Inburgering exam explained: which exams you need, costs and free practice

The inburgering exam (the Dutch civic integration exam) is not one exam but a set of exams: language exams (Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking) and knowledge exams such as KNM (Knowledge of Dutch Society). Which exams you need depends on your situation:

• Obliged to integrate since 1 January 2022 (Civic Integration Act 2021): usually the language exams at level B1, which is the Staatsexamen NT2, plus KNM.
• Obliged before 2022 (Act of 2013), or integrating voluntarily for citizenship or permanent residence: DUO’s exams at level A2.
• Still abroad and applying for a long-stay visa (mvv) to join a partner or family: first the civic integration exam abroad at level A1.

Each DUO exam costs €50. You register and pay with DUO, not with us: this is an independent practice site, not a government website. Below you find which exams belong to which situation, what they cost, how to book and when you get your results.

Which inburgering exam do you need?

Your situation	Rules	What you must pass	Level
Obliged since 1 Jan 2022, B1 route	Wet inburgering 2021	Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking (Staatsexamen NT2), KNM, MAP and PVT	B1
Obliged since 1 Jan 2022, education route	Wet inburgering 2021	Staatsexamen NT2, KNM and PVT	B1 or B2
Obliged since 1 Jan 2022, Z route	Wet inburgering 2021	Dutch lessons, PVT, MAP and a final interview at the municipality	A1 lessons; A2 exams optional
Obliged before 1 Jan 2022	Wet inburgering 2013	Reading, Listening, Writing, Speaking and KNM; plus ONA and/or PVT depending on your start date	A2
Voluntary (citizenship, permanent residence, EU long-term resident)	no obligation	Reading, Listening, Writing, Speaking, KNM and ONA (sometimes MAP instead of ONA)	A2
Abroad, you need an mvv	Wet inburgering buitenland	Knowledge of Dutch Society (KNS), Reading and Speaking	A1

Who must integrate? Under article 3 of the 2021 Act: non-EU nationals aged 16 up to state pension age who receive a residence permit for a non-temporary purpose (for example asylum or family reunification), and religious ministers. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens and people here for a temporary purpose (highly skilled migrants, students) do not have to integrate. They can still take the A2 exams voluntarily.

The exams at a glance

Exam	Format	Time	Cost
Reading A2	computer	65 min	€50
Listening A2	computer, with video and audio	45 min	€50
Speaking A2	computer: you watch clips and answer	35 min	€50
Writing A2	pen and paper, 4 tasks	40 min	€50
KNM	computer, questions by theme	45 min	€50
ONA	portfolio of 8 result cards, then a final interview or a 64-hour course	interview about 30 min	€40
Staatsexamen NT2 (B1 or B2)	4 parts on a computer	25 to 110 min per part	€50 per part
Exam abroad (A1)	KNS, Reading and Speaking at an embassy	about 2 hours	€150

The real exams are in Dutch. DUO does not publish how many questions each A2 exam or KNM has, or the pass mark. For the Staatsexamen NT2 you pass a part with a scaled score of 500 or more.

What it costs and who pays

• Each DUO exam costs €50; the four A2 language exams plus KNM come to €250. ONA costs €40.
• The Staatsexamen NT2 costs €50 per part, €200 for all four.
• Refugees with an asylum permit under the 2021 Act: the municipality pays for the course and the first two attempts at each exam are free.
• Family migrants and others pay themselves or borrow from DUO (only for an approved school).
• The exam abroad costs €150 (3 × €50).

How to book

• A2, KNM and ONA: log in to Mijn Inburgering with DigiD (SMS check or the DigiD app) and pick a date and location. Book early: it can take more than six weeks before you can sit the exam. You can change the date or cancel with a refund up to one week before. Without DigiD, use DUO’s paper registration form.
• B1 and B2 (Staatsexamen NT2): register through Mijn DUO, about eight weeks before the exam day. Exams are on fixed dates.
• Exam abroad (A1): register online at naarnederland.nl, then book your own appointment at the embassy or consulate.

In the Netherlands, DUO has six exam centres: Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Rijswijk, Rotterdam, Utrecht and Zwolle. DUO’s own website has English pages on registering and on logging in to Mijn Inburgering.

Results and diploma

Results for Speaking A2 and Writing A2 currently take about 16 weeks. If that makes you late, DUO automatically extends your deadline by six months. Results for the other exams usually arrive within eight weeks, by letter and in Mijn Inburgering. Since 1 January 2026 the inburgering diploma is digital; the IND and municipalities accept it.

Inburgering for Dutch citizenship and permanent residence

• Citizenship (naturalisation): you need an inburgering diploma at A2 or higher, or a Staatsexamen NT2 diploma, plus usually five years of residence. An application costs €1,139 in 2026. The government plans to require B1 instead of A2, but on 3 November 2026 the minister gave no date: a public consultation comes first, then advice from the Council of State. Details in Dutch: naturalisatie and B1 voor naturalisatie.
• Permanent residence: for the EU long-term resident permit you need five years of residence, an inburgering diploma (usually A2) and sufficient own income. It costs €254. Since the EU Migration Pact (12 June 2026) this is the main route to permanent residence for refugees. Details in Dutch: EU-langdurig ingezetene and Migratiepact.

Free practice

Try our KNM practice exam in English: 20 questions on the eight official themes, with an explanation for every answer. The real KNM exam is in Dutch, so also take the Dutch version with 30 questions. All official practice exams are listed on our practice exams page (in Dutch).