Hobbies" section costs more attention than it earns.

Language levels, explained

Europass uses the Council of Europe's Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Six levels, in three groups:

If you hold a certificate, its level is a better guide than your own judgement:

• IELTS: 5.5 to 6.5 is roughly B2, 7 to 8 roughly C1, 8.5 and above C2. IELTS itself calls these approximate.
• Cambridge English: B2 First, C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency report a CEFR level with your result. A grade A on B2 First counts as C1.
• TOEFL iBT: since January 2026 scores run from 1 to 6. A 4 or 4.5 is B2, a 5 or 5.5 is C1, and a 6 is C2.
• DELF and DALF, DELE, Goethe-Zertifikat: each exam is named after its level, so a DELF B2 is a B2.

CV conventions by country

Sources: EURES, national employment services, Poland's data protection authority and university careers teams.