ONA Inburgering Guide: Portfolio, Course, Interview and Result

ONA means Oriëntatie op de Nederlandse Arbeidsmarkt, or orientation to the Dutch labour market. It is not a language exam. It is an inburgering exam about work and job search in the Netherlands. You usually do ONA only if you integrate under Wet inburgering 2013 or if you integrate voluntarily. The exam has a portfolio with 8 result cards and then either a 64-hour ONA course or a final interview with DUO.

• ONA is mostly an older-route exam. Under Wet inburgering 2021, people usually have MAP instead of ONA.
• The portfolio is the base. You fill in 8 result cards about work, skills, job chances, networking and Dutch work culture.
• DUO does not fill it in for you. DUO says it cannot help with the cards and does not provide example portfolios.
• You choose the second part. After submitting the portfolio, you choose a 64-hour ONA course or a final interview.
• Timing can be long. Portfolio checking can take 6 weeks, an interview can be within 6 weeks after registration, and the result can take up to 8 weeks.
• As of May 2026, DUO lists the ONA exam fee as EUR 40. A 64-hour ONA course has a separate school cost.

Do not decide from the word ONA alone. Check Mijn Inburgering and your DUO letters. DUO explains that ONA is for people under Wet inburgering 2013 or people who integrate voluntarily. If you are under Wet inburgering 2021, you usually look for MAP instead. The broad comparison is in the MAP, ONA and PVT guide.

• If your inburgeringsplicht started on or after 1 October 2017 but before 1 January 2022, ONA can appear with language exams, KNM and PVT.
• If your inburgeringsplicht started between 1 January 2015 and 1 October 2017, ONA can appear with language exams and KNM.
• If you had to start before 1 January 2015, DUO says you do not have to do ONA.
• If you have a Dutch-taught entreeopleiding diploma at mbo level 1, DUO says you may not need ONA.
• If work, MAP, health or retirement may apply to you, check whether an ONA exemption is possible before you pay.

The portfolio is a set of official result cards. Some cards also need evidence. In simple words, DUO wants to see that you have looked at realistic work in the Netherlands and understand what steps you can take.

• Beroepenoriëntatie: which jobs fit your direction.
• Realistisch beroepsbeeld: what the job is really like.
• Je eigenschappen kennen: your qualities and points to improve.
• Beroepskansen: your chances in the Dutch labour market.
• Beroepscompetenties: skills and diplomas for the work.
• Netwerk opbouwen: people and organisations that can help.
• Werk vinden: how you search and apply.
• Werkcultuur: how people behave at work in the Netherlands.

You choose the second part when you send the result cards in Mijn Inburgering. The two options feel very different.

• Submit online through Mijn Inburgering if you can. Choose ONA, upload/send the result cards and evidence, pay, and choose course or interview.
• If you cannot log in, DUO has paper forms. If you submit the portfolio by post, DUO says you cannot use the 64-hour ONA course route.
• As of May 2026, DUO lists the ONA exam fee as EUR 40. You may pay through iDEAL/Wero or with your DUO loan if that applies to you.
• Portfolio checking can take 6 weeks. After approval, you register for the final interview if you chose the interview route.
• DUO says the final interview is normally within 6 weeks after registration and the result can be seen in Mijn Inburgering.
• For knowledge exams, DUO says results can also arrive by letter within 8 weeks.

• First, check in Mijn Inburgering whether ONA is really listed for you.
• Before paying, check whether you might have an ONA exemption because of MAP, Dutch work, self-employment, incapacity or early retirement.
• Download the official ONA explanation, result cards and word list from DUO.
• Collect evidence while you work on the cards, not after everything is finished.
• If you choose the course route, ask the school whether it is listed on zoekinburgerschool.nl and whether it gives the 64-hour ONA course.
• If you choose the interview route, practise explaining your own cards in simple Dutch: what work you want, why it fits, and how you will look for it.

For related steps, read the ONA exemption guide, the inburgering registration guide and the costs and loans guide.