Inburgering: who must integrate, the three routes, deadlines, costs and fines
Inburgering is the Dutch civic integration programme: learning Dutch, learning how Dutch society and the labour market work, and passing exams. It is compulsory for most people from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland who settle in the Netherlands for the long term, such as family migrants and refugees. It is not compulsory for EU citizens, for people who come for a temporary purpose such as work or study, for children under 18 or for people past state pension age. You get 3 years, and the standard language level since 2022 is B1.
Sources
DUO: integration in the Netherlands (routes, deadline, PIP)
DUO: how much does integration cost
DUO: state exam Dutch as a second language, exam fee
Rijksoverheid: must I integrate as a newcomer?
Rijksoverheid: Wet inburgering 2021
Government.nl: civic integration in the Netherlands
Rijksoverheid: Turkish newcomers become subject to civic integration (4 February 2020)
IND: civic integration for naturalisation
IND: permanent residence permit
Rijksoverheid: interim evaluation of the Wet inburgering (28 January 2026)
Rijksoverheid: cabinet wants naturalisation after 10 years (26 September 2025)
Internetconsultatie: naturalisation term
Rijksbegroting 2026, Asiel en Migratie (16 September 2025)
Tweede Kamer: answers on naturalisation, 20 February 2026 (Aanhangsel 1163)
Last updated 16 October 2026.
Who does not have to integrate
- Nationals of an EU country, Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland or Switzerland.
- People under 18, and people past the state pension (AOW) age.
- People who come to the Netherlands for a temporary purpose, such as work, study or an exchange; Rijksoverheid gives an expat as the example.
- People who lived in the Netherlands for at least 8 years while of compulsory school age.
- People with a Dutch diploma or certificate from education taught in Dutch, above primary level.
Everyone else who comes to stay for a longer period must integrate. There is nothing to apply for: DUO, the education executive agency, sends the letter automatically once you have a citizen service number (BSN), a residence permit and a registration with your municipality, within about 8 weeks. Turkish nationals have been included since 1 January 2022 (asylum status holders since 1 May 2020). People who became obliged before 1 January 2022 still fall under the 2013 Act, with an exam at level A2.
The three learning routes
| Route | Language level | For whom | Exams |
|---|---|---|---|
| B1 route | B1 (state exam Dutch as a second language) | Most adults; language plus paid or voluntary work | Reading, listening, writing, speaking at B1; Knowledge of Dutch Society (KNM); MAP; PVT |
| Education route | B1 or higher | Mainly young people heading for MBO, HBO or university | Language exams at B1 and the knowledge exams |
| Self-reliance (Z) route | A1 | People for whom the other routes are too hard | PVT and MAP compulsory; language exams at A2 optional; ends with an interview and a certificate |
The municipality decides the route with you. After DUO's letter it invites you to an interview and a learning ability test (the broad intake), then writes your personal integration and participation plan (PIP), which lists your route and exams. The 3 years run from the date in DUO's second letter, after the PIP. On the B1 route, someone who has followed at least 600 hours of lessons and still cannot pass at B1 can ask the municipality to scale down to A2.
What it costs
| Exam | Fee per attempt |
|---|---|
| Reading | €50 |
| Listening | €50 |
| Writing | €50 |
| Speaking | €50 |
| Knowledge of Dutch Society (KNM) | €50 |
| All five together | €250 |
| Labour Market and Participation module (MAP) | Free, with the municipality |
| Participation statement process (PVT) | Free |
- Asylum status holders: the municipality pays the course, and the first 2 attempts at each exam are free (not at a level below the PIP). They cannot borrow from DUO and never repay anything.
- Family migrants and other migrants pay the course and exams themselves, or borrow from DUO for a course at a school on zoekinburgerschool.nl; DUO pays the school directly. How much you may borrow depends on your income of two years ago; DUO's loan calculator gives the figure.
- Interest on a DUO integration loan: 2.21% in 2025, 2.29% in 2026, 3.28% in 2027. Repayment starts 6 months after you finish integrating, in monthly instalments over 10 years; the rate is fixed for the first 5 years.
- Childcare allowance (kinderopvangtoeslag) is possible while you follow a course at a listed school, the MAP, the PVT or the participation hours of the Z route.
