Useful information

When do you have to pay?

To integrate, you usually follow a course and you have to take an exam. An integration course and the exams cost money. If you are an asylum migrant (refugee), the municipality will pay the integration course and exam(s) for you. The first two attempts for each exam are free. You cannot borrow money from DUO. If you are not a refugee, but a family migrant, for example, then you have to pay for the course and the exam yourself or borrow money from DUO. Read more about the costs and the possibility of borrowing money below.

Costs

The integration exam costs € 250.00 in total for all 65 components: Reading, Listening, Writing, Speaking and KNM. You can also take the exam components separately. The Dutch Labour Market and Participation Module (MAP) and  The Participation Statement Process (PVT) are free. On Inburgeren.nl, there is an overview of the costs of the examination for all the exam components. Following an integration course also costs money, but the total costs of a course differ by school. 

Borrowing money

To pay the costs of the exam and an integration course, you can apply for a loan from the Education Executive Agency (DUO). You can also use this loan to pay for a literacy course. DUO is part of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. You pay DUO back in parts. The amount of the loan depends on your situation, for example the amount of your income. There are a few conditions to be able to borrow money. You can only borrow money for a course that is given by approved schools, these are schools listed on the Blik op Werk website. You must also obtain the integration diploma within 3 years. If you fail to do so and you do not have a good reason, you may be fined.

Read more about the costs of integration and about borrowing money on Inburgeren.nl >

Language schools

On the website of Blik Op Werk, there is a list of language schools that have a quality certification. At these schools, you can follow literacy courses, integration courses and Dutch as a Second Language (Nederlands als Tweede Taal, NT2) courses.

Useful websites 

• Inburgeren.nl: here you will find all the information about integration, examinations and costs. You can also complete practice exams here. 
• Rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/inburgeren-in-nederland: On this website of the Dutch government, you will find all the rules regarding integration as well as practical information.
• IND.nl: the website of the Immigration and Naturalization Service (Immigratie- en Naturalisatiedienst). Here you will find, for example, information about exemption from the integration exam.
• BlikOpWerk.nl: This website provides an overview of language schools in the Netherlands that have a quality certification. Here you can easily find a language school near you.