Most adult newcomers with nationality from a country outside the EU (European Union), EEA (European Economic Area) and Switzerland must integrate when they settle long term
An inburgeringsplicht usually applies to adults with nationality from a country outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland who settle long term. Age, residence purpose and education can exempt you. DUO (Dienst Uitvoering Onderwijs, the Dutch education service) sends a letter confirming your duty. You normally have 3 years; check your letter for the start date.
Whether you must integrate depends on your nationality, why you came, your age, your schooling and when your residence started.
What does an integration obligation mean?
An integration obligation means you must complete inburgering (civic integration): learn Dutch and learn how people live and work in the Netherlands. Your letter and Mijn Inburgering (your online integration account) (External site, opens in a new tab) show your start date and required parts.
Some people are exempt from the whole obligation. Others must integrate but can qualify for fewer exams, a waiver or extra time. The inburgeringsexamen (civic integration exam) overview explains the exam parts.
Does your situation require integration?
Check your nationality first, then the age, residence-purpose and education exceptions below. Your DUO letter confirms your personal situation.
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| Your situation | What it means | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| You have EU, EEA or Swiss nationality | You are exempt from the integration obligation | Check citizenship or residence requirements separately if relevant |
| You have nationality from a country outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland, and you settle long term | You must integrate unless an exemption applies | Your age, residence purpose, education and DUO letter |
| Under the 2021 law: you are under 16, or aged 16 or 17 with a school or qualification duty | You are exempt while that school duty applies; under-16s are outside the obligation | If you are 16 or 17 and that duty has ended, ask DUO whether you must integrate |
| You have reached AOW (Dutch state pension) age | Your integration obligation ends | Check naturalisation requirements separately if relevant |
| You came temporarily for study or work | You are exempt while your residence purpose is temporary, unless you come as a religious leader | Check again if your residence purpose changes |
| You have Dutch schooling, a qualifying diploma, or a serious illness or personal situation | You may qualify for an exemption, fewer exams or a waiver | Check the evidence rules below before booking exams |
When does DUO send your letter, and what happens next?
If you must integrate, DUO sends the first letter once all three conditions are met: you have a burgerservicenummer (BSN, citizen service number), a residence permit and registration with your gemeente (municipality). The letter can take up to 8 weeks after all three are arranged. If 8 weeks have passed without a letter, contact DUO (External site, opens in a new tab).
Under Wet inburgering 2021 (Civic Integration Act 2021), the first letter confirms your obligation. Then follow these steps:
- Attend the municipality's brede intake (initial assessment). The municipality invites you to a meeting and a Leerbaarheidstoets (LBT, learning-potential test).
- Check your persoonlijk plan inburgering en participatie (PIP, personal integration and participation plan) with the municipality. Your PIP states your learning route and required exams or modules.
- Check the start date in the second DUO letter. DUO sends it after the municipality has set your PIP.
- Check your required parts and deadline in Mijn Inburgering. You log in with DigiD (Dutch digital identity).
Under Wet inburgering 2013 (Civic Integration Act 2013), the first DUO letter states when your integration period starts. Check Mijn Inburgering for the exam parts you must complete.
Which integration law applies to you?
If your obligation began on or after 1 January 2022, Wet inburgering 2021 applies. If it began earlier, Wet inburgering 2013 may still apply. The comparison of the 2013 and 2021 laws explains the differences.
Under the 2021 law, your municipality guides you through one of these three routes. Your PIP and Mijn Inburgering show your exact obligations.
The level labels describe your Dutch: A1 (basic words and phrases), A2 (simple everyday communication), B1 (independent communication on familiar topics) and B2 (communication about complex topics).
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| Route | Dutch level | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| B1-route (B1 learning route) | B1; A2 is possible with municipality approval | Language exams and knowledge parts |
| Onderwijsroute (education route) | B1 or B2 | Prepare for mbo (secondary vocational education), hbo (higher professional education) or university. Mainly for young people; includes knowledge parts. |
| Zelfredzaamheidsroute (Z-route, self-reliance route) | A1 | Learn to manage daily life and participate in society, then finish with a municipality interview. For people for whom the other two routes are too difficult. |
The B1-route is the only route where the municipality can lower language exams to A2. All three conditions must be met:
- You completed at least 600 hours of NT2 (Dutch as a second language) lessons at a provider that meets the official requirements.
- You made sufficient effort during those lessons.
- You cannot reach B1 within your integration period, including any extension or new period.
These conditions come from Wet inburgering 2021, article 17 (External site, opens in a new tab) and Besluit inburgering 2021 (Civic Integration Decree 2021), article 5.5 (External site, opens in a new tab). Your municipality records any approved A2 parts in your PIP.
Under the 2013 law, you organise your own course or study independently. You complete language exams at A2 or higher, plus the knowledge exams shown in Mijn Inburgering.
