Who has to take it
The Wet inburgering 2021 (Civic Integration Act) only obliges people who came to stay for a non-temporary purpose. In practice that means:
- partners and family members of a Dutch national or a permanent resident;
- asylum status holders and their families.
You are not obliged if any of these applies:
- you are an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, or a family member under EU law;
- you hold a highly skilled migrant, EU Blue Card, employment, self-employed, intra-company transfer, research or study permit;
- you are the partner or child of someone holding one of those permits.
The law calls these temporary purposes, even if you stay for years. Nobody will send you a deadline or a fine. If you are obliged, DUO writes to you after you register at your gemeente, and you get 3 years from your personal plan to finish.
Why most expats take it anyway
Dutch citizenship needs proof of Dutch at A2 level, and the usual proof is the inburgering diploma. Expats who are not obliged take the exams voluntarily, with no deadline and no fine. Use the citizenship date calculator to see how many years you have to prepare.
The voluntary set for naturalisation, taken in the Netherlands, is:
- Reading A2
- Listening A2
- Writing A2 (still on paper; the other parts are on a computer)
- Speaking A2
- KNM, knowledge of Dutch society
- ONA, orientation on the Dutch labour market, unless your work history exempts you
You skip ONA if you worked as an employee for at least 6 of the last 12 months, at 48 hours a month or more, or meet the self-employed criteria. You do not need the PVT (participation statement), because the IND exempts applicants who were never obliged.
What it costs in 2026
| Exam | Fee |
|---|---|
| Reading, Listening, Writing, Speaking A2 | €50 each |
| KNM | €50 |
| ONA | €40 |
| Voluntary set with ONA | €290 |
| Voluntary set without ONA | €250 |
| Staatsexamen NT2, all four parts | €200 |
A retake costs the fee again. Courses are extra and priced by each school. If you are not obliged, you can still borrow from DUO for exams and approved courses within 3 years of first registering at a gemeente. Fees for 2027 had not been published on 9 October 2026.
The Staatsexamen NT2 alternative
The Staatsexamen NT2 (state exam Dutch as a second language) has two programmes: programme I at B1 and programme II at B2. For citizenship, either diploma is enough on its own, so you skip KNM and ONA, and it costs €200 against €290.
The trade-offs are real:
- The level is one or two steps above A2.
- The exams are long: Reading up to 110 minutes, Writing 100, Listening 90.
- Speaking slots at B1 were scarce in early 2026, so book well ahead.
- An NT2 diploma does not exempt you from the integration requirement for permanent residence. If you might want that permit, the A2 inburgering set covers both.
If your Dutch is already around B1, NT2 is cheaper and gives you a diploma employers recognise. If you are starting from zero and only need citizenship, A2 is the shorter road.
How to book
- Get a DigiD. You need a BSN and an address in the Netherlands first.
- Log in to Mijn Inburgering on inburgeren.nl and choose your exams.
- Pick a date and location: Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Rijswijk, Rotterdam, Utrecht or Zwolle. Dates are often more than 6 weeks out.
- Pay online. You can change or cancel up to 7 days before and get your money back.
For the Staatsexamen NT2 you book through Mijn DUO instead, about 8 weeks ahead.
How long to prepare
No Dutch government source gives hours per level. Cambridge's figures for English, about 180 to 200 guided hours from zero to A2, are a rough guide.
DUO publishes free practice exams for all four A2 skills and KNM in the current format. For speaking and writing, which most people find hardest, regular one-to-one practice helps most. Tutors on italki or Preply let you book short lessons around work, and Babbel covers vocabulary and grammar between lessons.
Results and your diploma
Most A2 and KNM results arrive within 8 weeks. Since 31 July 2026, DUO says Speaking A2 and Writing A2 can take up to 16 weeks, so plan your citizenship application around that. NT2 results take about 5 weeks. Your diploma is digital and the IND accepts it directly.