Not everyone who moves to the Netherlands has to integrate. It depends on your nationality and on why you are here. Check your own situation below.
Machine translation: this page was translated automatically from the reviewed Dutch text and has not been checked by a person.
In short
Inburgering — integration — means learning how to take part in Dutch society. The government expects two things of you above all.
So that you can work, go to the doctor, and talk to your children's school.
How to look for work, how health insurance works, and which rules and values matter here.
Once you have completed the integration programme you receive an inburgeringsdiploma. You often need that diploma later, if you want to apply for permanent residence or become a Dutch citizen. So inburgering is not about how clever you are. It is about learning the language and being able to manage on your own in the Netherlands.
Not everyone who comes to the Netherlands has to. It mainly depends on two things: your nationality, and why you came here.
Usually you do
Usually you do not
Exempt groups include: people under 18, people above state pension age, people from the EU/EEA and Switzerland, and anyone here temporarily to study or work. Diplomas that grant exemption: vmbo, havo, vwo, mbo level 2 or higher, and hbo or university degrees provided they were taught in Dutch.
Sources: Rijksoverheid — Moet ik als nieuwkomer inburgeren? · inburgeren.nl — Diploma gehaald — accessed 20-08-2026
You do not have to work this out yourself. DUO checks it for you, in three steps.
You get a BSN. Together with your residence permit, that is all DUO needs.
If you are, DUO is informed automatically. You do not have to apply for anything.
It says from which date you are inburgeringsplichtig — required to integrate — and how much time you have. Keep that letter: the date in it decides everything later. No letter? Then check Mijn Inburgering with your DigiD.
Amber van der Zalm · NT2 teacher
What I see most often: people who wait months because they think they have to apply for something themselves. You do not. DUO sends you a letter. Keep that letter safe — the date in it decides everything later, from your deadline to which act applies to you.
DUO decides whether you have to integrate and sends you a letter about it, once you have a BSN and a residence permit and are registered with your municipality.
Source: inburgeren.nl — U gaat inburgeren — accessed 20-08-2026
This matters, because two acts exist side by side. They have different rules, different costs and different exams. So check your letter from DUO first to see which one applies to you.
Wet inburgering 2013
You became required to integrate before 1 January 2022.
Wet inburgering 2021
You became required to integrate on or after 1 January 2022. This applies to almost everyone starting now.
The old act
Who
You were already required to integrate before 1 January 2022.
Who arranges it
You arrange everything yourself.
Language level
A2
Extra components
ONA, PVT
Applies to almost everyone starting now
Who
You became required to integrate on or after 1 January 2022.
Who arranges it
Your municipality guides you.
Language level
Usually B1
Extra components
KNM, MAP, PVT
The Wet inburgering 2021 applies to everyone who became required to integrate on or after 1 January 2022; anyone already required to integrate before that date falls under the Wet inburgering 2013.
Source: Rijksoverheid — Nieuwe wet inburgering — accessed 20-08-2026
So you now know whether you have to integrate. The next question is which language level you already reach. You can find that out today, without arranging anything.
See where you stand right nowTen questions per skill, with an explanation after every answer. No account needed.
Free practice examYou do not have to work it out yourself. DUO checks it as soon as you have a residence permit and are registered with your municipality, and sends you a letter. If you think you missed that letter, log in to Mijn Inburgering with your DigiD.
No. If you come from an EU country, or from Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland, the integration duty does not apply to you. If you want to become Dutch later, naturalisation does have language requirements.
A Dutch vmbo, havo, vwo or mbo level 2 or higher diploma, and a hbo or university degree taught in Dutch. Dutch-language diplomas from Belgium and Suriname count as well. You apply for the exemption yourself at DUO.
Vrijstelling means you do not have to integrate, for example because you already hold a Dutch diploma. Ontheffing means a psychological or physical impairment permanently prevents you from sitting the exams; for that an independent doctor examines you. You apply to DUO for both.
As a rule no: the integration duty starts at 18. If you are younger you fall under compulsory education or the qualification requirement, and you go to school. In some situations you can be required to integrate at that age after all.
Reviewed by Amber van der Zalm, certified NT2 teacher — August 20, 2026 This page is a translation of that reviewed Dutch text; the translation itself was not reviewed. The Dutch version is the source.