Which exemptions can apply?
Any one of these conditions can exempt you from the integration obligation. Rijksoverheid (the Dutch central government) (External site, opens in a new tab) gives common examples. Wet inburgering 2021, articles 3 and 4 (External site, opens in a new tab) set the conditions:
- You have nationality from an EU country, Liechtenstein, Norway, Iceland or Switzerland.
- You have reached AOW age.
- You were subject to Dutch compulsory school or qualification rules for at least 8 years.
- You have a qualifying Dutch diploma, certificate or proof of Dutch-language education.
- Your residence purpose is temporary, such as study or temporary work, and you are not a religious leader.
Under the 2021 law, some family members of EU, EEA or Swiss citizens are also exempt. You must have the right to live here under free-movement rules. Wet inburgering 2021, article 3 (External site, opens in a new tab) sets this exception.
Age also matters. Under the 2021 law, the obligation can start at 16. You are exempt while you must attend school or gain a qualification. This is why most people under 18 are exempt. Wet inburgering 2021, articles 3 and 4 (External site, opens in a new tab) give the age rule and school exemption.
If you already have an obligation, any one of these situations may let you do fewer exams or no exams. Each has its own evidence rules:
- You have a serious illness or disability that prevents you from integrating.
- You have a qualifying diploma from the Netherlands, or from a Dutch-language course in Belgium or Suriname.
- You have lived and worked in the Netherlands for a long time.
- You have a Staatsexamen NT2 certificate or diploma. It may cover some of your required exams.
- You cannot integrate because of bijzondere individuele omstandigheden (special individual circumstances).
For the long-residence exemption under the 2021 law or waiver under the 2013 law, you need at least 10 continuous years in the Netherlands and 5 years of work here. Volunteer work can count. You also need Dutch at A2 under the 2013 law or B1 under the 2021 law.
DUO considers a waiver for special individual circumstances only in lasting situations. You must have done your best to learn Dutch. Other waiver or extra-time options must be unavailable.
DUO distinguishes vrijstelling (exemption) from ontheffing (waiver). Its rules for fewer or no exams (External site, opens in a new tab) depend on your law and evidence. Check the exemptions and special cases guide before you pay for a course or exam.
If you have temporary protection as a person displaced from Ukraine, you have no compulsory integration duty while that protection applies. Check your protection status on the IND (Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst, the Dutch immigration service) temporary-protection page (External site, opens in a new tab). Ukrainian nationality alone does not establish this exception.
Under the 2021 law, you have no compulsory Dutch integration duty if you fulfilled an integration requirement in another EU or EEA country to obtain EU long-term resident status. The residence status alone does not establish this domestic exception. Article 3 of the 2021 Act (External site, opens in a new tab) sets this condition.
If you live with a family member whose residence purpose is temporary under the Civic Integration Act, your family residence purpose is also temporary. It does not create the ordinary integration duty. Check again if that purpose changes. Use the IND list of temporary residence purposes (External site, opens in a new tab); the list for naturalisation is different.
Which rules apply if you have Turkish nationality?
Since 1 January 2022, Turkish nationals follow the same integration rules as most other newcomers from outside the EU. Before that date, Turkish asylum status holders and their family members already had an obligation. The Rijksoverheid rules for Turkish nationals (External site, opens in a new tab) explain who must integrate.
Your residence purpose and the start date of your lawful residence decide which rule applies. The exam abroad applies from age 18 until you reach AOW age.
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| Your situation | What applies |
|---|---|
| You settle long term with a family member who has no asylum residence permit | The basisexamen inburgering buitenland (civic integration exam abroad) before your machtiging tot voorlopig verblijf (MVV, entry visa for a long stay), then integration in the Netherlands |
| You come as a religious leader, such as an imam or religious teacher | The exam abroad, then integration in the Netherlands |
| You come as a kennismigrant (highly skilled migrant), student, temporary worker or temporary family visitor | You are exempt from the integration obligation |
| Your lawful residence started before 1 January 2022 | You are exempt unless you have an asylum permit or came as a family member of an asylum status holder |
| You have an asylum residence permit or join a family member who has one | You must integrate, as before 2022 |
Which residence date counts?
For the 1 January 2022 cut-off, use the start date of lawful residence on your residence document. Collecting the card later does not change that date.
The Raad van State (Council of State) confirmed this in a ruling of 4 September 2024 (External site, opens in a new tab). A Turkish man collected his MVV in Istanbul on 2 December 2021. He collected his residence card in the Netherlands on 17 January 2022. His lawful residence started on 3 December 2021, so he had no integration obligation.
A Kamerbrief (letter to parliament) of 9 July 2025 (External site, opens in a new tab) says about 200 Turkish family migrants were in the same position. DUO had told them personally that they did not have to integrate. They can claim compensation for costs with a proven link to their integration, such as language lessons and exams.
