Inburgering schools in Amsterdam

The rules: who pays, DUO loans and routes

• Wi2021, asylum status holders: you cannot borrow from DUO; your municipality pays your course and 2 exam attempts. source
• Wi2021, asylum status holders: the first 2 attempts of each exam are free (not if you sit a lower level than your PIP); extra attempts you pay yourself and cannot borrow for. source
• Wi2021: the municipality guides everyone who must integrate, through a brede intake and a personal Plan Inburgering en Participatie (PIP). For status holders the government pays. source
• Wi2021: municipalities must give status holders a complete offer: one of the 3 learning routes, the Module Arbeidsmarkt en Participatie (MAP, B1-route and Z-route only) and the participatieverklaringstraject (PVT). source
• Wi2021, family migrants and other migrants: they always pay for their inburgering themselves. The municipality does the brede intake, sets the learning route and can advise on a suitable school; they may also use the MAP and PVT but must arrange and pay their route themselves. source
• Not an asylum status holder (for example a family migrant): you can pay the course and exam yourself or borrow from DUO, and borrowing is only possible for approved schools. source
• Not an asylum status holder: how much you can borrow depends on your income and DUO decides; use the rekenhulp (loan calculator). source
• The DUO loan calculator on inburgeren.nl uses a maximum loan of EUR 10,000. source
• Wi2013, asylum status holders: you can borrow up to EUR 10,000, and asylum status holders never have to repay their loan. source
• To use a DUO loan you must study at a provider with the Blik op Werk Keurmerk Inburgeren. Municipalities may only buy inburgering trajectories for asylum status holders from keurmerk holders. source
• The Onderwijsroute is not covered by the Keurmerk Inburgeren; it falls under the education inspectorate. source
• The course must be at an approved school listed on zoekinburgerschool.nl. DUO pays the school directly; the money is not paid into your bank account. source
• The loan can pay for: a taalschakeltraject (Wi2021), alfabetisering, A2, B1 or B2 courses at school or digital, and course materials. It cannot pay for intake costs, administration costs, deregistration fees, a laptop or tablet. source
• Voluntary learners (not obliged to integrate) can borrow until 3 years after registering with the municipality. source
• Status holders under Wi2013 or Wi2021: the Raad van State ruled that DUO may not fine them for taking too long and may not reclaim an integration loan. source
• Exam fees: Wi2021 EUR 50 per exam (reading, writing, listening, speaking, KNM), EUR 250 in total; Wi2013 EUR 290 in total including ONA (EUR 40). PVT is free under Wi2021; under Wi2013 it costs EUR 150 for non-asylum learners. source
• Route 1, B1-route: Dutch at B1 within at most 3 years, combined with (volunteer) work; can be scaled down to A2 only after at least 600 course hours. source
• Route 2, Onderwijsroute: mainly for young people, Dutch at B1 or higher plus preparation for mbo, hbo or university, including a taalschakeltraject. source
• Route 3, Z-route (zelfredzaamheidsroute): for people for whom routes 1 and 2 are too hard; Dutch at A1 level, no exams required, ends with a final interview and a certificate. source
• Wi2013 (obliged before 1 January 2022): newcomers arrange and pay for inburgering themselves, choosing their own course, if needed with a social loan; municipalities may help, for example with personal guidance. source
• Wi2013: you can borrow for as long as you are obliged to integrate; sign the participation statement in time. source

Practice for the exam while you wait for a class

The inburgering exam tests reading, listening, writing, speaking and KNM. Dutch Fluency, made by the people who maintain this directory, explains every part of the A2 exam and has exam-style practice.