A Europass CV is a free CV you build on europass.europa.eu, the European Commission’s official career platform. You fill in your education, work experience, languages and skills once, choose a template, and download the finished CV as a PDF. The editor works in 31 languages and costs nothing at any stage.
This Europass CV guide walks you through creating one step by step, what to write in each section, how to rate your languages on the CEFR scale, and when a Europass CV is the right choice for a scholarship or job application in Europe (and when a plain academic CV works better).
What is a Europass CV?
Europass is a set of free tools run by the European Commission to help people present their skills and qualifications in a way employers and universities across Europe recognise. The CV builder is the best known of them. Every Europass CV follows the same section order, so a recruiter in Lisbon and an admissions officer in Warsaw read it the same way.
The format is open to everyone. You do not need to be an EU citizen or live in Europe to use it, which is why applicants from Africa, Asia and Latin America use it for Erasmus Mundus and other European programmes.
Europass profile vs Europass CV
People mix these two up, and it decides how much time the tool saves you.
| Europass profile | Europass CV | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Your full record: every school, job, skill, certificate and language | A formatted document built from part of that record |
| How many | One per person | As many as you like |
| Who sees it | Only you, unless you choose to share it | Whoever you send it to |
| Where it lives | Your Europass account | Downloaded PDF, or stored in your Europass Library |
| Do you need it? | Optional, but needed to save drafts and make versions quickly | Yes, this is what you submit |
Europass’s own announcement of the current editor says you can create CVs and cover letters without a profile. I still recommend making one. Once the profile is complete, a new CV tailored to a different programme takes a few minutes, because you only untick what is irrelevant.
Do scholarships require a Europass CV?
Some do. A number of Erasmus+ and Erasmus Mundus consortia ask for a CV in Europass format in their application rules, and some European universities and EU agencies say the same in job adverts. Many others simply ask for a CV and let you choose the layout.
Read the application page of each programme. If it names Europass, use it, since ignoring a stated format is an easy way to look careless. If it says nothing, either format is acceptable and you should pick whichever presents your record more clearly. Our Erasmus Mundus scholarship guide covers the rest of the documents those programmes ask for.
How to create a Europass CV, step by step
- Open the official site: go to europass.europa.eu and choose “Create your Europass CV”. Use only this address. Lookalike sites that charge for “Europass templates” are not part of the EU service.
- Sign in or continue without an account: to save your work, create a free account with your email address. If you only need one CV today, you can start without signing in, but you will lose the draft if you close the browser.
- Fill in your profile: add personal details, education and training, work experience, language skills, digital skills and anything else relevant such as publications, volunteering or awards.
- Create the CV from your profile: choose “Create CV”, then tick the sections and entries you want in this version. Everything you leave out stays saved in the profile for next time.
- Pick a template and language: choose a design and one of the 31 interface languages. Labels such as “Work experience” switch to the chosen language; your own text does not translate itself.
- Decide on a photo: add one only if the application asks for it. If you do, use a plain passport-style headshot.
- Preview, proofread and download: check spelling, dates and contact details in the preview, then download the PDF. Save a copy to your Europass Library so you can edit it later.
The same platform has a cover letter editor that pulls your name and contact details from the profile. For scholarships, the “cover letter” is usually a motivation letter or statement of purpose, so check the programme’s word limit before you use the Europass template.
What to write in each section of a Europass CV
| Section | What to include | Mistake to avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Personal information | Full name as on your passport, a professional email address, phone number with country code, city and country | Nicknames in the email address; adding date of birth, gender or marital status when the application does not ask |
| About me | Three or four sentences on your field, your strongest experience and what you want to study or do next | Generic lines like “hardworking and result-oriented” that fit anyone |
| Education and training | Newest first: degree, institution, city, dates, grade or class of degree, thesis title, relevant courses | Leaving out your grade when it is strong; listing every secondary school subject |
| Work experience | Newest first: job title, employer, dates, and two to four lines on what you did and the result | Copying a job description instead of what you personally achieved |
| Language skills | Mother tongue, then each other language rated A1 to C2 for each skill | Rating yourself C2 without evidence; interviews expose this fast |
| Digital skills | Software and tools you actually use: statistics packages, programming languages, design or lab software | Listing “Microsoft Word” and “internet browsing” as headline skills for a master’s application |
| Additional sections | Publications, conference presentations, volunteering, awards, certificates, projects | Including unrelated certificates just to fill space |
Writing work experience that selection panels notice
Start each line with a verb and end it with a result. “Coordinated a 12-person survey team across three districts; collected 1,400 household questionnaires in six weeks” tells a panel far more than “Responsible for data collection”. If you have no paid work, internships, research assistantships, student society roles and volunteer projects all belong here.
