Checked 29 September 2026. From DUO pages on which exams and on fewer or no exams (EN and NL), the Wet and Besluit inburgering 2021, and the IND page on civic integration for naturalisation. Most exemptions are decided by DUO or the IND on application.
Two integration laws run side by side in the Netherlands, and almost every rule about KNM (who must take it, what it costs alongside, and what exempts you) depends on which one is yours. The rule is simple and public: if your integration duty started on or after 1 January 2022, the Wet inburgering 2021 applies; if it started earlier, from 2013, the Wet inburgering 2013 applies. This guide sets out the exams each law requires, then the main exemption routes side by side, then the IND's own list for people who are not obliged but need the diploma. A checker at the end puts your date and your situation together. ProSyllabus is an independent study site. We are not affiliated with, or endorsed by, DUO, the IND or the Dutch Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment; every rule below is quoted or summarised from their published pages and regulations, and DUO or the IND decides every individual case.
IND form 7616 and IND civic integration page; Raad van State 9 July 2025; DUO fewer-or-no-exams pages.
Where other pages get this wrong
The 600-hour exemption exists only under the 2013 Act, the 10/5-year route needs Dutch at B1 under the 2021 Act and A2 under the 2013 Act, and the 6-month work exemption covers ONA only.
Commonly published instead: Some guides, including our own notice board for this exam, list "600 hours of course" and "10 years lived, 5 worked" as exemptions for everyone without naming the law, and describe six months of recent work as a partial exemption from the exam.
DUO's pages split every exemption by law. The 600-hour page says in so many words that it is not for people under the 2021 Act. The 10/5 page sets a different language level per law and a EUR 90 interview. The 6-month work rule is the ONA exemption, and ONA exists only under the 2013 Act.
Which law applies to you
DUO's exam page says it directly: "Which exams you need to take, depends on the act that applies to you." If you do not know, Mijn Inburgering shows it. The dividing line is 1 January 2022: the IND says anyone "obliged to participate in a civic integration programme on or after 1 January 2022" falls under the 2021 Act, and the Raad van State ruling of 9 July 2025 uses the same line. Under the 2013 Act, DUO splits the exams again by the date the duty started.
| Duty started | Law | Exams | KNM? |
|---|---|---|---|
| On or after 1 January 2022 | Wet inburgering 2021 | Set in your personal plan (PIP): B1 route = Staatsexamen NT2 at B1 + KNM + PVT + MAP; O route = language-switch programme with B1 language exams + KNM + PVT, no MAP (if not achieved, B1 + KNM counts); Z route = no KNM exam (KNM lessons within the 800 course hours), PVT + MAP, ending in an interview | B1 and O route: exam. Z route: lessons, no exam |
| 1 October 2017 to 31 December 2021 | Wet inburgering 2013 | Reading, listening, writing, speaking (A2+), KNM, ONA, PVT | Yes |
| 1 January 2015 to 1 October 2017 | Wet inburgering 2013 | Reading, listening, writing, speaking (A2+), KNM, ONA | Yes |
| 1 January 2013 to 1 January 2015 | Wet inburgering 2013 | Reading, listening, writing, speaking (A2+), KNM | Yes |
| No duty (voluntary, for the IND) | None as a duty; the IND sets the requirement | Four language exams at A2 + KNM, with ONA or MAP as the IND lists them; no PVT when naturalising | Yes, unless exempt |
Sources: DUO, taking the integration exam (which exams per law and date); DUO integration page (routes); Wet inburgering 2021 art 6, 7 and 8; Besluit inburgering 2021 art 3.14 (Z route hours); IND civic integration for naturalisation.
Under the 2021 Act your municipality makes a personal integration and participation plan (PIP) with you after a broad intake, and the plan names your route and exams. After at least 600 hours of lessons without passing at B1, DUO says to talk to the municipality about scaling down to A2. The language side of the B1 route is the Staatsexamen NT2 at B1, which is programme I; our Staatsexamen NT2 programme II page covers programme II, which is B2 (DUO lists passing B1 or B2 on the same page).
