How much does the inburgering exam cost in 2026?

How much does each exam part cost?

Under the Wet inburgering 2021 the five exams cost €250. Under the Wet inburgering 2013 ONA (orientation on the Dutch labour market) is added for people who had to start integrating on or after 1 January 2015: €290 in total. Mijn Inburgering shows which exams you need, and under the 2021 law your PIP (personal integration plan) does too.

You pay per exam when you book it, by invoice or with iDEAL. Taking the parts on different days does not change the price; our guide on taking the parts on different days explains the booking.

Under the 2021 law the participation statement (PVT) and the MAP module at your municipality are free. Under the 2013 law the PVT costs €150, unless you are an asylum status holder.

Who gets free attempts?

Asylum status holders under the 2021 law get the first 2 attempts of each exam for free. That does not apply to an exam on a lower level than your PIP says; a higher level is allowed. A third attempt and any later one is paid, and you cannot borrow from DUO for it.

If you pass at the first attempt, you can take that exam once more on a higher level. Other candidates pay for every attempt.

What does moving or cancelling an exam cost?

• Change the date or place in Mijn Inburgering, or by letter to DUO, up to 1 week before the exam. inburgeren.nl names no fee for this.
• Cancel up to 1 week before the exam and you get your money back. If the attempt was free for you, you keep that free attempt.
• Cancel later (a booking can be removed up to 1 day before) and you get no money back; a free attempt is lost.
• ONA: no money back when you cancel.
• Did not come, or came without a valid ID and could not sit the exam? Then you book and pay again.

Missed the 7 days because of a very unusual situation? Ask DUO for a free exam by letter or email, with proof, within 10 days after the exam date. DUO decides.

What does a retake cost?

A retake is a new attempt at the same price: €50 for an A2 language exam or KNM, €40 for ONA. Every exam gets its own result, so you only retake the part you did not pass. For asylum status holders under the 2021 law the second attempt is still free.

The next open date can be more than 6 weeks away, and results take weeks too: see how long results take.

Who pays: by law and by route

It depends on the law you integrate under, which Mijn Inburgering shows.

• Asylum status holders, 2021 law: the municipality pays your course and the first 2 attempts of each exam. No DUO loan.
• Family migrants and others, 2021 law: you pay for the course and the exams yourself, or borrow from DUO.
• Everyone under the 2013 law: you pay yourself or borrow from DUO. Asylum status holders can borrow up to €10,000.
• Not obliged but integrating by choice, for example before you apply to become Dutch: you can borrow from DUO up to 3 years after registering at your municipality, also as an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen.

How does the DUO loan (lening) work?

DUO pays the school or the exam for you; the money never reaches your account. Apply in Mijn Inburgering under 'Lening aanvragen'. The loan covers the exam and, at an approved school, an A2, B1 or B2 course, a literacy course and course materials such as books. It does not cover a laptop, intake or administration costs.

How much you can borrow depends on your income of 2 years ago; DUO tells you the amount in a letter.

Asylum status holders never pay their loan back. Others start 6 months after finishing, pay a fixed amount a month over 10 years, and pay interest, at 2.29% for 2026. Sometimes part or all of a loan is forgiven.

What does the B1 route cost?

On the B1 route the language exams are the Staatsexamen Nt2 (Dutch as a second language) on level B1. DUO charges €50 per part, so a complete exam costs €200, for Programme I and Programme II alike. You book it in Mijn DUO, not in Mijn Inburgering. You also take knowledge exams such as KNM, which you book in Mijn Inburgering.

If you have to integrate, you can pay the Staatsexamen from your loan or use a free attempt; Mijn DUO shows which applies when you book. The cancelling rule is stricter than for A2: cancel at least 4 weeks before the exam to get your money back.

Naturalisation is a separate fee

To become Dutch you first need the inburgeringsexamen on level A2, or the Staatsexamen Nt2 on level B1 or B2. You apply for naturalisation at your municipality, and the IND charges its own fee on top of the exams. The IND's fee page, read on 3 November 2026, gives €1,139 for one person, with other amounts for a partner, a child or the holder of an asylum residence permit. The IND changes its fees every year on 1 January.

What about courses and preparation?

There is no single price for a course. inburgeren.nl says it plainly: an A2 course does not cost the same at every school, so ask the school. Courses, books and apps all vary in price by provider. Paying with a DUO loan? Check first that the school is approved.

Choosing a course outside your town? Some municipalities pay for travel costs. Ask yours.

Ways to keep the cost down

This part is our advice, not DUO's rules.

• Practise with DUO's own practice exams before you book. inburgeren.nl has A2 practice exams for all five parts, and there are practice exams for the Staatsexamen Nt2 on B1 and B2.
• Book only the parts you are ready for. You pay per attempt, so a part taken too early can cost €50 twice.
• Decide about each date at least a week before it, or 4 weeks for the Staatsexamen Nt2. Then you can still move it or get your money back.
• Take a valid ID to every exam. Without one you may not sit it, and you pay again.
• Asylum status holder? Book the level your PIP says, or a higher one, so the attempt stays free.
• Finish within your term. Under the 2021 law, someone who is not an asylum status holder can get a fine of up to €1,000 for finishing the learning route late. Asylum status holders never get a fine.