Netherlands KNM / Checked 20 October 2026
Do I have to take KNM? Moet ik inburgeren?
Answer six questions. The checker tells you whether you are obliged to integrate, whether the Wet inburgering 2013 or 2021 applies, where KNM (Kennis van de Nederlandse Maatschappij) fits in your exams, which exemptions to ask DUO about, and what to do next. Every rule links to the law on wetten.overheid.nl or to DUO and the IND, read on 20 October 2026.
A planning aid, not a decision. DUO decides.
01 / Free checker
Six questions
The purpose (verblijfsdoel) printed on your permit.
The date is in the DUO letter and in Mijn Inburgering.
Your law
Wet inburgering 2021You are probably obliged to integrate under the 2021 Act.
Living with a partner or parent who is Dutch, or who is here for a non-temporary purpose, is not on the list of temporary purposes (Besluit inburgering 2021, art 2.2; IND list). That points to a duty to integrate. The DUO letter is what makes it certain. (Besluit inburgering 2021; IND: temporary purposes; Wet inburgering 2021)
DUO writes only once you have a BSN, a residence permit and a registration with your municipality, and that can take another 8 weeks. With a permit from 2022 or later, any duty falls under the 2021 Act, because the 2013 Act continues only for the people it applied to on 31 December 2021 (art 54). (DUO: integration; Wet inburgering 2021)
Where KNM fits
Under the 2021 Act your municipality writes a personal plan (PIP) after a broad intake, and the plan sets your route. On the B1 route the integration exam includes KNM (art 7). On the education route you take KNM too, and if you do not complete that route, B1 language plus KNM still counts (art 8(4)). On the Z (self-reliance) route the compulsory knowledge exams are the participation statement process and MAP, not KNM. The standard term is 3 years, from the date in the DUO letter you get after the PIP. (Wet inburgering 2021; DUO: integration)
Next step
- Wait for DUO’s letter. It comes once you have a BSN, a residence permit and a municipal registration, up to 8 weeks later; if 8 weeks have passed, contact DUO. (DUO: integration)
- After the letter, your municipality invites you to the broad intake and writes your PIP. The PIP says your route and whether KNM is one of your exams. (DUO: integration)
Then
Try the free KNM practice questions: two questions in A2 Dutch with English translations, each answer explained. Prefer English first? Two questions with English explanations.
Get the free 14-day KNM study plan
8 short emails over 14 days: one KNM theme each, two practice questions with the answers, and a note if DUO changes the exam. Free; stop any time.
Google, Apple, or a code to your phone or email. It is saved to your account.
How it decides: the published rules, applied to your six answers. It cannot see your permit or your DUO letter, and where DUO decides case by case (illness, exceptional circumstances, the 10/5-year interview) it says so rather than guessing. ProSyllabus is independent and not affiliated with DUO, the IND or the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment.
02 / Which law
The 2013 and 2021 Acts side by side
| Your duty started | Law | Exams (DUO) | KNM? |
|---|---|---|---|
| On or after 1 January 2022 | Wet inburgering 2021 | Set in your PIP: B1 route (Staatsexamen NT2 at B1 + KNM), education route, or Z route; plus the participation statement process, and MAP on the B1 and Z routes (not the education route, art 8(3)) | B1 and education route: yes. Z route: not as an exam |
| 1 October 2017 to 31 December 2021 | Wet inburgering 2013 | Reading, listening, writing, speaking (A2+), KNM, ONA, participation statement process | Yes |
| 1 January 2015 to 30 September 2017 | Wet inburgering 2013 | Reading, listening, writing, speaking (A2+), KNM, ONA | Yes |
| 1 January 2013 to 31 December 2014 | Wet inburgering 2013 | Reading, listening, writing, speaking (A2+), KNM | Yes |
Sources: DUO, which exams; DUO, routes; Wet inburgering 2021, art 6 to 9 and 54; IND.
03 / Decided case by case
Where nobody can answer for DUO
- Illness or disability. DUO decides on a statement from a doctor at Argonaut; the application costs EUR 225, refunded only if granted (DUO).
- Exceptional individual circumstances (BIO). Only in exceptional cases, when no other route is open; not enough for naturalisation (DUO, Besluit art 2.8).
- 10 years lived, 5 worked. DUO decides after an interview on your Dutch (DUO).
- Foreign diplomas and long-term resident status from another EU state. DUO assesses the document; the law names the categories, not your certificate (DUO, Wet 2021 art 3 and 4).
- Permanent residence and naturalisation. A separate requirement the IND assesses, with its own exemption list (IND, secure permit, IND, naturalisation).
KNM and inburgering FAQs
How do I know whether the 2013 or the 2021 Act applies to me?
