Europass CV: template and tips for applying in Europe

Europass CV: what is it?

The Europass CV is a curriculum vitae template that the European Commission offers online at europass.europa.eu. The tool is free: the Commission says it provides the service at no charge, and the FAQ adds that you cannot buy a CV or any service from Europass. If a website charges you for an “official Europass CV”, it is not Europass.

The portal is run by the Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion. The “About Europass” and “Create your Europass CV” pages mention 31 languages, while the FAQ still gives 29 for the CV and 30 for the profile. The exact number is therefore to be confirmed, but French and English are both available.

For Tunisian applicants, this is confirmed: the Europass FAQ, checked on 23 October 2026, states that the tools are open to everyone, whatever their nationality or country of residence. Accounts are created with an email address through EU Login.

A Europass CV is not required everywhere. It is a well-known, practical format, especially for applications in Europe (jobs through EURES, traineeships, student mobility), but each programme or employer keeps its own rules. If a call asks for another template or an online form, that document comes first.

Source: Europass (European Commission) – About Europass · checked 23 Oct 2026

Creating your Europass CV step by step

Europass works in two stages: a profile that holds all your information, then CVs that you generate from that profile.

• Create your profile: education, work experience, languages, digital skills, projects, volunteering and achievements. The profile can also keep your diplomas and reference letters in your library (“My Library”).
• Generate a CV: you choose which profile entries to include, write the “About me” section, then pick a design. You can create several different CVs, for example one for a master's and another for a traineeship.
• Download or save: the CV can be downloaded to your device as a “Europass PDF” or kept in the Europass library, from which you can share it with an employer, with EURES or with other job sites.

Without an account, the editor works in guest mode: you can download the CV, but you keep no permanent profile or library. If you have an older Europass CV downloaded as PDF or XML, the FAQ says it can be imported into the new tool. An older offline template filled in with Word or ODF (or a PDF made from it), however, cannot be imported.

On privacy, Europass states that your profile is private and nothing is shared without your consent. When you share through a link, you decide how long it stays active.

Source: Europass (European Commission) – Create your Europass CV · checked 23 Oct 2026

Europass CV template: a section order that works

For study or research applications, Opporiva recommends the following order, with the most recent item first inside each block:

• Contact header: name, city and country, phone number with the +216 code, a professional email address, and a LinkedIn or portfolio link if relevant.
• About me: three or four lines tailored to the programme.
• Education and training: degree title, institution, city, dates, and your honours or average if it helps you.
• Work experience: internships, jobs and assignments, with two to four concrete achievements per role.
• Research or projects: thesis, final-year project, technical projects, with one line on your role and the result.
• Skills and languages: languages with their A1 to C2 level, digital tools, job-specific skills.
• Selected publications, prizes or awards, if any.

The Europass FAQ says you can reorder the main sections (education, work experience) and their sub-sections in the editor, so you do not have to keep the default order.

For a job application, put work experience before education once you have a few years of practice. For an Ausbildung or an apprenticeship, a short version focused on training, internships and motivation is often enough.

Source: Opporiva editorial team · checked 23 Oct 2026

Photo, date of birth, marital status: should you include them?

The Europass editor lets you add a photo (PNG or JPG, under 20 MB according to the FAQ), and its tips page even suggests a professional one. That does not make it mandatory: in the profile, only your first name and surname are required. For academic applications in Europe, a photo, date of birth, marital status, national ID number or religion are usually unnecessary, and these details can introduce bias into the assessment.

Our advice:

• follow the call or portal instructions first: if a photo or date-of-birth field is mandatory, fill it in;
• if nothing is requested, a CV without a photo is perfectly acceptable;
• if you add a photo, choose a recent, plain portrait on a neutral background, with no filter;
• never put your national ID (CIN) or passport number on a CV sent to several recipients.

Practices vary by country and sector. When in doubt, rely on the employer's or university's instructions rather than a general rule.

Source: Europass (European Commission) – Create your Europass CV · checked 23 Oct 2026

Listing your languages with levels A1 to C2

The Europass CV relies on the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The self-assessment grid published by the European Union and the Council of Europe has six levels: A1 and A2 (basic user), B1 and B2 (independent user), C1 and C2 (proficient user). It rates understanding (listening and reading), speaking (interaction and production) and writing separately.