Deadlines, extra time and fines
| What | Fine | Then |
|---|---|---|
| Learning route not finished in time | Up to €1,000, depending on route, lesson hours, attempts and parts passed | 6 months to 2 years extra, depending on how much is done |
| Participation statement process (PVT) late | €340 | 6 months extra |
| Labour Market and Participation module (MAP) late | €340 | 6 months extra (1 year if both PVT and MAP are late) |
| Asylum status holders | No fine from DUO | The Raad van State ruled that DUO may not fine them for taking too long |
Extra time without a fine is possible once per period, for example after a literacy course, illness of you or a family member, a death in the family, a baby, homelessness or a shelter stay, a municipality that did not arrange a school in time, or when you have followed many lessons and passed at least 2 of the 4 language exams. Two months before the deadline DUO writes to you with the data it holds; after the deadline it announces a possible fine and asks for missing data, such as lesson hours your school has not reported.
Permanent residence and Dutch citizenship
A permanent residence permit and naturalisation both require the civic integration exam at level A2 or higher, or an exemption, according to the IND. A civic integration diploma under the 2021 Act meets that requirement; the Z route alone does not, unless DUO recommends that you cannot be expected to pass. Exemptions include a Dutch diploma from education taught in Dutch, a state exam Dutch as a second language diploma, or 8 years in the Netherlands during school age; dispensation is possible on medical grounds or after demonstrable effort. People who are not obliged to integrate, such as EU citizens or those here for a temporary purpose, can integrate voluntarily for this reason, and can borrow from DUO for it until 3 years after their first registration with a municipality.
What may change
- Naturalisation after 10 years instead of 5: the cabinet's bill to amend the Rijkswet op het Nederlanderschap was in public consultation from 30 September to 1 December 2025; in February 2026 the minister said the aim was to submit it to the Tweede Kamer in the third quarter of 2026. The other naturalisation conditions stay the same in that bill. Separately, the 2026 budget of the Ministry of Asylum and Migration says the cabinet will raise the language requirement for naturalisation, in principle, to B1; no date or decree yet.
- The cabinet published the interim evaluation of the Wet inburgering 2021 on 28 January 2026: the law is viewed more positively than the 2013 Act, but asylum status holders often wait too long for a course to start, affordability is a concern, and the move into paid work lags. The cabinet adopted the Court of Audit's recommendations and will change the rules so that paid work and integration combine more easily; no date yet.
- The participation statement will give more attention to the democratic rule of law and the Holocaust in Dutch history, following motions in the Tweede Kamer.
Questions people ask
- I am a highly skilled migrant (kennismigrant). Do I have to integrate?
- No. Residence for a temporary purpose such as work or study carries no civic integration obligation; Rijksoverheid names an expat as the example. If you later want a permanent residence permit or Dutch citizenship, you need the civic integration exam at A2 or an exemption, and you can integrate voluntarily for that.
- How long do I have?
- 3 years, counted from the date in DUO's letter that follows your personal plan (PIP), not from the day you arrive. Extra time is possible once per period for reasons such as a literacy course, illness, a baby or a municipality that was late with a school.
- What language level is required?
- B1 on the B1 route and the education route, the standard since the 2021 Act. The self-reliance route teaches A1. A permanent residence permit and naturalisation require at least A2.
- Who pays?
- Asylum status holders: the municipality pays the course and the first 2 attempts at each exam. Family migrants and other migrants pay themselves, or borrow from DUO for a course at a listed school; the loan is repaid with interest over 10 years, starting 6 months after you finish.
- What if I miss the deadline?
- DUO can fine you: up to €1,000 for the learning route, €340 for a late participation statement, €340 for a late MAP. You then still have to integrate and get extra time, from 6 months to 2 years. Asylum status holders are not fined by DUO.
- I came before 2022. Which rules apply?
- The 2013 Act: exams at level A2, the ONA labour market exam instead of the MAP, five language and knowledge exams for €290 in total, and a DUO loan of up to €10,000 for asylum status holders. A fine for finishing late can be up to €1,250.
- Does the diploma make me a Dutch citizen?
- No. It meets the integration condition. Naturalisation also requires 5 years of lawful residence today (the cabinet wants 10), a valid permit, no danger to public order and, with exemptions, giving up your current nationality.
Good to know
- Mijn Inburgering (log in with DigiD) shows your deadline, your route, the exams you must take and their prices, and your loan.
- A foreign diploma: ask IDW for a free credential evaluation at the start of your integration; employers can read it.
- Registration for the A2 exams and KNM goes through Mijn Inburgering; for the B1 and B2 state exams through DUO's state exam pages; the PVT and MAP through the municipality.
- Some municipalities pay travel costs to a school outside your town; ask yours.