Letter From DUO About Inburgering: What to Do First

If DUO sends you a letter saying that you must integrate, do not start by booking random exams. First check Mijn Inburgering for your law, deadline, and required parts. Under the Wet inburgering 2021 your municipality normally invites you for a broad intake and sets a PIP; under the Wet inburgering 2013 DUO usually tells you when your three-year period starts and you arrange the course and exams yourself.

Use the letter as the start of your admin checklist, not as a reason to panic. These are the facts to confirm first:

• DUO normally sends the letter only after you have a BSN, a residence permit, and registration with the municipality.
• When those three things are arranged, DUO says it can still take up to 8 weeks before the letter arrives.
• Most integration periods are 3 years, but the exact start date and tasks must be checked in Mijn Inburgering or your PIP.
• Under Wet inburgering 2021, the municipality invites you for a broad intake and creates the PIP with your learning route and exams.
• Under Wet inburgering 2013, DUO shows your start date and exam parts in Mijn Inburgering, and you usually organise the course or self-study yourself.
• Money rules depend on your law and residence status. Check loans, free attempts, and approved schools before signing a course contract.

Under the Wet inburgering 2021, the first DUO letter confirms that you have an inburgeringsplicht (integration obligation). It is usually followed by the municipality process: a conversation, the Leerbaarheidstoets (LBT), and then the persoonlijk plan inburgering en participatie (PIP). The PIP says which learning route you follow and which exams or modules you must complete. Once the PIP is set, DUO sends another letter with the date from which your integration period starts.

Under the Wet inburgering 2013, the DUO letter usually gives the date from which you must integrate. Your exam parts depend on when you became inburgeringsplichtig. For many people this means A2 language exams plus KNM, and for later 2013 cases also ONA and sometimes PVT. Mijn Inburgering is the place to check the exact list for your situation.

A simple first week prevents expensive mistakes. Do these steps before you pay for a course or register for an exam:

• Save the DUO letter as a PDF or photo, and keep the envelope or digital message if it shows a date.
• Log in to Mijn Inburgering with DigiD and write down your law, start date, deadline, and required parts.
• Put important dates in your calendar: gemeente appointment, PIP meeting, exam deadlines, and payment dates.
• If you fall under Wet 2021, collect information about your education, work experience, health, childcare, and learning needs for the broad intake.
• If you fall under Wet 2013, decide whether you want self-study or a school, and check whether a school is approved if you may use a DUO loan.
• Check early whether a diploma, Dutch education, illness, disability, or special situation could mean fewer exams, an adapted exam, extra time, or an exemption.

DUO says the letter can arrive up to 8 weeks after you have a BSN, a residence permit, and municipal registration. If those are all arranged and more than 8 weeks have passed, contact DUO. If the letter arrives but the information looks wrong, do not ignore it: wrong dates, old addresses, missing course hours, or a wrong law can become expensive later.

• Check that your name, address, BSN, and residence status are correct with the municipality and DUO.
• Fix DigiD access quickly, because Mijn Inburgering is where you see your obligation, exams, appointments, and results.
• If you moved, make sure your address is correct in the Basisregistratie Personen (BRP) through your municipality.
• If your deadline is already close, read the extra-time rules and contact DUO or your municipality before the deadline passes.

Do not sign an expensive course contract just because the letter arrived. Under Wet 2021, asylum status holders normally have their course arranged through the municipality and get the first two attempts for each exam free, as long as the exam is not below the level in the PIP. Family migrants and other non-asylum migrants may choose to pay themselves or possibly borrow from DUO for an approved school. Under Wet 2013, many people could also choose between paying themselves or using a DUO loan for an approved school.

The exact money rule depends on your status, law, and school choice. Before you commit, compare the official cost page with the inburgering costs guide, and ask the school how it reports attendance to DUO if course hours may matter later.

Once the letter is clear, use the right follow-up guide instead of reading everything at once:

• If you do not know which law applies, read who must integrate in the Netherlands.
• If you fall under the 2021 system, read the Wet inburgering 2021 guide and your route guide.
• If you need help with the portal, use the Mijn Inburgering login guide.
• Before paying, check inburgering costs, loans, and fees.
• If time is already tight, read the extra-time guide and the fine guide.