You have three years to finish inburgering under the 2021 law. Under the older law you have three years for the exams and one year for the PVT. If you cannot make it, you can ask for extra time, and DUO's page lists the grounds. If the term ends and you have not finished, DUO can fine you: never more than €1,000 under the 2021 law and never more than €1,250 under the older law. Since a ruling by the Council of State, DUO may no longer fine asylum status holders (people with an asylum residence permit).
Your own dates decide what applies to you. Read the letters from DUO and your gemeente, and look in Mijn Inburgering, which also shows which law you are under.
How long you have
The term is three years under both laws, but it starts at a different moment.
| 2021 law | Older law | |
|---|---|---|
| Term for the exams | 3 years | 3 years |
| It starts | The day after the date of your PIP, the personal plan your gemeente makes with you | When you became obliged to integrate |
| Term for the PVT | 3 years | 1 year |
| Extension named in the law | Extra time must be given if going over is not your fault, or if you made a great effort and are almost done | One extension of up to 2 years after a literacy course; DUO's page lists other grounds (below) |
The PVT is the participation statement course, which your gemeente arranges.
When you can ask for extra time
Under the 2021 law, DUO's page on extra time (extra tijd) lists these grounds:
- you are taking a literacy course
- you are studying in the Netherlands
- you or someone in your family is ill
- a family member has died
- you have had a child
- you are homeless, or staying in a women's shelter
- your gemeente did not arrange a school in time, or there are problems at your school
- you have done many course hours and passed at least two of the four exam parts
- another reason
DUO's page says extra time can be given only once per period.
Under the older law the grounds are not the same. For example, the "many course hours" ground there asks for 300 hours of lessons and every exam taken twice, not two parts passed.
The 2026 delay for A2 speaking and writing
In 2026 there were not enough places for the A2 speaking and writing exams. On 18 May 2026 DUO announced a temporary measure: people close to the end of their term who only needed those two exams could get individual extra time, by letter, without a fine.
On 31 July 2026 DUO said that results for A2 speaking and writing can take up to sixteen weeks, instead of the usual eight. For someone close to the end of their term, DUO says this brings an automatic extension of six months.
Who counts as "close to the end" is for DUO to say. If you are waiting for one of these results near your deadline, read DUO's two news items, check your letters and ask DUO.
What the fines are
A fine comes after the term has ended. These are the amounts DUO publishes.
| 2021 law | Older law | |
|---|---|---|
| Not finished in time | Never more than €1,000 | Never more than €1,250 |
| PVT finished too late | €340 | €340 |
| MAP finished too late | €340 | Not listed by DUO |
Under the 2021 law the amount depends on your route, your course hours, your attempts and the parts you passed. Under the older law, a late PVT also means you can no longer borrow from DUO.
After a 2021-law fine you get new time. On the B1 route and the onderwijsroute it depends on how many exams you have passed:
| Exams passed | Extra time after the fine |
|---|---|
| None | 2 years |
| 1 | 1.5 years |
| 2 | 1 year |
| 3 or 4 | 6 months |
On the Z-route it depends on your course hours: two years for up to 200 hours, down to six months for 600 to 800 hours. If your PVT or your MAP was late, you get six months; if both were late, one year.
People with asylum status
After a ruling by the Council of State (Raad van State), DUO may not fine asylum status holders for going over the term, and may not reclaim their integration loan. Under the older law, asylum status holders who already paid get a refund. DUO has said that letters about this will come in autumn 2026.
Under the 2021 law DUO has never fined asylum status holders. A gemeente can still fine you during the route, for example if you do not cooperate.
What to do, and how to prepare
DUO can fine you after the term has ended, and its pages list the grounds for extra time. Your gemeente made your PIP and guides your route. For your own case, the answer is in your letters and in Mijn Inburgering; if the dates do not match what you expect, ask your gemeente.
- Find your end date first. Plan back from it, not from the day you feel ready.
- Allow for waiting. DUO says to allow more than six weeks when you book an A2 exam, and results can take eight weeks, or sixteen for A2 speaking and writing.
- Look at the grounds early. If one fits you, find out how to ask before time runs short. DUO's page on extra time is the place to start.
- Put the exams you still need first. The inburgering exam page shows what each part asks, so you can decide what to practise first.