Civic Integration Exam Netherlands 2026: Who Must Take It, A2 or B1

Under article 3 of the Wet inburgering 2021, you must integrate if you are from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland, aged 16 or over and below state pension age, and live here for a non-temporary purpose (wetten.overheid.nl).

This is the inburgeringsplicht (civic integration duty). DUO runs it and tells you by letter whether it applies to you. Under the 2021 Act, that letter only comes once you have a BSN, a residence permit and a municipal registration, and it can take 8 weeks after that (inburgeren.nl). The duty ends at state pension age (inburgeren.nl).

Family migrants, such as partners who come through family reunification, are the main group of internationals with this duty. Article 2.2 of the Besluit inburgering 2021 treats a permit for work as a highly skilled migrant, an EU Blue Card, paid employment, self-employment or study as a temporary purpose, and the same goes for joining a family member who is here for a temporary purpose (wetten.overheid.nl). Those permits bring no duty. Government.nl also lists citizens of the EU, Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland and Switzerland as exempt (Government.nl). Many people without a duty take the exam voluntarily later, because the IND asks for it when you apply for a passport or a permanent permit.

Two separate checks are involved, so keep them apart:

The IND asks for the civic integration exam at language level A2 for both naturalisation and permanent residence in 2026, even though the 2021 Act uses B1 as its default route level.

• Naturalisation: you must have passed the DUO civic integration exams at language level A2 or above (IND). DUO’s naturalisation page adds that the state exam Dutch as a second language (NT2) at B1 or B2 also counts (inburgeren.nl). A Z-route certificate on its own is not enough to naturalise.
• Permanent residence permit: you must have passed the civic integration exam at level A2 or above, or be exempt (IND). For this permit, unlike naturalisation, the IND accepts a Z-route certificate from the 2021 Act (IND).

The government wants to raise the naturalisation level from A2 to B1. The IND’s February 2026 assessment of the nationality bill says this proposal sits in a draft Besluit naturalisatietoets (IND). On 8 October 2026, wetten.overheid.nl showed the current Besluit naturalisatietoets in force since 26 May 2022, and the IND’s naturalisation page still asked for A2. Until that changes, the IND applies A2. Check the IND page on the day you apply.

DUO charges €50 for each exam part in 2026, so €250 in total under the 2021 Act and €290 under the 2013 Act, which adds the €40 ONA exam (inburgeren.nl).

Asylum status holders (2021 Act): the municipality pays for your course, and your first 2 attempts at each exam are free (inburgeren.nl). This does not apply if you sit an exam below your PIP level. Extra attempts are at your own cost, and you cannot borrow for them from DUO.

Everyone else, including family migrants and voluntary integrators, pays for their own course and exams but can borrow from DUO, only for an approved school. If you are not an asylum status holder, how much you can borrow depends on your income, and DUO decides the amount (inburgeren.nl).

• An asylum status holder under the 2013 Act can borrow up to €10,000 (2026), but DUO can no longer require asylum status holders to repay the loan (see the Raad van State point below). Under the 2021 Act, they can’t borrow from DUO, because the municipality pays (inburgeren.nl).
• If you integrate voluntarily, the loan stops 3 years after you registered with your municipality (inburgeren.nl).
• Under the 2013 Act, you can claim a maximum of €2,000 per quarter (2026) (DUO).
• The loan is a debt you must repay. You start 6 months after you finish integrating, you get 10 years, and you pay interest: 2.29% for 2026, fixed for 5 years at a time (inburgeren.nl).

Under article 4 of the Wet inburgering 2021, you are exempt from the duty if you spent at least 8 years in Dutch compulsory education, hold a designated diploma or can prove you are already sufficiently integrated (wetten.overheid.nl).

DUO and the IND check exemptions separately, and you have to prove them with documents.

For naturalisation, the IND checks whether you are exempt from the civic integration requirement or have a dispensation. Having no DUO duty does not by itself mean you meet the IND requirement, and a 2021 Act dispensation for particular individual circumstances (BIO) is not enough for naturalisation (inburgeren.nl). Check both before you apply. If the IND refuses your application, see how an objection to the IND works.