Wet inburgering 2021 · in force since 1 January 2022
The Civic Integration Act 2021 explained
Last updated · official information checked at wetten.overheid.nl
The Civic Integration Act 2021 (Wet inburgering 2021) covers everyone whose integration duty started on or after 1 January 2022. Your gemeente (municipality) holds an intake and writes a personal plan, the PIP. It sets your learning route: the B1-route, the education route or the Z-route. You have 3 years, and usually also do the MAP and PVT.
When I was preparing for my inburgering exam, I came across information about two different laws, from 2013 and 2021. I had to work out which rules applied to my situation.
This page explains how civic integration in the Netherlands works under the new law. It covers who it applies to and how the work is split between the gemeente and DUO. Then come the learning routes, the MAP and the PVT, your deadline and who pays. At the end is a comparison with the 2013 law.
Who falls under the new law?
The Wet inburgering 2021 applies to everyone who became inburgeringsplichtig (subject to the civic integration requirement) on or after 1 January 2022. If your duty started earlier, the Wet inburgering 2013 still applies. What counts is the start date of the duty, not the date of arrival in the Netherlands.
The law carries the year 2021 in its name but has applied since 1 January 2022, so some sources call it the 2022 law. Both names refer to one and the same act.
Whether you are required to integrate at all depends on things like your nationality and your residence permit. That question has its own guide: who must do inburgering. Which law applies to you is in DUO's letter and in Mijn Inburgering.
What the gemeente does, and what DUO does
Under this law the gemeente guides your integration. DUO sends the letters, runs the exams and tracks your deadline. This is the usual order:
1.Letter from DUO
DUODUO sends a letter announcing the integration duty. It only arrives once there is a BSN, a residence permit and a registration with the gemeente. Even then it can take 8 weeks.
2.Brede intake
GemeenteThe gemeente holds an interview and a leerbaarheidstoets (LBT), a learnability test. It also looks at education, work experience and personal circumstances.
3.Your PIP
GemeenteThe gemeente writes the persoonlijk plan inburgering en participatie (PIP) together with the newcomer. It fixes the learning route, the exams and the support.
4.Second letter from DUO
DUOOnce the PIP is set, DUO writes again with the start date. The deadline runs from the day after the date on the PIP.
5.Learning and exams
School, gemeente and DUOThe lessons where you learn Dutch follow the route in the PIP. The MAP and the PVT are done at the gemeente. The language exams and KNM are taken with DUO.
| Who | What |
|---|---|
| Gemeente | Brede intake, PIP and your learning route. Offers the MAP and the PVT. Decides on scaling down to A2 and on switching routes. Closes the Z-route with a final interview. |
| DUO | Sends the letters and runs the language exams and KNM. Tracks your deadline, decides on extensions and fines, and runs the loan. |
More on the plan itself in the glossary entries for brede intake and PIP.
The three learning routes
After the brede intake the gemeente sets a learning route with you. KNM (Kennis van de Nederlandse Maatschappij, knowledge of Dutch society) is part of every route.
| Route | For | Language level | How it ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| B1-route | Aimed at paid or volunteer work | B1, can be scaled down to A2 | Language exams at B1 plus knowledge exams. You get a diploma. |
| Onderwijsroute (education route) | Mainly young people heading for mbo, hbo or university | B1 or B2 | A taalschakeltraject (bridging course), language exams at B1 or B2 plus knowledge exams. You get a diploma. |
| Z-route (self-reliance route) | For people for whom the other two routes are too hard | You work towards A1 | Exams are allowed but not required. A final interview at the gemeente. You get a certificate. |
Scaling down to A2 (afschalen) only exists on the B1-route. You first need at least 600 hours of lessons at a school with the Blik op Werk quality mark. The gemeente decides, for all exam parts or just some, and records it in your PIP. The full A2 or B1 picture is in A2 or B1 for inburgering.
Switching routes is possible up to 1.5 years after your deadline starts. From the education route you can move to the B1-route or the Z-route at any point.
A note for anyone on the Z-route: the Z-route certificate on its own is not enough to naturalise.
The MAP and the PVT
Article 6 of the law lists the parts of the integration duty: the PVT, the MAP and your learning route. The gemeente offers the MAP and the PVT. Your PIP and Mijn Inburgering say which apply to you.
The MAP (Module Arbeidsmarkt en Participatie) is about work and finding work on the Dutch labour market. You do assignments and practical tasks, such as volunteering or an internship. If you follow the taalschakeltraject on the education route, you do not have to do the MAP.
Details are in the MAP guide. The MAP takes the place of ONA, the older exam under the 2013 law.
The PVT (participatieverklaringstraject) covers core Dutch values such as equality and freedom of speech, and ends with signing the participation statement: a declaration that you want to participate in Dutch society. Under this law you have 3 years to do it.
The deadline, extensions and the fine
You have 3 years to meet your integration duty. The clock starts the day after the date on your PIP (article 11).
Extensions. If being late is not your fault, DUO extends your deadline (article 12). Examples are a literacy course you had to do first, illness, having a baby, or a gemeente that did not arrange a school in time. The full list is on inburgeren.nl. Most extensions you request yourself; a few are granted automatically. The deadline and extensions guide goes through them.
