Dutch language exams explained: inburgering, Staatsexamen NT2, CNaVT

Which exam do you need?

Two things people mix up. The inburgeringsexamen is about your residence and your passport: you take it because the law says so, and it includes a test about Dutch society. The Staatsexamen NT2 is a language diploma: nobody makes you take it, but schools and employers ask for it, and a passed Staatsexamen also counts as the language part of your integration. If you have to integrate and want to study later, the Staatsexamen NT2 at B1 does both jobs at once.

The three exams, part by part

Inburgeringsexamen (A2 or B1)

Five exams, taken separately at a DUO location: Lezen (reading), Luisteren (listening), Schrijven (writing), Spreken (speaking) and KNM, Kennis van de Nederlandse Maatschappij, a test about life in the Netherlands. Reading, listening and KNM are multiple choice on a computer; writing is on paper; speaking is recorded on a computer. Under the 2021 law you also complete two parts with your municipality: the participation statement (PVT) and the labour market module (MAP). Under the 2013 law, ONA (job market orientation) takes that place. The full guide in English is the inburgering exam page; the A2 level has its own page with a sample text and a 12-week plan: the Dutch A2 exam.

Staatsexamen NT2 (B1 or B2)

Four parts (Lezen, Luisteren, Schrijven, Spreken), each a separate exam, at B1 (Programma I) or B2 (Programma II). The texts are longer than in the inburgering exam and come from work, study and the news. Writing asks for emails, short reports and a text with an argument; speaking asks you to react to situations and give a short talk. You can take the parts in any order over several exam periods, and you receive the diploma when all four are passed. Registration and payment go through Mijn DUO.

CNaVT (A2 to C1)

The Certificaat Nederlands als Vreemde Taal is for people who learn Dutch outside the Netherlands and Belgium: at a university abroad, at a Dutch school in another country, or alone. There are five exams, one per profile: everyday informal Dutch (A2), everyday formal Dutch (B1), professional Dutch (B2), Dutch for starting a Dutch-language degree (B2) and academic and professional Dutch (C1). The exam is held once a year, between 1 and 15 May, at licensed test centres around the world, and from 2026 it is taken on a computer. Your test centre sets the fee and the registration deadline, usually in March.

Levels: what A2, B1 and B2 mean

1. A1Beginner~500 words
2. A2Inburgering level~1,000 words
3. B1Intermediate~2,000 words
4. B2Upper intermediate~4,000 words
5. OrigineelThe original text

A2 is the level of a simple letter from school, a notice board and a short conversation about your day: about 1,000 words, short sentences, the present and perfect tense. B1 is the level of a newspaper article for a general reader, a work email and a conversation about your opinion: about 2,500 words and sub-clauses you no longer notice. B2 is the level of a report, a lecture and a novel with some effort. The step from A2 to B1 is the big one, and it is mostly reading. The levels page has the full descriptions, and the free level test tells you where you stand today.

What the exams cost in 2026

Who pays: if you came to the Netherlands as a refugee under the 2021 law, your municipality pays your course and the first two attempts at each required exam. Everyone else pays per attempt. People who have to integrate can borrow up to 10,000 euro from DUO for the course and the exams; DUO pays the school or the exam directly and you repay later. A failed part costs the same again, so one well-prepared attempt is the cheapest plan.

When and where

• Inburgeringsexamen: all year round, on working days, at DUO exam locations in several cities. You pick a part and a date in Mijn Inburgering and get the result within about eight weeks. A failed part can be retaken on its own.
• Staatsexamen NT2: several exam periods a year, booked in Mijn DUO a few months ahead. The popular periods fill up, so register early. You get the result per part within a few weeks.
• CNaVT: once a year, between 1 and 15 May, at your local test centre. Registration closes in March; results follow in the summer.
• Basisexamen inburgering buitenland: by appointment at the Dutch embassy or consulate in your country, after booking and paying through DUO.

Where to practise for free

Every exam publishes official practice material, and it is the best preparation there is, because the format is half the exam. Do the official practice exam on a computer before you book the real one.

• Inburgering: the practice exams at inburgeren.nl (DUO) look exactly like the real computer exams, one per part, KNM included.
• Staatsexamen NT2: example exams for both programmes with answer keys at staatsexamensnt2.nl, and the trial exams in the DUO exam environment.
• CNaVT: past exams and sample tasks per profile at cnavt.org.
• Reading, for all three: the free A2 texts with audio and a glossary, the six texts in the exam format with a PDF, and a book at your level for the stamina the longer B1 texts need.