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Costs and the DUO loan

A course and an exam cost money. Who pays depends on the law that applies to you and on your situation. Here you read how it works. The amounts are on inburgeren.nl.

Wet inburgering 2021

Are you an asylum status holder (asielstatushouder)? Then your municipality (gemeente) pays for your course and for 2 attempts at each exam. This does not apply if you take an exam at a lower level than in your PIP. A higher level is allowed.

Do you need more than 2 attempts? Then you pay for the extra attempts yourself. As an asylum status holder under this law you cannot borrow money from DUO.

Are you a family migrant (gezinsmigrant) or another migrant? Then you pay for your civic integration yourself. You can choose: you pay for the course and the exam yourself, or you borrow money from DUO.

The PVT (participatieverklaring, participation statement) is free. You do the MAP (Module Arbeidsmarkt en Participatie) at the municipality. It is free too.

Wet inburgering 2013

Under the Wet inburgering 2013 you arrange and pay for your civic integration yourself. You can choose: you pay for the course and the exam yourself, or you borrow money from DUO.

Are you an asylum status holder? Then the PVT is free. If not, you pay for the PVT yourself.

How does the DUO loan work?

  • You apply for the loan (lening) in Mijn Inburgering. Can you not log in? Then you use a form.
  • You can borrow for a course at A2, B1 or B2, a literacy course (alfabetiseringscursus), course material such as books, and the exam.
  • The course has to be at an approved school. You find these schools on zoekinburgerschool.nl.
  • You do not get the money in your bank account. The school sends a bill (factuur). You see it in Mijn Inburgering. Is the bill correct? Then you choose 'accepteren' (accept) and DUO pays the school from your loan.
  • How much you may borrow is in a letter from DUO. Are you not an asylum status holder? Then it depends on your income.

Do you have to pay the loan back?

Asylum status holders never have to pay their loan back.

Are you not an asylum status holder? Then you usually pay the loan back, with interest. Sometimes you do not have to pay the loan back, or not all of it.

You start 6 months after you finish your civic integration. You have 10 years and you pay a fixed amount every month. Do you suddenly earn less? Then you can ask for a lower amount per month.

What does it cost exactly?

The price of a course is not the same at every school. Ask the school. The prices of the exams are on inburgeren.nl.

Do you have to integrate, and do your children go to childcare while you follow a course at an approved school? Then you may be able to get childcare benefit (kinderopvangtoeslag). Some municipalities also pay travel costs if your course is not in your town. Ask your municipality.

Practise on DutchKlaar

The lessons and the practice exams of DutchKlaar are free, also without an account. So you can prepare well before you pay for an exam.

Start the A2 lessons

Official practice exams

On inburgeren.nl you find the prices of the exams and everything about borrowing and paying back. In Mijn Inburgering you see your own loan.

DutchKlaar is a practice website. We are not DUO and not an official organisation. Rules can change. For your own situation, look in Mijn Inburgering on inburgeren.nl, or ask your municipality (gemeente).

Sources

This text is based on these official pages (in Dutch):