By the date your duty to integrate started. On or after 1 January 2022: the Wet inburgering 2021. Before that, from 1 January 2013: the 2013 Act, which keeps applying to you because the 2021 Act repealed it only for people it did not already cover (Wet inburgering 2021, art 54). One exception: a 2013-Act education exemption still running on 31 December 2021 counts as a 2021-Act exemption (art 54(3)), so ask DUO to confirm your Act in that case. Mijn Inburgering shows your date.
Do I have to take KNM as a kennismigrant or the partner of one?
No duty to integrate. Work as a kennismigrant, a European Blue Card and staying with a family member who is here for a temporary purpose are temporary purposes in the Besluit inburgering 2021 (art 2.2) and on the IND list, unless a duty from an earlier non-temporary permit continues, which DUO checks. KNM can still matter later: the IND usually asks for the civic integration diploma, which includes KNM, for permanent residence or naturalisation.
Do I have to take KNM under the 2021 Act?
On the B1 route, yes: the integration exam includes KNM (art 7). On the education route you take KNM too. On the Z (self-reliance) route the compulsory knowledge exams are the participation statement process and MAP, not KNM. Your personal plan (PIP) sets the route.
Does an NT2 state exam exempt me from KNM?
Not for the duty to integrate: NT2 results cover the language exams. Under the 2013 Act, someone obliged before 1 January 2015 who holds an NT2 diploma may not need any integration exam and should apply. For naturalisation the IND treats an NT2 diploma (programme I or II) as a full exemption.
Is the 600-hour exemption available under the 2021 Act?
No. DUO says its 600-hour (AGI) page is not for people under the 2021 Act. Under the 2021 Act, after at least 600 hours of language lessons without passing B1, DUO says to talk to your municipality about scaling down to A2.
I have lived here 10 years and worked 5. Am I exempt?
You can apply. Under the 2021 Act you also need Dutch speaking and listening at B1, under the 2013 Act Dutch at A2, and DUO decides after an interview that costs EUR 90.
Can this checker decide my case?
No. It applies the published rules to your answers. DUO decides the duty and its exemptions, the IND decides the requirement for a stronger permit or naturalisation, and several exemptions (illness, exceptional circumstances) are decided case by case.
Sources
All official, all read on 20 October 2026.
- Wet inburgering 2021 (BWBR0044770), version in force from 21 October 2025: art 3 (who is obliged), 4 (vrijstelling), 5 (ontheffing), 6 to 9 (the duty and the three routes), 54 (the 2013 Act continues for people it already applied to)
- Besluit inburgering 2021 (BWBR0045555), version in force from 2 April 2026: art 2.2 (temporary purposes), 2.3 (10 years lived, 5 worked), 2.6 (school-age years), 2.7 (medical ontheffing), 2.8 (exceptional circumstances)
- Wet inburgering (the 2013 text), last version, valid to 31 December 2021: art 3 (who is obliged), 5 (who is not), 6 (ontheffing), 7 (the exam), 7a (one year for the participation statement process), 7b (three years)
- DUO (inburgeren.nl) — Taking the integration exam: which exams, by Act and by the date your duty started
- DUO — Integration in the Netherlands: the DUO letter, the 3-year term, the PIP and the B1, education and Z routes
- DUO — Taking fewer or no exams: overview by Act, and AOW age
- DUO — Worked and lived in the Netherlands for a long time (10 years lived, 5 worked; EUR 90 interview)
- DUO — Took enough lessons and exams (600 hours, AGI; 2013 Act only)
- DUO — Not integrating due to illness or disability (EUR 225, Argonaut doctor)
- DUO — Obtained a diploma (full and partial exemptions)
- DUO — Attending a Dutch education programme (temporary exemption)
- DUO — Passed state exam at level B1 or B2 (NT2)
- DUO — Dispensation due to exceptional individual circumstances (BIO)
- DUO — Naturalisation (which exemptions are not enough)
- IND — Tijdelijke verblijfsdoelen volgens de Wet inburgering (last updated 27 March 2026)
- IND — Civic integration for a more secure residence permit (last updated 27 August 2026)
- IND — Civic integration for naturalisation (exemptions, partial exemptions, dispensations)
- DUO — Starting your integration earlier (ends a temporary education exemption; the 2021 Act then applies)
- DUO — Fines (deadlines, extra time after a fine)
What we could not find
- Which treaties or decisions of international organisations take a person out of the duty (Wet inburgering 2021, art 3(2)(d)): the Act names the rule, not the list. Ask DUO.
- Approval rates for any exemption.
A planning aid by ProSyllabus, not a DUO or IND page and not legal or immigration advice.