Basisexamen inburgering buitenland: who can skip the A1 exam?

A vrijstelling applies when you meet an exemption rule, such as an age or diploma condition. The IND decides whether you qualify for a vrijstelling or ontheffing. For an ontheffing, it considers why you cannot pass and your efforts to pass. Both routes use the appendix in the IND rules for the exam abroad (External site, opens in a new tab).

You register for the exam and receive results through DUO (Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs, the Dutch education service). Read about the exam on Naar Nederland (To the Netherlands) (External site, opens in a new tab).

You qualify if any one of these grounds applies. The IND exemption rules (External site, opens in a new tab) and its appendix give the conditions:

• You are under 18 or have reached the AOW-leeftijd (Dutch state pension age).
• You are a citizen of an EU (European Union) or EER (European Economic Area, EEA) country, Australia, Canada, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, Vatican City, the United Kingdom, the United States, South Korea or Switzerland.
• You hold EU long-term resident status issued by another EU country. You do not need an MVV, so the exam abroad is not required. Check IND’s MVV exemptions (External site, opens in a new tab).
• You lived in the Netherlands for at least 8 years during compulsory school age and were registered in the municipal population register during that period. The appendix counts from age 5 through the school year in which you turned 16.
• You have Surinamese nationality and completed at least primary education in Dutch in Suriname or the Netherlands.
• You apply to work as a geestelijk bedienaar (spiritual counsellor). Your work will be entirely internal, as a monk, internal officer or board member of a religious or ideological organisation.

For the Surinamese-nationality ground, check the appendix for the evidence required for your place and date of schooling.

For the spiritual-counsellor ground, include an employer declaration describing the religious or ideological work.

Since 1 January 2022, Turkish newcomers joining family or coming as religious leaders, such as imams, must pass the exam if they are aged 18 or older and below AOW-leeftijd. An exemption or dispensation can allow you to skip it. Read the Rijksoverheid (Dutch central government) rules for Turkish newcomers (External site, opens in a new tab). If you need to take the exam, pass before applying for an MVV.

The integration duty after moving to the Netherlands is a separate question. The 2021 domestic exception for EU long-term residents depends on an integration requirement already fulfilled abroad. See who must integrate.

You also qualify if any one of these application types fits your situation:

• You apply for a residence permit with a temporary residence purpose under the Wet inburgering (Civic Integration Act).
• You apply to stay with a family member whose residence purpose is temporary under that Act.
• You apply to stay with a family member who has a temporary or permanent asylum residence permit.
• You apply for toetsing aan het EU-recht (verification against EU law).
• You already have a Dutch residence permit and apply for a different residence purpose.
• You meet the residence conditions for family life with your referent (sponsor) under artikel 8 EVRM (Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights).

A temporary residence purpose is a legal category. A permit with an expiry date can still have a non-temporary purpose. Check the IND list of temporary residence purposes (External site, opens in a new tab). For example, study is temporary, but work as a spiritual counsellor is non-temporary.

Ukrainian applicants may temporarily apply without an MVV or the exam abroad if they are lawfully in the Netherlands on a short-stay visa, within the visa-exempt period or under temporary protection, and cannot return to Ukraine because of the situation. You and any sponsor must meet all other permit requirements. Check the IND flexible-application rules (External site, opens in a new tab) before applying.

You are exempt if you hold any one of the following diplomas and meet the stated conditions. These are examples; the IND appendix lists all accepted diplomas, certificates and other documents:

• An inburgeringsdiploma (civic integration diploma).
• A Staatsexamen Nederlands als tweede taal (NT2, state exam in Dutch as a second language) diploma for Programma I or II (Programme I or II).
• A Dutch university or hbo (higher professional education) diploma from a programme taught in Dutch.
• A Dutch mbo (secondary vocational education) diploma at level 2 or higher from a programme taught in Dutch.
• A Dutch vwo (pre-university education), havo (senior general secondary education), mavo (junior general secondary education) or vmbo (preparatory secondary vocational education) diploma from a programme taught in Dutch.
• A comparable diploma from Dutch-language education in Belgium or Suriname, with a passing mark for Dutch and the issuing law stated on the diploma.
• A diploma from Dutch-language education on Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, Saba, Aruba, Curaçao or Sint Maarten, from a programme designated by the Dutch education minister, with a passing mark for Dutch.

