PIP Inburgering Plan: What It Is and What to Check

A PIP is your persoonlijk plan inburgering en participatie: the personal integration and participation plan made by your municipality under the Wet inburgering 2021. It records your learning route, exams, support, and what the municipality expects from you. Check it carefully before your course or route starts, because your PIP affects your deadline, your exam level, and who arranges your lessons.

• The PIP comes after the broad intake. The municipality talks with you, uses the Leerbaarheidstoets (LBT), and looks at your education, work experience, Dutch level, personal situation, and participation options.
• It applies to people under Wet inburgering 2021. If you fall under the older Wet inburgering 2013, your obligations are usually shown in Mijn Inburgering instead of a municipality-made PIP.
• It names your route. Your PIP should show whether you follow the B1-route, Onderwijsroute, or Z-route, and which exams or participation parts apply.
• Your deadline is linked to the PIP. Under the Wet inburgering 2021, the three-year inburgeringstermijn starts the day after the PIP is dated. DUO also sends a letter showing when you must start.
• Changes should be written down. If your route, exam level, school start, or support changes, ask the municipality to confirm the change in your PIP or in another written decision.

First, DUO sends a letter saying that you must integrate. After that, the municipality invites you for the brede intake (broad intake). This is not just a language test. It is a wider look at what route is realistic for you.

• You discuss your education, diplomas, work history, family situation, health or practical barriers, and plans for work or study.
• You make the Leerbaarheidstoets (LBT), unless an exception applies.
• The municipality looks at your current Dutch level, learning potential, self-reliance, and chances to participate in work, education, volunteering, or other activities.
• After the broad intake, the municipality sets the PIP and DUO sends another letter with the start date for your integration period.

Read the PIP as a practical checklist, not as a formality. If a detail is unclear, ask the municipality to explain it before you plan your course, work schedule, childcare, or exam preparation.

The PIP does not invent a separate route for every person. It chooses and personalizes one of the official learning routes. The B1-route is the standard route toward B1 Dutch, work, and participation. The Onderwijsroute prepares mainly younger newcomers for mbo, hbo, or university. The Z-route is for people for whom the B1-route or Onderwijsroute is not realistic and focuses more on self-reliance and participation.

Do not ignore a PIP that feels unrealistic. Contact your municipality quickly and explain what is wrong: the route, level, school, schedule, health situation, childcare, work hours, travel, or missing support. Ask for the answer in writing. The PIP is connected to official municipal decisions, so if you formally disagree, read the objection instructions in the decision letter or get legal help from a juridisch loket, lawyer, or trusted adviser.

Also keep attending appointments while the issue is being discussed. Under the Wet inburgering 2021, not appearing for the broad intake or not cooperating can lead to warnings and fines. If you cannot attend, tell the municipality as early as possible and keep proof.

• Log in to Mijn Inburgering and compare the DUO information with your municipality's plan.
• Use the main inburgeringsexamen guide to understand which exams belong to your route.
• Keep copies of your PIP, DUO letters, emails from the municipality, course confirmations, attendance records, and exam results.
• If school or municipal delays put your deadline at risk, read the extra-time guide and ask the municipality what evidence you need.