For Dutch naturalisation, the language requirement today is A2. You prove it by passing the civic integration exam at A2, or with a diploma that counts: an inburgering diploma at A2 or higher, or a state exam NT2 diploma at B1 or B2. A move to B1 has been planned, but it is not in force, and we found no official date for it.
Today the level is A2
The IND says you must pass the civic integration exam at language level A2. It also calls this the naturalisation test. DUO says the same: first the inburgering exam at A2, or the state exam NT2 at B1 or B2.
This is about the Dutch language requirement for people who plan to apply for Dutch nationality. Whether it applies to you, or whether you are exempt, is for the IND to say. If you had to integrate, the inburgering diploma you earn there counts as proof if it is at A2 or higher. If you did not have to, you can still take the exam voluntarily (see below).
Which exam parts you still need depends on your own papers and route. Ask your gemeente or DUO, and look in Mijn Inburgering.
What counts as proof
| What you have | Counts for naturalisation? |
|---|---|
| A diploma from the older law (always A2) | Yes |
| A diploma from the 2021 law, at A2, B1 or B2 | Yes, A2 or higher counts |
| An NT2 diploma, Programma I (B1) or II (B2) | Yes, it exempts you from the exam |
| A Z-route certificate on its own | No, it is not enough |
| A BIO dispensation | No, it is not enough |
Two details help when you check your papers. A diploma from the older law does not show a level and is always A2. A diploma from the 2021 law shows A2, B1 or B2.
NT2 is the state exam Dutch as a second language. Programma I is B1 and Programma II is B2, and you do not have to pass the first before the second. Both have four parts, all on computer, and you take them in the Netherlands: they cannot be taken online or abroad.
An NT2 diploma needs all four parts passed. If you passed only some parts, you hold certificates for those parts, and they are not a diploma. NT2 certificates and diplomas never expire.
The zelfredzaamheidsroute (Z-route) is for people for whom the B1 route and the onderwijsroute are too hard. It ends with a certificate, not a diploma, and DUO says that certificate alone is not enough for naturalisation. A BIO dispensation (bijzondere individuele omstandigheden) is not enough either. The routes are explained in which exam and route is yours, and dispensation in exemptions and dispensation.
B1 is a plan, not a rule
Government papers say the level for naturalisation may go up to B1. The IND's implementation test (uitvoeringstoets) of a bill, from February 2026, says the level is A2 "at the time of writing" and that plans exist to raise it to B1, in a draft decree on the naturalisation test (Besluit naturalisatietoets).
The government's budget papers for 2027, published on 15 September 2026, say that B1 would in principle apply under the planned law, and that work on the bills continues in 2027. None of this is law yet.
If you cannot pass
DUO's page on naturalisation describes a way to ask for advice if you cannot pass despite real effort (advies aantoonbaar geleverde inspanningen). The conditions it lists include:
- at least 600 hours of lessons
- at least three attempts at every exam
- lessons at a school listed on zoekinburgerschool.nl
DUO's page says you get an answer within eight weeks. How that answer affects your application is a question for the IND, so ask the IND.
If you are not obliged to integrate
You can take the exams even if you are not obliged to integrate. DUO says you can integrate voluntarily, for example if you want to naturalise or to get a stronger residence permit.
What this means for how you prepare
Your own route decides which exams you take, and your gemeente or DUO can tell you what that is. For naturalisation, A2 is the level that counts today, and a B1 or B2 diploma counts too. Plan around what is in force now, not around a date for B1: we found no official one.
The A2 exams test reading, listening, writing and speaking, and there is a separate KNM exam about Dutch society. Practise by part, and try the practice exams on DUO's website.
The exam fees are public. Each A2 language exam and KNM costs €50, so the five together cost €250. The state exam NT2 costs €50 a part and €200 for all four parts. Who pays depends on your route and your status, and your gemeente or DUO can tell you; see also what the exams cost. If you are starting from nothing, learning Dutch for inburgering comes first, and the inburgering exam page then shows what each A2 part asks.