CV Photos in France: Rules, Format, Prices and AI Headshots
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In France, the photo on a CV sits between habit and law. Many candidates still add one, but nothing requires it, and French law treats physical appearance as a ground of discrimination. Here are the rules, the usual size and placement, what a photographer costs in the main cities, and what French advisers say about AI-generated photos.
Is a CV photo expected in France?
Legally, no. Article L1132-1 of the Labour Code (Code du travail) says no one may be excluded from a recruitment process because of their origin, sex, age, appearance (apparence physique) and many other criteria. Article L1221-6 adds that the information a recruiter asks for may only serve to assess your ability to do the job, and must have “a direct and necessary link” with it.
France also allows anonymous CVs: article L1221-7, in its 2015 wording, says applications may be examined in a way that preserves the candidate’s anonymity. It is the employer’s choice, not an obligation.
Appearance still weighs in the minds of jobseekers. In a survey of 998 registered jobseekers published in 2016 by the Défenseur des droits (the French rights ombudsman) and the ILO, 79% believed their appearance influences the recruiter, and 8% (10% of women, 6% of men) said they had been discriminated against in hiring because of it.
In short: you can leave the photo out without any legal risk. If you include one, it must help you, so make it professional. Leave it out if the job ad or an international employer asks for a CV without a photo.
If you live in France and apply abroad, follow the habits of the country you apply to. In Switzerland and Germany, a photo remains customary in many sectors: see our guides to CV photos in Switzerland and application photos in Germany. For an English-language application to an international firm, follow the job ad and the company’s career site.
Size, placement and style
| Criterion | Recommendation |
|---|---|
| Placement | Top of the CV, left or right, next to your name and contact details |
| Size | About 4 × 5 cm, rectangular (Randstad France) |
| Background | Neutral and plain; avoid dark or busy backgrounds |
| Outfit | What you would wear to a job interview; no loud patterns or logos |
| Style | Recent, colour, head and shoulders, natural expression |
| Avoid | Cropped holiday photos, selfies, heavy filters |
Online applications often ask for the photo separately, so keep a high-resolution file. For clothing, see what to wear for a professional headshot.
How much does a CV photo cost in France?
Prices published by studios in October 2026:
| City | Examples of published prices |
|---|---|
| Paris | €39 (20 minutes, 1 retouched photo) to €129; prestige and corporate portraits €385 to €480 excl. VAT |
| Lyon | €30 (1 retouched photo) to €120; corporate portrait €149 |
| Marseille | €80 to €89 for a short studio session; €130 to €150 outdoors, at your office or with 5 photos |
| Bordeaux | €29 (15 minutes, 1 photo); most sessions €89 to €150 |
| Lille | About €40 to €49 for a 15-minute session; €75 to €120 for 2 photos; €175 for 5 |
| Strasbourg | €75 to €90 for a short session; €125 to €139 for a longer one |
Some providers work across the country. My Shooting Photo offers a free 30-minute outdoor session in Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, Nantes, Nice, Montpellier and other cities, then charges €50 for two retouched photos or €149 for ten. Our city guides for Toulouse, Nice, Nantes and Montpellier list local studios.
A photo booth is cheaper, but it gives an ID-style picture, not a CV portrait. Compare all options in AI headshot vs photographer.
AI CV photos: what French advisers say
French career advice does not reject AI photos outright; it rejects photos that don’t look like you. Randstad France’s 2026 guide accepts small retouches but advises against smoothing filters, because “the recruiter must recognise you on the day of the interview”. In September 2026, L’Etudiant noted that AI can improve a portrait’s light, background or framing, but that the photo “must stay consistent” with the person the recruiter will meet.
Career advisers in Germany go further: a May 2026 guide from a Federal Employment Agency office warns that AI-edited photos often look artificial and that recruiters notice. Our advice if you use an AI headshot:
- It must be you. Keep your real features, hair, glasses and age.
- Natural beats perfect. A plain backdrop and realistic light, not a glossy synthetic look.
- Adapt to the sector. In conservative sectors, a classic studio photo may still be the safest choice.
