Inburgering Loan Forgiveness: When DUO Can Cancel the Debt

Inburgering loan forgiveness, called kwijtschelding lening in Dutch, is not available to every DUO borrower. As of May 2026, DUO's practical forgiveness page mainly covers people under the Wet inburgering 2013 who are asylum status holders, or the partner, parent or child of an asylum status holder. If you are an asylum status holder under the Wet inburgering 2021, you normally do not borrow from DUO because the municipality pays your course and 2 exam attempts.

• Loan forgiveness is not a general rule for every inburgering loan.
• The main DUO forgiveness rules are for Wet inburgering 2013 asylum-status holders and the partner, parent or child of an asylum status holder.
• Full forgiveness can apply when that person completes the obligation on time through a diploma, full exemption or full dispensation.
• Partial forgiveness can apply after a late finish, but only within a narrow 6-month window and only for up to 2 late exam parts.
• DUO normally grants partial forgiveness automatically if the conditions are met.
• If you do not qualify, repayment usually starts 6 months after you finish integrating and can run for 10 years.

First check which law applies to you. The forgiveness page is easy to misunderstand because many people now integrate under the newer 2021 system, while the loan-forgiveness rule is mostly an older-system rule.

For the Wi2013 asylum-status group, DUO says you do not have to repay the loan in 3 on-time situations: you get your inburgering diploma on time, you get a full ontheffing (dispensation) on time, or you get a full vrijstelling (exemption) on time. The word on time matters. If your deadline has already passed, read the partial-forgiveness rules instead of assuming the whole debt disappears.

Partial forgiveness is narrower. DUO says it can apply if you did not meet the deadline, had no more than 2 exam parts left after your integration term, and still met the obligation within 6 months. Meeting the obligation can mean passing the remaining parts, getting an AGI dispensation based on demonstrated effort, getting an LBH dispensation based on the learnability test, becoming Dutch, or reaching AOW age within that 6-month period.

Usually, no. DUO says partial forgiveness is normally granted automatically when you meet the conditions. You receive a repayment letter, and that letter explains more about partial forgiveness. If special circumstances were not known to DUO, you can use the Aanvraag gedeeltelijke kwijtschelding form and send evidence. DUO lists examples such as pregnancy and birth, a stay in a shelter, death of a close family member, long illness, school problems or several special circumstances together.

DUO says it decides on a special-circumstances application within 12 weeks. Keep copies of everything you send, because the percentage depends on timing and evidence.

If you must repay, DUO sends a letter with the amount. Repayment usually starts 6 months after you finish integrating. You do not have to repay everything at once: DUO gives 10 years, charges interest and normally collects a fixed monthly amount from your bank account.

For the broader borrowing rules, read the DUO loan for inburgering guide. For exam and course costs, use the costs, loans and fees guide. If your problem is the deadline rather than the loan, start with the extra time and deadline guide.

• Find the DUO letter that says which law applies to you and what your deadline is.
• Check whether you are in the Wi2013 asylum-status group or a listed family member of that group.
• Count how many exam parts were still open when the deadline passed.
• If DUO knows all facts, wait for the repayment or forgiveness letter.
• If DUO does not know about special circumstances, prepare the partial-forgiveness form and evidence.