A few simple rules:

• rate each skill with the grid, honestly, without rounding up;
• list your mother tongue as such, with no level;
• if you hold a certificate (DELF, DALF, TCF, IELTS, TOEFL, Goethe, etc.), name it with its score and date, because many programmes ask for proof rather than self-assessment;
• if the call requires a test you have not taken yet, do not claim the expected level: write the planned exam date instead.

The grid helps you place yourself. It never replaces the test that a university or scholarship requires.

Source: European Union and Council of Europe – CEFR self-assessment grid (Europass) · checked 23 Oct 2026

Writing each section: tips for a Tunisian background

The tips Europass publishes match Opporiva's: tailor the “About me” section to the job or programme, stick to facts linked to the offer, put the most recent experience first, check spelling and use a professional email address.

For a Tunisian background, add these habits:

• degrees: keep the official title (for example “Licence fondamentale” or “Diplôme national d'ingénieur”) and add a short explanation in brackets, without inventing a European equivalent; only a recognition authority can set one;
• institutions: write the full name of the university and school, then the city, because local acronyms are rarely known abroad;
• grades: if you give an average, state the scale, for example 14.5/20;
• internships and final-year projects: describe the company in a few words and your measurable contribution (deadlines, volumes, tools used);
• volunteering and student associations: the Europass profile has a section for this; it matters for mobility and volunteering programmes and for scholarships that look at engagement.

Avoid skill bars and percentages such as “Excel 80%”: they say nothing concrete. A sentence showing what you actually did with the tool is far more convincing.

Source: Europass (European Commission) – Create your Europass CV · checked 23 Oct 2026

Length, PDF format and file name

Two pages is a common target for an early-career profile; one page can be enough for an apprenticeship or a first internship. Europass-generated CVs tend to grow long, because every profile section becomes a block: keep only what serves the application.

When sending:

• send a PDF unless the call asks for another format; it is also the only download format Europass currently offers;
• name the file with your name and the programme, for example Lastname-Firstname-CV-Erasmus-Mundus.pdf;
• keep an editable master version (your Europass profile, or a DOCX or ODT file) so you can adapt each application quickly;
• open the PDF before sending it to check the layout and links.

Importing into Europass only works with older CVs downloaded from Europass as PDF or XML. If you rework your CV in Word, update your profile too, or you will end up with two versions that no longer say the same thing.

Source: Opporiva editorial team · checked 23 Oct 2026

Cover letter and digital diplomas with Europass

Europass also offers a cover letter editor. Its recommendations: one page at most, a formal and polite tone, no mistakes, and usually three short paragraphs. The first explains why you are applying, the second why you are a strong candidate, the third why the organisation suits you. Reuse the skills named in the offer and refer to specific examples in your CV. For a scholarship or a master's, always follow the format the call asks for (word count, set questions).

European Digital Credentials can be stored in the Europass wallet, under “My Library”, then “Certificates and diplomas”. To receive them, the email address used by the issuing institution must be the one linked to your EU Login account. To share a digital diploma, Europass advises generating a link from the wallet and strongly recommends against sending the original file.

You only receive a European Digital Credential if the institution that trained you issues one. A paper Tunisian diploma still needs to be translated, and legalised if required, according to the rules of the institution or country you are applying to.

Source: Europass (European Commission) – Create your Europass Cover Letter · checked 23 Oct 2026

Checklist before you send your Europass CV

• The CV follows the call's instructions: format, language, length, photo or not.
• The “About me” section names the programme or job you are targeting.
• Dates are consistent and in the same format (month and year).
• Language levels follow the A1 to C2 grid and match the certificates you attach.
• The email address is professional and the phone number carries the +216 code.
• The PDF has a clear name and opens without errors.
• Someone else has proofread the text.

Opporiva is free and never applies on your behalf. A careful CV makes your file easier to read, but it does not guarantee selection or a job offer.

Source: Opporiva editorial team · checked 23 Oct 2026