The main exemptions, by law
| Route | 2021 Act | 2013 Act | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serious illness or disability | One exam or all exams | One exam or all exams | Application EUR 225, refunded if granted; cannot be borrowed |
| NT2 certificate or diploma | Partial: components at or above your PIP level count | Partial on application; full if obliged before 1 January 2015 with an NT2 diploma | Covers language, not KNM |
| Dutch vmbo, havo, vwo, mbo 2+, or hbo/wo taught in Dutch; or Dutch-taught from Belgium or Suriname with a pass in Dutch | Full; temporary exemption automatically while in Dutch education | Full | mbo 1 (Entree): obliged before 2015, possibly no exams; obliged 2015-2021, ONA exemption automatically |
| 10 years lived here and 5 years worked | Full ("vrijstelling"); Dutch at B1; interview EUR 90 | Full ("ontheffing"); Dutch at A2; interview EUR 90 | Volunteer work counts; the 10 years without living abroad |
| 600 hours of course (AGI) | Not available | Full: term started 2.5+ years ago, 600 classroom hours, 3+ attempts at all exams | Online hours do not count |
| Worked 6 of the last 12 months | Not applicable (no ONA) | ONA only, as an employee at 48+ hours a month, on application | Does not touch KNM. Completed MAP also gives an ONA exemption automatically (2013 Act or voluntary) |
| Exceptional circumstances (BIO) | Full | Full | A 2021 BIO dispensation is not enough for naturalisation |
| State pension (AOW) age | Duty ends | Duty ends | No more exams; no more borrowing |
Sources: DUO fewer or no exams (EN and NL), Diploma gehaald, Volgen Nederlandse opleiding, Ziekte of beperking, Lang in Nederland gewoond en gewerkt, Genoeg uren cursus gedaan, Staatsexamen B1 of B2 gehaald, Exemption ONA, naturalisation page. The list is the main routes; DUO also has others, such as ONA exemptions for company directors and the self-employed.
The 10 years lived, 5 years worked route
This is the route most likely to fit a long-settled Indian professional who was obliged but never finished. DUO's conditions: DUO has told you that you must integrate; you have lived in the Netherlands for 10 years or more without living abroad in that time; and you have worked in the Netherlands for 5 years or more, where volunteer work also counts. Under the 2013 Act you must speak Dutch at A2; under the 2021 Act at B1. You send the application form with an employer's statement or an insurance statement with hours from Mijn UWV, DUO invites you for an interview that costs EUR 90, and DUO decides after it. The Besluit inburgering 2021 (art 2.3) frames the 2021 version as starting from 10 years' uninterrupted registration in the population register. For people who were never obliged, DUO offers the same test as an advice ("advies voldoende ingeburgerd") for a stronger residence permit. DUO's naturalisation page does not list this advice, so do not count on it for citizenship.
The 600-hour route (2013 Act only)
DUO's page opens with a warning: if you integrate under the 2021 Act, "this page is not for you". Under the 2013 Act the "ontheffing wegens aantoonbaar geleverde inspanningen" (AGI) needs a term that started at least 2.5 years ago, at least 600 hours of course (A2 hours and B1 or B2 hours may be added together; only hours at school count, not online hours), and at least three attempts at all exams, of which no more than two NT2 exams count. DUO answers within 8 weeks. For naturalisation or a stronger permit DUO has a matching advice on demonstrable effort, with two separate paths: 600 hours of course plus three attempts at all exams; or a literacy path of 600 hours in total, at least 300 of them literacy hours, followed by a DUO test costing EUR 150. DUO also says a Z-route certificate alone is not enough to naturalise, but this advice may still be possible.
NT2 and the language side
An NT2 state exam result covers the language exams, never KNM, under the integration duty. Under the 2021 Act, passed components at or above your plan's level are accepted automatically; under the 2013 Act you apply, and people obliged before 1 January 2015 with an NT2 diploma can be fully exempt. For naturalisation the IND goes further: an NT2 diploma programme I or II exempts you completely, KNM included.
The IND's exemptions for people who need the diploma
If you are not obliged but need the diploma for a stronger permit or for citizenship, the IND decides exemptions, not DUO. For a more secure permit the IND lists, among others: already holding the civic integration diploma or the 2021 Act certificate; Belgian or Luxembourg nationality; being under 18 or at pension age; 8 years in the Netherlands during school age; a document exemption; medical grounds; proof of being sufficiently integrated; failing despite efforts, with DUO's advice (2013 Act only); and particular individual circumstances. For permanent residence you send the IND appendix (form 7616) with certified copies of your evidence. For naturalisation you show the original documents at the municipality, which checks the originals, not copies.
| For naturalisation | Examples (IND) |
|---|---|
| Full exemption | Dutch diploma above primary level taught in Dutch; NT2 diploma programme I or II; 2013 or 2021 integration diploma at A2+; 8 school-age years here; Dutch-taught Belgian or Surinamese diploma with apostille; European Baccalaureate or IB/IGCSE with a pass in Dutch; the pre-2007 naturalisation test certificate |
| Only the KNS component needed (KNM plus ONA, or MAP) | CNaVT at A2 or above; Oldcomers or WIN certificate with all language components at level 2; ROC education statement at level 2 |
| Exempt from the KNS component (KNM plus ONA or MAP) | Part I of the naturalisation test taken before 1 April 2007; WIN certificate for social orientation at KSE level 2 |
| Exempt from PVT | Not subject to the duty but taking the diploma to naturalise |
| Exempt from ONA | Retirement age; fully retired or permanently unable to work; registered with DUO before 1 January 2015 and paid before 1 February 2015; worked 48+ hours a month in 6 of the last 12 months; enough business profit or self-employed assistance |
Source: IND, civic integration for naturalisation; IND, civic integration for a more secure residence permit.