LinkedIn and job portals in France
LinkedIn is widely used in France: DataReportal counted 38.0 million members in late 2025, 15.2% more than a year earlier. Recruiters will look you up there, so use the same photo as on your CV. See our LinkedIn profile picture tips.
The main job portals are France Travail (the public employment service), Apec (for managers and graduates), Indeed, HelloWork and Welcome to the Jungle.
Your photos, the GDPR and the CNIL
Under the GDPR, a photo of you is personal data. It becomes special-category biometric data only when it is processed to identify you uniquely. In France, the data protection authority is the CNIL. Its recruitment guide (January 2023) says a recruiter may only collect information with a direct and necessary link to the job, must not discriminate on grounds such as age or appearance, and should keep unsuccessful candidates’ data in a talent pool for no more than two years from the last contact. You can ask an employer what it holds about you.
The same questions apply to any app you upload your face to: how long it keeps your photos, where they go and whether they train AI models. With LinkPro, your selfies are not kept on our servers after generation, your headshots are stored on your device, your images are never sold or used to train AI models, and you can delete your account and photos. See our privacy policy.
A CV photo without a photographer
LinkPro helps you get a realistic CV photo without booking a studio:
- Take 8 guided selfies. On-device face detection checks your distance, angle and light live.
- Choose your look: your field, a studio or office backdrop, a formal or business casual outfit.
- Get your headshots in seconds and pick the one that looks most like you.
- Ask friends or colleagues to vote with a poll link before you apply.
LinkPro is a web app: open it in your browser at app.linkproapp.ai, on your phone or computer, in English, French, German or Italian. Your first session is free, with 3 watermarked previews and no account. A single headshot is a one-time purchase that unlocks one headshot of your choice in HD, without watermark or subscription. LinkPro Unlimited is a weekly subscription with unlimited sessions and restyles, cancel anytime. A LinkPro photo cannot be used for a passport or ID card, which require biometric photos.
Sources
- Code du travail: article L1132-1, article L1221-6 and article L1221-7
- Défenseur des droits and ILO: 9th barometer on discrimination in employment, “Le physique de l’emploi” (February 2016)
- Randstad France: photo CV, les bonnes pratiques à adopter en 2026 (January 2026)
- L’Etudiant: 4 prompts IA pour créer une photo professionnelle (September 2026)
- Bundesagentur für Arbeit Ahlen-Münster: Bewerbungskompass (May 2026)
- CNIL: Guide Recrutement (January 2023)
- DataReportal: Digital 2026 France
- Studio price pages (October 2026): Paris Photo Studio, Studio Harcourt, Studio Photo Jouffroy, Novidia Studio, Arnaud Leduc, Studio Vaccaro, Pascal Rousse, Kodak Express Lille, Franck Barrières, Jean-Philippe Bloch, My Shooting Photo
Frequently asked questions
Is a photo mandatory on a French CV?
No. No law requires one. Article L1132-1 of the Labour Code bans excluding a candidate because of their physical appearance, among other criteria, and article L1221-6 limits what a recruiter may ask to information with a direct and necessary link to the job. Career advisers such as Randstad France describe the photo as optional.
What size should a CV photo be in France?
There is no official size. Randstad France suggests a rectangular photo of about 4 × 5 cm, at the top of the CV, on the left or right, next to your contact details. Use a recent colour photo, a neutral background and the outfit you would wear to an interview.
How much does a CV photo cost in France?
Published studio prices in October 2026 started at €29 in Bordeaux, €30 in Lyon and €39 in Paris for a short session with one photo. Sessions with three to five retouched photos usually cost €75 to €150. Corporate photographers in Paris charge €385 to €480 excl. VAT.
Are AI CV photos accepted in France?
No rule forbids them, but the photo must not mislead. Randstad France accepts light retouching but warns against smoothing filters, because the recruiter must recognise you at the interview, and L'Etudiant says the photo must stay consistent with the person the recruiter will meet. Choose a natural, recent likeness.
How long can an employer keep my CV and photo?
Only as long as needed for the recruitment. The CNIL recommends keeping the data of unsuccessful candidates in a talent pool for no more than two years from the last contact, and its model information notice mentions keeping them three months after the process ends, so candidates can ask for the reasons for the decision.
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