If a DUO letter gives you an obligation despite lawful residence starting before 2022, check the asylum exception above and contact DUO. You have 6 weeks to make a bezwaar (formal objection). The period starts the day after DUO formally notifies you of its decision, normally by sending the letter. Check the objection instructions in your letter and DUO's objection procedure (External site, opens in a new tab).
As a Turkish family migrant, you pay all or part of your integration costs yourself, like other family migrants. The integration costs, loans and fees guide explains what you may pay.
Do you need integration proof for a residence application?
The IND checks whether you meet the separate integration requirements for residence applications. For applications from 1 January 2025, Turkish nationals normally need an inburgeringsdiploma (civic integration diploma) for permanent residence or EU long-term resident status. Exemptions and waivers can apply.
The diploma rule also applies to a non-temporary humanitarian permit after family residence. An exception under the EU–Turkey standstillbepaling (clause that limits new restrictions) can apply to this humanitarian permit. It covers some Turkish workers, people intending to work legally and their family members. The IND's Turkish residence rules (External site, opens in a new tab) explain the exception. The permanent residence integration guide explains which proof and exemptions count.
Can you integrate voluntarily or start early?
You can integrate voluntarily if you want Dutch citizenship or a residence permit that requires integration proof. Check the IND requirements for your residence application (External site, opens in a new tab) separately from your integration obligation. The Dutch residence permits guide helps you identify your permit type.
DUO also has an early-start process for people under 18 and people with a temporary exemption while studying in the Netherlands. You must be exempt from leerplicht (compulsory school attendance) or kwalificatieplicht (the duty to gain a basic qualification).
Leerplicht normally runs from age 5 until the end of the school year in which you turn 16. Kwalificatieplicht then applies until 18 unless you have a havo (general secondary education), vwo (pre-university education) or mbo level 2 or higher diploma. School exemptions can apply. Rijksoverheid explains the school and qualification duties (External site, opens in a new tab).
If DUO accepts your request to start early, the 2021 law applies. You must then integrate within 3 years. Family and other migrants can receive a late-completion fine. Asylum status holders do not receive that DUO fine, but their obligation continues. Check DUO's early-start rules (External site, opens in a new tab) before applying.
Can you get more time, and what happens if you finish late?
You normally have 3 years to integrate. Your letter and Mijn Inburgering show the dates that apply to you. DUO can give extra time for reasons such as illness, education, family events, homelessness or literacy courses. Under the 2021 law, delays caused by your school or municipality can also qualify. Check DUO's extra-time rules (External site, opens in a new tab) and the integration deadline and extra time guide.
Asylum status holders under either the 2013 or 2021 law receive no DUO fine for taking too long. They must keep integrating. Family and other migrants can receive a late-completion fine. DUO lists these maximum amounts in October 2026:
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| Law | Late requirement | Maximum DUO fine |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 law | Completing the learning route | €1,000 |
| 2021 law | participatieverklaringstraject (PVT, participation declaration programme) or Module Arbeidsmarkt en Participatie (MAP, labour market and participation module) | €340 for each late part |
| 2013 law | Gaining the diploma | €1,250 |
A municipality can separately fine you for failing to cooperate with the initial assessment, PIP support or learning-route duties. Your obligation continues whether or not DUO can fine you. Check DUO's fine rules (External site, opens in a new tab) and the integration fines guide.
What should you check before booking exams?
If your DUO letter confirms an obligation, check your required parts and deadline in Mijn Inburgering. Under the 2021 law, keep your municipality appointments for the initial assessment, LBT and PIP.
If an exemption, waiver or extra-time rule may apply, check the evidence requirements before booking. If you expect a DUO letter and still have no letter more than 8 weeks after arranging all three registration conditions, contact DUO.
If you have Turkish nationality, check your residence start date and the asylum exception. If you want citizenship or a different residence permit, check the IND rules separately. An exemption from the integration obligation can still leave you needing integration proof for that application.
Official Sources
- Rijksoverheid: Moet ik als nieuwkomer inburgeren? (External site, opens in a new tab) - who usually does and does not have to integrate, including nationality, age, schooling, diploma, and temporary-stay examples.
- DUO/Inburgeren: U gaat inburgeren (External site, opens in a new tab) - 3-year period, DUO letter, BSN/residence/municipality conditions, Wet 2021 routes, PIP, and Wet 2013 notes.
- DUO/Inburgeren: Minder of geen examens doen (External site, opens in a new tab) - situations where fewer exams or no exams may be required, and AOW-age notes.
- DUO/Inburgeren: Eerder beginnen met inburgeren (External site, opens in a new tab) - early voluntary start, consequences, 3-year period, and 8-week response timing.