For a diploma from Belgium, Suriname or one of the six Caribbean islands listed above, include the mark list.

The appendix asks for gewaarmerkte kopieën (certified copies) of the requested diplomas, certificates and mark lists. A certified copy states that it matches the original. It includes the authorised signer’s name, signature, date and institution stamp. Only the issuing educational institution may certify a diploma copy.

For a diploma issued outside the Netherlands, the appendix also requires an apostille (official authentication stamp) on the diploma or certificate. An ordinary copy of your basisexamen result is enough. Send copies and keep your original diplomas.

You can ask for an ontheffing if illness or a disability prevents you from passing. You can also ask if you tried to pass the exam or its parts but personal circumstances prevented you from succeeding. The IND assesses your whole situation, including age, education, finances, health, family care and conditions in your country.

Use the doctor appointed by the Dutch embassy or consulate. The appendix allows an examination in your country of origin or a country where you may stay for more than 3 months. Follow these steps:

1. Tell the Dutch embassy or consulate that you want to request medical dispensation.
2. Attend the examination with the appointed doctor. You pay for the examination.
3. Give the doctor permission to send the completed medical questionnaire to the IND through the embassy or consulate.
4. Include your copy of the signed medical form with the appendix and MVV application.

The medical form must be no more than 6 months old when you submit the MVV application.

Explain why your circumstances prevent you from preparing sufficiently and taking the exam, or part of it, again. The appendix requires evidence of the efforts you have made to pass. The IND considers what efforts you could reasonably be expected to make. Include results from exams you have taken.

Use documents that support the circumstances you describe. Depending on your situation, these can cover:

• Your education level and study efforts.
• Special care needs of family members.
• Your financial situation.
• Safety or access problems caused by conditions in your country of origin or residence.
• Medical problems, using the appointed doctor’s evidence described above.

If you need an MVV, use the IND’s Bijlage Basisexamen inburgering buitenland to request exemption or dispensation. The Dutch form is 7106; the English form is 7606. Follow these steps:

1. Open the English IND appendix (PDF, 203 KB) (External site, opens in a new tab) or the Dutch IND appendix (PDF, 186 KB) (External site, opens in a new tab).
2. Tick the ground that fits your situation.
3. Collect the evidence listed for that ground.
4. Include the completed appendix and evidence with the MVV application.
5. Keep copies of everything you send.

If you need an MVV, you apply for it and the residence permit together. Usually your referent in the Netherlands submits the application. The IND MVV page (External site, opens in a new tab) explains who applies and which nationalities need an MVV.

Missing documents can delay the decision. The IND sends you or your representative a letter. Its decision-period page (External site, opens in a new tab) says you can send the missing documents within 2 weeks. Check the date and instructions in your letter.

If the IND refuses your request, you need to pass the A1 exam abroad before your MVV can be approved. Start with DUO’s official practice exams on Naar Nederland (External site, opens in a new tab). You can then use our extra free A1 study resources.

In Turkey, you can take the exam at VFS Global in Ankara. Book with VFS Global by email through the Dutch embassy in Ankara. Find the booking email address on the NederlandWereldwijd (the government’s Netherlands Worldwide information service) appointment page for Turkey (External site, opens in a new tab).

Passed parts stay valid until you pass the whole exam. Once you have passed all three parts, apply for the MVV within 1 year of the issue date on the result PDF. After that year, you must pass the whole exam again.

If you need an MVV and an exemption ground applies to you, send the evidence listed for that ground.

If illness or a disability prevents you from passing, contact the embassy or consulate for an appointed doctor.

For personal circumstances, explain the problem and document your efforts and exam results.

If you are unsure which ground fits, check with the IND before paying for an exam or booking an appointment.

If you need the exam, plan your MVV application within the one-year result window.

• A1 basisexamen abroad guide
• Register for the basisexamen abroad
• MVV applications for family reunification