B1-Route Inburgering: Exams, PIP, A2 Option, and Next Steps

The B1-route is the standard learning route for many people who must integrate under the Wet inburgering 2021. Your gemeente (municipality) puts this route in your PIP, the personal integration and participation plan. In the B1-route you normally work toward Dutch at B1 level, plus KNM, MAP and PVT. If B1 is not realistic after serious effort, the municipality may discuss doing one or more language exams at A2 instead.

• Your PIP is personal. General guides help, but your PIP and Mijn Inburgering decide your exact route, exam level and obligations.
• The normal language goal is B1. B1 means you can handle many everyday situations more independently than at A2.
• B1 exams are Staatsexamen NT2 Programma I. The four language skills are reading, listening, writing and speaking.
• KNM, MAP and PVT also matter. KNM is an exam about Dutch society. MAP and PVT are arranged mainly through the municipality.
• A2 is possible only in specific cases. After at least 600 hours of Dutch lessons and enough effort, ask the municipality whether downscaling to A2 can be written into your PIP.

The B1-route is for people under Wet inburgering 2021 who can reasonably work toward independent Dutch. It is not something you simply choose from a website. First DUO sends a letter saying you must integrate. Then the municipality invites you for the brede intake, a broad intake with a conversation and usually the Leerbaarheidstoets (LBT). After that, the municipality sets your PIP.

The PIP should show the route, the language level, the exams, the support from the municipality and practical agreements such as school, participation and progress talks. If the PIP says B1-route, use it as your checklist. If something is unclear, ask the municipality to explain it in writing.

Most confusion comes from mixing route names, exam names and municipality tasks. This table separates the parts in plain language. Your personal PIP can still be different, so check it before booking an exam.

Do not wait quietly until the deadline is close. If B1 feels too difficult, talk to the municipality early and keep proof of lessons, attendance, exams and problems. DUO says that after at least 600 hours of Dutch lessons, you can discuss whether downscaling to A2 is possible. The legal rules are stricter than everyday talk: it is not automatic, and the municipality must decide whether your effort and situation justify the change.

As of May 2026, DUO lists each Wi2021 language exam and KNM at EUR 50. MAP is free through the municipality, and PVT is also free under Wi2021. Payment depends strongly on your status.

• Asylum-status holders: the municipality pays the course, and the first two attempts per exam are usually free if the exam level is not lower than the level in the PIP.
• Family migrants and other migrants: you usually pay for the course and exams yourself, or use a DUO loan if the school is approved.
• Extra attempts: after the free attempts, or when a free-attempt rule does not apply, you may need to pay yourself.
• Before booking: check the PIP level, attempts already used and the payment screen. Do not assume a lower-level exam is free.

• Log in to Mijn Inburgering and compare the exam overview with your PIP.
• Ask the municipality which school, participation activities, MAP steps and PVT steps are expected from you.
• Make a study plan for all four skills instead of studying only the part you like most.
• If work, childcare, illness or school problems slow you down, report this early and ask whether the PIP or deadline can be adjusted.
• If B1 is not realistic, ask what evidence the municipality needs before A2 can be discussed.

Useful next reads: the PIP guide, costs and loans, the three-year clock and extra time, and the Z-route guide if the municipality says another route may fit better.