- DUO/Inburgeren: Fines (External site, opens in a new tab) - the asylum-status-holder late-completion exception, continuing duty, and fine rules for family and other migrants.
- DUO/Inburgeren: Extra tijd om in te burgeren (External site, opens in a new tab) - reasons DUO may give extra time, including illness, education, family events, homelessness, literacy courses and school problems.
- Wetten.nl (Dutch legislation database): Wet inburgering 2021 (External site, opens in a new tab) - Legal eligibility rules in articles 3 and 4, and the B1-route A2 condition in article 17.
- Besluit inburgering 2021: Article 5.5 (External site, opens in a new tab) - the considerable-efforts test (600 NT2 course hours at a qualifying provider plus sufficient effort) that applies before the municipality can set B1-route language exams at A2; Wet inburgering 2021 article 17 sets the B1 condition.
- Rijksoverheid: Ik heb de Turkse nationaliteit en wil in Nederland gaan wonen. Moet ik inburgeren? (External site, opens in a new tab) - Rules for Turkish nationals since 2022, temporary-residence exceptions, asylum holders and families, and integration costs.
- Raad van State: ruling ECLI:NL:RVS:2024:3580 (4 September 2024) (External site, opens in a new tab) - the start date of lawful residence, shown on the residence document, decides whether a Turkish national falls under the obligation that started on 1 January 2022.
- Tweede Kamer (House of Representatives): Kamerstuk (parliamentary paper) 32824, no. 457 (9 July 2025) (External site, opens in a new tab) - about 200 Turkish family migrants released from the obligation, DUO informed them personally, compensation for integration costs, and objection to the DUO letter.
- IND: Turkish people need an integration diploma for permanent residence (External site, opens in a new tab) - from 1 January 2025, Turkish nationals need an integration diploma for permanent residence, EU long-term residence and the non-temporary humanitarian permit after family residence.
- Wetten.nl: Algemene wet bestuursrecht (General Administrative Law Act), articles 6:7 and 6:8 (External site, opens in a new tab) - a bezwaar must be made within 6 weeks, starting the day after the decision is announced.
- DUO: Boete (fine rules) (External site, opens in a new tab) - Current Dutch DUO fine rules, including the asylum exception and fine amounts.
- Raad van State: ruling 202303686/1/V6 (External site, opens in a new tab) - Readable original of ECLI:NL:RVS:2024:3580, including the residence-date worked example.
- IND: Turkse burgers en verblijf voor onbepaalde tijd (External site, opens in a new tab) - Dutch source for the 2025 diploma requirement, exemptions and EU–Turkey standstill exception.
- Overheid.nl (Dutch government information portal): Algemene wet bestuursrecht (External site, opens in a new tab) - Official readable law text; articles 6:7 and 6:8 give the six-week objection period and its start day.
- DUO: Bezwaarschrift (formal objection) (External site, opens in a new tab) - How to object to a DUO decision and the six-week deadline.
- DUO: Lang in Nederland gewoond en gewerkt (External site, opens in a new tab) - Ten continuous years of residence, five years of work and A2 or B1 Dutch requirements.
- DUO: Diploma gehaald (External site, opens in a new tab) - Qualifying diplomas and the difference between full and partial exemptions.
- DUO: Staatsexamen niveau B1 of B2 gehaald (External site, opens in a new tab) - When existing NT2 results cover required language exams.
- DUO: Ontheffing bijzondere individuele omstandigheden (waiver for special individual circumstances) (External site, opens in a new tab) - Exceptional, lasting personal situations that can qualify for a waiver.
- Rijksoverheid: Leerplicht en kwalificatieplicht (External site, opens in a new tab) - School attendance ages, qualification duty and school exemptions.
- DUO: Inloggen op Mijn Inburgering (External site, opens in a new tab) - The online integration account, letters, required exams and DigiD login.
- DUO: Contact (External site, opens in a new tab) - Where to ask DUO about your integration obligation.
- IND: Inburgering bij sterkere verblijfsvergunning (External site, opens in a new tab) - The distinction between an integration obligation and integration proof for residence applications.
- Council of Europe: language levels (External site, opens in a new tab) - What the A1, A2, B1 and B2 language levels mean.
- Tweede Kamer: integration progress letter, 9 July 2025 (External site, opens in a new tab) - Readable copy of the 9 July 2025 letter; section 3 confirms compensation for the affected Turkish family migrants.
- IND: its name and role (External site, opens in a new tab) - The IND's official Dutch name and role.
- IND: temporary protection for Ukraine (External site, opens in a new tab)
- Rijksoverheid: rights during temporary protection (External site, opens in a new tab)
- Wet inburgering 2021: article 3 exceptions (External site, opens in a new tab)
- IND: temporary purposes under the integration law (External site, opens in a new tab)