Your PIP sets your route and starts the three-year period
Your gemeente (municipality) makes your PIP after the brede intake (broad intake). It records your route, exams and support under the Wet inburgering 2021 (Civic Integration Act 2021). Your three-year inburgeringstermijn (integration period) starts the day after the date on your PIP. Check your route, exam level and deadline before starting lessons or booking an exam.
Who gets a PIP?
Your gemeente makes your PIP with you if you must integrate under the Wet inburgering 2021. PIP stands for persoonlijk plan inburgering en participatie. The PIP is an official municipal decision (External site, opens in a new tab). It records what you must do and what support you receive.
If you fall under the Wet inburgering 2013 (Civic Integration Act 2013), check Mijn Inburgering (My Integration portal) for your obligations. You can also check there which law applies to you.
What happens before your PIP?
DUO (Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs, the Dutch education service) (External site, opens in a new tab) first sends you a letter saying you must integrate. Your gemeente then invites you to the brede intake. It uses the intake to assess which route fits your situation.
The intake covers these parts of your situation:
- Your education, diplomas and work history.
- Your family situation, health, practical barriers and plans for work or study.
- Your Dutch level, ability to learn, self-reliance and options for work, study, volunteering or other activities.
You take the Leerbaarheidstoets (learnability test, LBT), unless an exception applies. Your gemeente exempts you if you have a visual impairment. Your gemeente also exempts you for a hearing impairment after deciding that you cannot take the test. These exceptions are in Article 14 of the 2021 Act (External site, opens in a new tab).
After the brede intake, your gemeente sets the PIP. DUO then sends another letter with the start date of your integration period.
What should you check in your PIP?
Use these questions when you discuss the PIP with your gemeente. Some practical details may be in a separate letter or course agreement.
You can scroll wide tables sideways.
| PIP part | What to check | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Learning route | B1-route (B1 learning route), Onderwijsroute (education route) or Zelfredzaamheidsroute (self-reliance route, Z-route). | Your route sets the language goal, exams, participation parts and type of guidance. |
| Exam level and required parts | A2, B1 or B2 language exams; A2 language exams are optional in the Z-route. Check whether KNM (knowledge of Dutch society), MAP (labour market and participation module) and PVT (participation declaration programme) apply. | Check the required level in your PIP before booking. A lower level can affect free attempts; see the payment rule below. |
| Course and support | School, start date, weekly schedule, travel, childcare and who pays. | Check which schedule you can attend. Who chooses and pays for your school depends on your migration category. |
| Participation | MAP, PVT, volunteering, work, internships, or other activities. | MAP and PVT take place through the gemeente. Ask how any other activities are arranged. |
| Progress and changes | Contact person, progress meetings, and how changes are recorded. | If your situation changes, ask the gemeente to record any changes in writing. |
| Start date and deadline | Date on your PIP, DUO start letter and deadline in Mijn Inburgering. | Your three-year period starts the day after the PIP date. A replacement PIP keeps the original start date. |
The inburgeringsexamen (civic integration exam) guide explains the exam parts. DUO’s knowledge-exam page (External site, opens in a new tab) explains KNM, MAP and PVT.
If you are an asielstatushouder (asylum-status holder) under the 2021 Act, your gemeente chooses your school (External site, opens in a new tab) and pays for your course. Other migrants choose their own school. They pay for the course themselves or use a DUO loan if they qualify. Ask about travel and childcare support before you plan your weekly schedule.
In 2026, asylum-status holders under the 2021 Act get the first two attempts at each exam free at the level in their PIP or above. An exam below that level costs money. Check DUO’s exam-payment rules (External site, opens in a new tab) before booking.
Your three-year period starts the day after the date on your PIP. Replacing or changing the PIP keeps the original start date. Article 11 of the 2021 Act (External site, opens in a new tab) sets this rule. Check your current deadline in Mijn Inburgering.
How does your PIP set your learning route?