Check your law and exemption
Which law, and which exemption?
Pick the date your integration duty started (it is in DUO's letter and in Mijn Inburgering) and the one fact that best fits you. The answer names the law, the exams it sets, and what that fact can do for KNM.
From DUO's pages on which exams, fewer or no exams and its NL subpages, and the IND page on civic integration for naturalisation, read on 29 September 2026. It covers the main routes, not every one. Most exemptions are applications that DUO or the IND decides; the tool only tells you which one to look at.
How to apply, and what not to assume
A few exemptions come automatically: under the 2021 Act, passed NT2 components at your plan's level and a temporary exemption while you follow Dutch education; an ONA exemption once you have completed MAP (2013 Act or voluntary integration); and, for people obliged from 2015 to 2021 with an mbo 1 (Entree) diploma, the ONA exemption. The others are applications: to DUO for the integration duty (with the form named on each DUO page), or to the IND when you apply for permanent residence (appendix, form 7616) or for naturalisation (originals shown at the municipality). Three points trip people up. First, the law is fixed by the date your duty started, not by today's date, so someone obliged in 2021 stays under the 2013 Act. Second, being exempt from the duty is "not always enough" for naturalisation, as DUO puts it; a 2021 BIO dispensation in particular is not enough. Third, the exemptions that cover language (NT2) do not cover KNM, so most people still sit KNM even when the language part is done.
How do I know whether the 2013 or 2021 Act applies to me?
By the date your integration duty started. On or after 1 January 2022: the 2021 Act. Earlier, from 2013: the 2013 Act. Mijn Inburgering shows it.
Does the 600-hour exemption apply under the 2021 Act?
No. DUO says the page is not for people under the 2021 Act. Under that Act, after 600 hours without passing B1, you can ask the municipality about scaling down to A2.
I have lived here 10 years and worked 5. Am I exempt?
You can apply. Under the 2013 Act you need Dutch at A2, under the 2021 Act at B1, and DUO holds an interview that costs EUR 90 before deciding.
Does an NT2 diploma exempt me from KNM?
Not for the integration duty: NT2 covers the language exams. For naturalisation, the IND treats an NT2 diploma programme I or II as a full exemption, KNM included.
I have worked for six months. Can I skip part of the exam?
Only ONA, under the 2013 Act or when integrating voluntarily, if you worked as an employee at least 48 hours a month in 6 of the last 12 months. You apply and DUO decides (for naturalisation, the IND). It does not affect KNM.
I am not obliged. Who decides my exemption?
The IND: for permanent residence through the appendix on form 7616, for naturalisation by showing the original documents at the municipality.
Is a dispensation from DUO enough to naturalise?
Not always. DUO says a 2021 Act dispensation for exceptional individual circumstances (BIO) is not enough for naturalisation.
What does the 10/5 interview cost?
EUR 90, according to DUO.
More in this series
Sources
- official — DUO (inburgeren.nl) — Taking the integration exam: which exams, by law and obligation date
- official — DUO — Fewer or no exams, by law
- official — DUO — Diploma gehaald (which diplomas exempt; mbo 1 rules; NL)
- official — DUO — Volgen Nederlandse opleiding (temporary exemption; NL)
- official — DUO — Niet inburgeren vanwege ziekte of beperking (NL)
- official — DUO — Lang in Nederland gewoond en gewerkt (10 years lived, 5 worked; NL)
- official — DUO — Genoeg uren cursus gedaan (600-hour AGI ontheffing, 2013 Act only; NL)
- official — DUO — Staatsexamen niveau B1 of B2 gehaald (NL)
- official — DUO — Exemption ONA
- official — DUO — Integration in the Netherlands: term, PIP, routes, voluntary integration
- official — DUO — Naturalisation (exams, AGI advice, dispensations)
- official — DUO — Stronger residence permit (diploma, advice on demonstrable integration)
- official — IND — Civic integration for naturalisation (exemptions, partial exemptions, dispensations)
- official — IND — Civic integration for a more secure residence permit (updated 27 August 2026)
- official — IND — Form 7616, civic integration appendix (permanent residence; voluntary integration under the Wi 2013 regime; PDF)
- official — Wet inburgering 2021 (BWBR0044770), art 3, 6-8, 24-25
- official — Besluit inburgering 2021 (BWBR0045555), art 2.2 (temporary purposes), 2.3, 3.4 (the eight KNM subjects)
- official — Raad van State, ECLI:NL:RVS:2025:3087 (9 July 2025)
official = a document published by the conducting body. reported = a news or coaching site we could not check against an original. Where sources disagree this page says so rather than picking one.
