How to write a CV for Gulf jobs (UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar)

Recruiters in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Jeddah, Doha, Kuwait City, Muscat and Manama receive huge numbers of applications from many countries for each role. Before reading your experience, they check a few practical questions: Is this person already in the country? What visa do they hold? How soon can they join? Do they have the licence or registration this job requires? Can they speak Arabic or English to the level needed?

If your CV answers these at a glance, it stays in the pile. If the recruiter has to guess, it often does not.

Under your name, include:

• Phone with country code. A local UAE (+971) or Saudi (+966) number signals you are already there; add a WhatsApp number if different.
• Email and LinkedIn.
• Current location: "Dubai, UAE" or "Lahore, Pakistan (willing to relocate)".
• Nationality.
• Visa status: for example "UAE employment visa (transferable)", "Visit visa valid until 15 Jan 2027", "Saudi Iqama, transferable", or "Requires sponsorship".
• Notice period or availability: "Immediate", "30 days".
• Driving licence: "UAE light vehicle licence", "Saudi heavy licence", "Pakistani licence, eligible for conversion".

Date of birth and marital status are still common on Gulf CVs and some employers ask for them because they affect visa and family-status costs. They are optional; include them if the job ad or recruiter asks.

Yes, in most cases. Gulf employers commonly expect one, and CVs without a photo can look incomplete. Use a recent, professional head-and-shoulders photo: plain background, good lighting, business attire, neutral expression. No selfies, sunglasses, group photos or heavy filters.

If you apply to a multinational with a global HR policy that asks for no photos, follow their instructions.

Many Gulf jobs legally require a local licence, so put yours in the summary or a section near the top:

• Healthcare: DHA, DOH (HAAD) or MOHAP in the UAE; SCFHS in Saudi Arabia; QCHP/DHP in Qatar. Include status: "DHA licensed", "DHA eligibility letter", "Passed Prometric, awaiting DataFlow".
• Engineering: Saudi Council of Engineers membership, UAE Society of Engineers, PEC registration for Pakistani engineers.
• Safety: NEBOSH, IOSH, OSHA.
• Trades: City & Guilds, third-party certifications for rigging, scaffolding, crane operation.
• Driving: licence class, country and years held.

See the nurse and civil engineer examples for how to show registrations.

Recruiters value candidates who know local regulations, work cultures and climates. If you have worked in the Gulf, make the country and city visible in each job heading: "Site Engineer, Al Habtoor Contracting, Dubai, UAE". Mention big or well-known projects: "Riyadh Metro Line 3", "Expo City", "NEOM support camp".

If you have not worked in the Gulf yet, emphasise experience that transfers: large-scale projects, international standards (ISO, IEC, BS, ASTM), multinational employers, multicultural teams and hot-climate work.

For trades and drivers, add specifics recruiters screen on: vehicle types, tonnage, routes, machinery models and safety records. Our driver, electrician and chef examples show the level of detail that works.

List each language with a level: "English (fluent)", "Arabic (conversational)", "Urdu (native)", "Hindi (fluent)". Arabic is a strong advantage for customer-facing, government-facing and HR roles; English is required for most professional jobs. Be honest; many interviews switch language to test you.

• Two pages is normal for experienced professionals; one to two for others.
• A4 paper size, PDF format.
• Reverse-chronological work history with month and year for every job.
• A short summary that names the target role and your key licence or GCC experience.
• Salary is not included on the CV; discuss it with the recruiter. Gulf packages are usually split into basic salary plus housing, transport and other allowances, so compare total packages.

• No visa or location information, so the recruiter cannot tell whether hiring you costs a new visa.
• A casual or cropped photo taken from a family event.
• Unexplained job titles from your home country. "Sub Engineer" or "Assistant Executive" may mean little in Dubai; add a common equivalent in brackets.
• Missing licence details for regulated roles. A nurse without a licence status is often filtered out automatically.
• Very long CVs of four or five pages listing every training course. Keep the ones that matter for the job.
• Copying a Western template that hides nationality and visa status completely.
• Phone numbers without country codes, or a number that is not on WhatsApp, which many Gulf recruiters use for first contact.

Common channels include Bayt, Naukrigulf, GulfTalent, LinkedIn, Indeed UAE, company career sites and government portals like the Saudi Qiwa and Jadarat platforms. Licensed recruitment agencies handle many blue-collar and mid-level roles. Never pay a recruiter in the Gulf to get a job: legitimate agencies are paid by employers, and in the UAE charging candidates is not allowed.

Tailor your CV for each application, and keep a tracker of where you applied. CVLumo's Gulf CV pack adds the right personal fields and photo layout, and the job tracker keeps your applications in one place. Run the free ATS check before uploading to large portals.