In 2025 the government proposed extra grounds. Examples are no available childcare, or working at least 32 hours a week for at least 6 months in a row. On 26 October 2026 they were not yet on inburgeren.nl's list. Ask DUO whether they apply to you. For what is and is not changing, see the 2026 changes.
What happens after a missed deadline. If you are late and have no right to an extension, DUO can fine you. DUO sends a letter 2 months before the deadline ends. DUO does not fine asylum status holders for a missed deadline, after a Raad van State ruling.
| Late with | Fine |
|---|---|
| Learning route not finished on time | Never more than €1,000 |
| PVT not finished on time | €340 |
| MAP not finished on time | €340 |
A fine does not end the duty. You still have to integrate, and you get extra time to do it.
Who pays?
Asylum status holders. The gemeente pays the course. The first 2 attempts at each exam are free, unless the exam is taken at a lower level than the PIP sets. Further attempts are paid privately, and a DUO loan is not available for them.
Family and other migrants. You pay for integration yourself. DUO lends money for integration courses at an approved school and for the exam fees. The loan is repaid with interest over at most 10 years, and part of it is sometimes written off. See the DUO loan guide.
Exam fees are charged per part, and again for every retake. The current prices are on inburgeren.nl.
The 2013 law next to the 2021 law
| Wet inburgering 2013 | Wet inburgering 2021 | |
|---|---|---|
| Who | Integration duty started before 1 January 2022 | Integration duty started on or after 1 January 2022 |
| Who arranges it | You: self-study or a course of your choice | The gemeente, through the brede intake and the PIP |
| Language level | A2 or higher | B1 (scaling down to A2 is possible), B1 or B2, or the Z-route with no required exam |
| Work module | ONA, if your duty started on or after 1 January 2015 | The MAP, at the gemeente |
| PVT | If your duty started on or after 1 October 2017; within 1 year of registering | Within your 3-year deadline |
| Deadline | 3 years | 3 years, from the day after the date on your PIP |
| Highest fine | €1,250, plus €340 for a late PVT | €1,000, plus €340 for the MAP and €340 for the PVT |
What is the difference between the 2013 and the 2021 integration law?
Under the Wet inburgering 2013 you arrange your own integration and take the language exams at A2 or higher. Under the Wet inburgering 2021 the gemeente writes a PIP with you. It sets a learning route, most often the B1-route, and the MAP replaces ONA. The date your integration duty started decides which law applies to you.
Is there a Wet inburgering 2022?
No, there is no separate 2022 law: the Wet inburgering 2021 is the act that has applied since 1 January 2022. That is why people also call it the 2022 law or the new integration law.
How do I know which law applies to me?
Check the letter DUO sent you or log in to Mijn Inburgering. It shows when your duty started and which exams you must take. If it started on or after 1 January 2022, you fall under the Wet inburgering 2021.
Can I choose my own learning route?
Not on your own: the gemeente decides with you which route fits, based on age, education, work experience and the learnability test result. The PIP is a formal decision by the gemeente, so it can be challenged with an objection (bezwaar).
Do I have to pass at B1 under the new law?
On the B1-route the language exams are at level B1. If B1 does not work out after at least 600 hours of lessons, the gemeente can scale some or all parts down to A2. It records this in your PIP. On the Z-route exams are not required.
What happens if I miss the deadline?
If you have no right to an extension, DUO can fine you: never more than €1,000 for the learning route, and €340 each for a late MAP or PVT. After a fine you still have to integrate and you get extra time. DUO does not fine asylum status holders for a missed deadline, after a Raad van State ruling.
Who pays for integration under the 2021 law?
For asylum status holders the gemeente pays the course, and the first 2 attempts at each exam are free. Family and other migrants pay themselves and can borrow from DUO, but only for an approved school. The current exam prices are on inburgeren.nl.
Can I naturalise after the Z-route?
No, a Z-route certificate on its own is not enough to naturalise in the Netherlands. An 'Advies aantoonbaar geleverde inspanningen' (advice on demonstrated effort) may be an option; DUO can say what applies.
inburgeringprep.com is an independent study platform, not DUO, the gemeente or the Dutch government. Your PIP and Mijn Inburgering say what applies to you, and the rules change. The facts on this page come from these sources:
- Wet inburgering 2021, full text (wetten.overheid.nl)
- Wet inburgering 2021 (rijksoverheid.nl)
- Proposed extension grounds, consultation of 25 February 2025 (rijksoverheid.nl)
- U gaat inburgeren: in het kort (inburgeren.nl)
- Kennisexamens: KNM, MAP, ONA and PVT (inburgeren.nl)
- Extra tijd om in te burgeren (inburgeren.nl)
- Boete (inburgeren.nl)
- Hoeveel kost inburgeren? (inburgeren.nl)
- Lenen bij DUO (inburgeren.nl)
- Naturaliseren (inburgeren.nl)
- Leerroutes (duo.nl)
- Verlenging inburgeringstermijn in het kort (duo.nl)
- FAQ for family migrants: payments, fines and loans (divosa.nl)
Facing the exams?
Your route is set with the gemeente. A mock exam helps you see whether you are ready for the civic integration exam: the language exams and KNM, at A2 or B1 level.
More on the exam: the inburgering exam · A2 or B1? · glossary