Requirements · Netherlands
A2 or B1 for inburgering? It depends on your obligation date.
The Dutch language level you need for inburgering isn't the same for everyone — it's tied to when your integration obligation (inburgeringsplicht) started, not to today's date. Here's an honest read on which route applies, and how to prepare for it.
Individual situations, exemptions and learning routes are decided by DUO. This is general information, not advice about your case.
Why the date, not the year, matters
The Wet inburgering 2021came into force on 1 January 2022 and raised the general language ambition from A2 toward B1, while adding more personalised routes. Because the trigger is when your obligation began, two people integrating around the same time can genuinely have different requirements. That's exactly why it's worth checking your own status rather than assuming.
How to prepare — honestly
Whichever route applies, the preparation is the same shape: get comfortable with the four language skills — Reading, Listening, Writing and Speaking — plus KNM (Knowledge of Dutch Society) and ONA (orientation on the Dutch labour market). AlmiDutch lets you practise all of them at A2 or B1 and shows an honest per-skill readiness band (Clear or Borderline) against the real task criteria — an estimate to guide your prep, never an official CvTE or DUO result.
Practise the four skills + KNM + ONA at your level.
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Always confirm your own requirement with DUO / IND.Integration and residency rules change, and only the official authorities can tell you which level and conditions apply to your situation. AlmiDutch helps you prepare — it doesn't decide or replace the official process.
Questions
- Do I need A2 or B1 Dutch for inburgering?
- It depends on when your integration obligation (inburgeringsplicht) started. Under the Wet inburgering 2021, people whose obligation started on or after 1 January 2022 generally follow the B1 route (the B1-route, with some individual learning routes); people whose obligation started earlier generally fall under the older system where A2 was the common language level. Your personal situation and any exemptions are decided by DUO — confirm your own requirement with them.
- What changed on 1 January 2022?
- The Wet inburgering 2021 came into force, raising the general language ambition from A2 toward B1 for new integrators and adding personalised routes. The date that matters is when your obligation started, not today's date — so two people integrating in the same year can have different requirements.
- Is passing inburgering enough for a residence permit or naturalisatie?
- Passing inburgering (or NT2) is commonly used as the Dutch-language proof toward a stronger residence permit and, later, naturalisatie — but the full residency and citizenship conditions are set by the IND and change over time. We don't state fixed years or a fixed level; always confirm the current requirement with DUO / IND.
- How does AlmiDutch help?
- AlmiDutch is honest practice, not the official exam. You practise the four language skills (Reading, Listening, Writing, Speaking) plus KNM and ONA at A2 or B1, and get a per-skill readiness band (Clear or Borderline) against the real task criteria — an estimate to guide your prep, never an official CvTE/DUO result.