Explain gaps briefly and honestly, for example a year spent preparing for exams or caring for family. Unexplained gaps raise more questions than the explanation would.
How to rate your languages on the Europass CV (CEFR levels)
Europass uses the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). You rate yourself separately for understanding (listening and reading), speaking (spoken production and spoken interaction) and writing. Your mother tongue gets no rating.
| Level | Label | What it means in practice |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | Basic user | You understand and use simple everyday phrases |
| A2 | Basic user | You handle routine tasks such as shopping, directions and simple exchanges |
| B1 | Independent user | You deal with most travel situations and describe experiences and plans |
| B2 | Independent user | You follow complex discussions in your field and speak with reasonable fluency |
| C1 | Proficient user | You use the language flexibly for academic and professional work |
| C2 | Proficient user | You understand virtually everything and express yourself precisely |
If you studied in English all through university, C1 for English is usually a fair rating. If you hold a test result, mention it under the language as a certificate, for example “IELTS Academic, overall 7.0”. Many master’s programmes in Europe expect B2 or C1 in the teaching language, so the rating you give will be read against that.
For digital skills, Europass also offers a free self-assessment test based on the EU’s Digital Competence framework. It gives you a report showing your level in each area, which helps you describe your skills in your own words.
Europass CV or a standard academic CV?
| Situation | Better choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The call says “Europass format” | Europass | It is a stated requirement |
| EU institution or agency jobs, EURES job applications | Europass | The format is familiar to these recruiters and you can share your profile with EURES directly |
| Erasmus Mundus or Erasmus+ with no format stated | Either | Pick the one that shows your record more clearly |
| PhD or research posts | Academic CV | Publications, grants and conference talks need more room than the Europass layout gives them |
| UK, US or Canadian applications | Standard CV or resume | Readers there expect a shorter document without photo or personal details |
My view: the Europass profile is worth building even if you end up submitting a different layout. Having every date, grade and role in one place makes any CV faster to write.
Common Europass CV mistakes
- Sending one CV to every programme. Make a separate version for each, with the most relevant experience first.
- Letting the CV run long. Europass layouts stretch easily; for a master’s application, aim to keep it to two or three pages.
- Ignoring the programme description. If a master’s lists data analysis as a core skill, your statistics experience should be easy to find.
- Dates that do not match your transcripts or reference letters. Committees compare them.
- An informal photo, or a photo when none was requested.
- Skipping the final proofread in the PDF preview, where spacing and line breaks can differ from the editor.
Your CV and your references should tell the same story. If you are asking lecturers for letters at the same time, our recommendation letter samples show what a strong scholarship reference contains.
Europass CV FAQ
Is the Europass CV free to download?
Yes. Creating, downloading and storing a Europass CV on europass.europa.eu is free. Any site asking you to pay for a “Europass” template is not the official service.
Can I make a Europass CV without creating an account?
Yes, the editor lets you build and download a CV without a profile. An account is still useful because it saves your data, so you can edit the CV later and make new versions quickly.
Can I edit my Europass CV after downloading it?
Yes, if you saved it in your Europass Library or built it from your profile. Open it from your account, change what you need and download a new PDF.
Should I put a photo on my Europass CV for a scholarship?
Only if the programme asks for one. Scholarship committees judge your record, so leave the photo out when the call does not mention it.
Sources and updates
The steps, the 31 languages and the Europass Library come from the Europass “Create your Europass CV” page. The point that a profile is optional comes from Europass’s announcement of its current CV and cover letter editor. The digital skills test, cover letter editor and EURES sharing come from the EURES article on Europass tools published in March 2026. CEFR level descriptions follow the Council of Europe’s Common European Framework of Reference. Information checked on 24 October 2026. If Europass changes its editor or the number of languages, I will update this page.
I am Jude Chinecherem, a final-year MBBS student at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. I know what it feels like to want an education your family cannot afford. When my parents could not pay for my schooling, I had to learn how to find scholarships and work the system out on my own, with nobody to guide me. I came out the other side, and now I share everything I learned so the next student does not have to figure it out alone. This is the advice I wish someone had given me back then.