Your gemeente records one of the three learning routes in your PIP. It adapts the agreements to your situation. DUO explains the three routes (External site, opens in a new tab):
- The B1-route works towards B1 Dutch, paid work or volunteering, and participation.
- The Onderwijsroute mainly prepares younger newcomers for mbo (vocational education), hbo (higher professional education) or university.
- The Z-route is for people for whom the B1-route or Onderwijsroute is too difficult. It focuses on self-reliance and participation.
What if your PIP does not fit your situation?
If the route, level, school, schedule or support does not fit your situation, use these steps:
- Write down the specific problem, including any health issue, childcare need, work hours or travel barrier.
- Send the problem to your contact person at the gemeente.
- Ask for a written response.
Your gemeente must update your PIP if your route changes. It must also update your PIP if it allows you to take some or all language exams at A2 instead of B1. Article 5.3 of the Besluit inburgering 2021 (Civic Integration Decree 2021) (External site, opens in a new tab) requires this. Ask for written confirmation of changes to your school start date or support too.
If you formally disagree with the decision, follow the objection instructions in your letter. If you choose to object, you must submit a bezwaar (objection) within six weeks after the decision is formally notified (External site, opens in a new tab). This deadline also applies while you ask the gemeente to explain or change the PIP.
You can ask Het Juridisch Loket (legal advice centre) (External site, opens in a new tab), a lawyer or a trusted adviser for help. The Loket offers online information to everyone. Personal advice is for people with a low income and few savings. Our guide to free and subsidised legal help explains the options.
Missing the brede intake or failing to cooperate can lead to warnings and fines under Article 22 of the 2021 Act (External site, opens in a new tab). Keep attending appointments while the gemeente considers the issue. The decision remains in force during an objection (External site, opens in a new tab), unless it is suspended. If you cannot attend, tell the gemeente as early as possible and keep proof.
Keep copies of your PIP, DUO letters, emails from the gemeente, course confirmations, attendance records and exam results. If school or municipal delays put your deadline at risk, ask the gemeente which evidence you need for extra time.
What should you do before starting lessons or booking an exam?
If the PIP fits your situation, use it to plan your lessons and any exams. If a detail is unclear or your situation has changed, ask your gemeente to explain it and confirm any change in writing. Check the exam level before booking: a lower level can cost money even when you qualify for free attempts.
Choose the guide that matches your next task:
Official Sources
- Inburgeren.nl (DUO's civic integration website): U gaat inburgeren (External site, opens in a new tab) - DUO letters, broad intake, PIP, the three-year integration period and the three learning routes.
- Inburgeren.nl: Welke examens (which exams) (External site, opens in a new tab) - How your PIP and Mijn Inburgering show your exams and which integration law applies.
- Wet inburgering 2021 (External site, opens in a new tab) - Articles 11, 14, 15 and 22: the deadline start, intake and test exceptions, PIP as a municipal decision, and intake fines.
- Besluit inburgering 2021 (External site, opens in a new tab) - Broad-intake records, the 10-week PIP timing rule and its exceptions, progress meetings, required PIP updates and conditions for route or level changes.
- Inburgeren.nl: Kennisexamens (knowledge exams) (External site, opens in a new tab) - KNM, MAP and PVT, including which activities take place through the municipality.
- Inburgeren.nl: Hoeveel kost inburgeren? (how much does civic integration cost?) (External site, opens in a new tab) - Course payment and the PIP-level condition for free exam attempts under the 2021 Act.
- Inburgeren.nl: School kiezen (choosing a school) (External site, opens in a new tab) - Who chooses a school under the 2021 Act: the municipality for asylum-status holders, the learner for other migrants.
- Rijksoverheid (Dutch central government): Bezwaar tegen een beslissing (objecting to a decision) (External site, opens in a new tab) - Objection instructions and the six-week period after a decision is formally notified.
- Rijksoverheid: Na een bezwaar (External site, opens in a new tab) - The decision remains in force during an objection; a court can grant a temporary measure.
- Het Juridisch Loket: Contact (External site, opens in a new tab) - Online legal information and personal advice for people with a low income and few savings.