Inburgering is the Dutch civic integration requirement. If you move here from outside the EU and plan to stay, you will almost certainly have to do it, and you will have three years from the date on your letter.
The rules changed on 1 January 2022, and a lot of the advice still floating around online describes the old system. The most important change is the level.
The single thing most people get wrong
The standard is now B1, not A2. Under the Wet inburgering 2021 you are expected to reach B1. A2 is a fallback, and you only get it if you can show you genuinely tried and could not get there, which requires at least 600 hours of lessons at a school carrying the Blik op Werk quality mark before the level can be lowered.
Which route you are on
Your municipality decides your route in a meeting at the start, based on your background and what you want to do here. There are three.
| Route | Who it is for | Where it ends |
|---|---|---|
| B1 route B1-route |
Most people. The standard path. | B1 in all four language skills, or A2 if the level is formally lowered. |
| Education route Onderwijsroute |
Mostly younger people who want to go on to Dutch education. | A language level that lets you start a Dutch course of study, usually B1 or higher. |
| Self reliance route Z-route |
People for whom B1 is genuinely out of reach, often because of limited prior schooling. | Enough Dutch to manage daily life, with a strong focus on participation. |
What you actually sit
Six things, plus one course. People usually picture only the first four.
- Lezen, reading.
- Luisteren, listening.
- Schrijven, writing. Along with speaking, this is where most marks are lost.
- Spreken, speaking.
- KNM, Kennis van de Nederlandse Maatschappij. Knowledge of Dutch society: how healthcare works, how the system of government works, what is normal at work, how people behave with each other.
- MAP, Module Arbeidsmarkt en Participatie. The labour market and participation module, arranged through your municipality.
There is also the PVT, the participatieverklaringstraject, a short course ending in a statement you sign about the values of Dutch society. It is not an exam you can fail, but it is part of the obligation.
One note if you started before 2022: you do ONA instead of MAP. ONA belongs to the old 2013 law and MAP replaced it, so both exist side by side depending on when you became subject to integration. If an article tells you to prepare for ONA, check which law applies to you first.
The deadline
You get three years, counted from the start date in the letter DUO sends you. Not from when you arrived, and not from when you started lessons.
An extension is possible if the delay is genuinely not your fault, for example long illness. On the self reliance route an extension of up to two extra years can apply. Do not plan around getting one.
Working backwards from a three year deadline to B1 from a standing start: that is comfortable if you begin in the first few months, and tight if you start in year two. The usual reason people run out of time is not difficulty, it is a late start.
What it costs
| Part | Cost |
|---|---|
| Reading, listening, writing, speaking | 50 euro each, so 200 euro |
| KNM | 50 euro |
| MAP | Free, through your municipality |
| Total under the 2021 law | 250 euro |
| ONA, only under the older 2013 law | 40 euro extra, so 290 euro |
That is the exam fee only. Lessons are separate, and depending on your situation and your municipality there may be funding available. Ask them, and ask early.
Who does not have to do it
- Citizens of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland.
- People under 18 or over the state pension age.
- People who already hold a qualifying Dutch diploma or language certificate.
- People here temporarily for work or study. This covers highly skilled migrants.
That last exemption catches people out later. It applies while you are here temporarily. The moment you apply for permanent residence or Dutch nationality, the language requirement comes back. Plenty of people discover this after five comfortable years in an English speaking office.
Where people lose marks
Reading and listening are the parts people fear and usually pass. Writing and speaking are the ones that catch people out, for a simple reason: you can improve reading and listening on your own, but you cannot improve speaking on your own.
Two practical things:
- Practise writing by hand in full sentences, not by typing with autocorrect on. The exam wants your spelling, not your phone's.
- Get used to speaking under mild pressure. Talking comfortably with a friend is not the same skill as answering a prompt with a timer running. That gap is worth rehearsing.
Check your own situation at the source
Rules change and personal circumstances vary more than any article can cover. Your official route, deadline and obligations come from DUO and from your municipality. Start at inburgeren.nl and with the letter DUO sent you, and treat everything else, including this page, as background.
Preparing for B1 with a deadline on it
The speaking and writing parts are the ones you cannot fix alone. The free intro lesson is 25 minutes, and we look at where you are against the deadline you actually have.
Book a free intro lesson