First: which law applies to you
If you had to start integrating on or after 1 January 2022, the Wet inburgering 2021 applies. If you became obliged before that date, the Wet inburgering 2013 applies. Mijn Inburgering shows which one is yours, and the date your obligation started.
Under either law you get a letter from DUO once you have a citizen service number (BSN), a residence permit and a registration with the municipality. DUO says the letter can take up to 8 weeks after those are arranged.
The Wet inburgering 2021: three routes
After the letter, the municipality invites you to a conversation and a learnability test (the Leerbaarheidstoets). Together these are the brede intake. Then the municipality writes your personal plan, the persoonlijk plan inburgering en participatie (PIP), which sets your route and your exams. You have 3 years to integrate.
| Route | Who it is for | What you take |
|---|---|---|
| B1-route | Prepares you for paid work or volunteering. | Lezen, Luisteren, Schrijven and Spreken at B1 (the staatsexamen Nt2 Programma I), KNM, the MAP and the PVT. |
| Onderwijsroute | Mostly young people heading for mbo, hbo or university. | The language exams at B1 or B2 (staatsexamen Nt2), KNM and the PVT. |
| Z-route | People for whom the other routes are too hard. You learn Dutch at A1. | The PVT and the MAP, then a closing conversation and a certificate. Language exams at A2 are allowed, not required. |
In the B1-route, if you have had at least 600 hours of language lessons and the B1 exams still do not work out, DUO says to talk to your municipality about switching down (afschalen) to A2.
The Wet inburgering 2013: A2
Under the 2013 law you take the language exams at A2 or higher. What else you take depends on when you became obliged:
- On or after 1 October 2017: Lezen, Luisteren, Schrijven, Spreken, KNM, ONA and the participation statement (PVT).
- Between 1 January 2015 and 1 October 2017: Lezen, Luisteren, Schrijven, Spreken, KNM and ONA.
- Between 1 January 2013 and 1 January 2015: Lezen, Luisteren, Schrijven, Spreken and KNM.
The digital diploma under the 2013 law does not state a level: it is always A2. Under the 2021 law it says whether you passed at A2, B1 or B2.
B1 and A2 are different exams
The B1 and B2 language exams are the staatsexamen Nederlands als tweede taal (Nt2), set by the College voor Toetsen en Examens (CvTE) and booked through DUO. The A2 language exams and KNM are DUO's own. They differ in length and format, and the pages for Lezen, Luisteren, Schrijven, Spreken and KNM set both out.
Some people take fewer exams or none, for example because of illness, a Dutch diploma or 10 years in the Netherlands with 5 of them in work. See fewer exams, exemptions and extra time.