The Dutch A1 Exam Abroad: Who Takes It, Who Is Exempt, the €150 Fee and the MVV Order

If your partner needs a visa to move to the Netherlands, the first real step may not be a form at all. It may be a Dutch exam, taken on a computer at a Dutch embassy thousands of kilometres from the home you plan to share.

This pre-arrival test is usually called the civic integration exam abroad, or A1 exam. An Xpat.nl article dated 28 April 2026 explains how to prepare for its three parts: reading, speaking and Knowledge of Dutch Society. Its advice is sound: find your weakest part early and study to a plan. But it leaves out the questions most couples ask first. Does this apply to us? What does it cost? When can we apply for the visa?

This guide answers those questions using the IND (immigration service), DUO (the agency that runs the exams) and Dutch law, then cross-checks IamExpat, DutchReview, Expatica, DutchNews, ACCESS and The Hague International Centre. It stays on the exam abroad and the family migration steps around it. How much Dutch to learn long term is covered in our guide to learning Dutch.

Main sources for this article

• IND: Civic Integration Exam Abroad (updated 7 May 2026) and Appendix 7606
• DUO and government exam site: Naar Nederland
• Government-commissioned Monitor of the exam abroad, 2022-2024 (15 May 2025)
• Civic Integration Act 2021 and DUO's inburgeren.nl

Your question	Short answer
Does my partner need the exam?	Depends on their nationality and your permit
What does it cost?	€50 per part, €150 in total
Where is it taken?	A Dutch embassy or consulate abroad
When do we apply for the MVV?	After passing, within one year
Does it replace later integration?	No
Can it be waived?	Sometimes, on medical or personal grounds

1. What is changing

The exam dates from 2006. The numbers and the political mood around it have shifted more than the rules.

About 9,000 candidates a year

The government monitor counted 8,988 people taking at least one part in 2024, and 6,909 passing the full exam. Numbers have returned to pre-pandemic levels and have flattened since 2023.

This table shows first-attempt pass rates by part.

Year	KNS (%)	Speaking (%)	Reading (%)	Candidates
2022	96	73	78	7,811
2023	95	75	80	8,995
2024	96	76	76	8,988

Knowledge of Dutch Society rarely stops anyone. Speaking and reading each stop roughly one candidate in four on the first try.

Fraud checks and a tougher language debate

In an April 2026 letter to parliament, the government reported forged exam certificates in seven MVV applications. The text of the letter says all seven were rejected and reported to the authorities. Seven is small against 6,000 to 7,000 passes a year, but IND staff have been asked to look out for forgeries.

The wider debate is about language levels. DutchNews reported in October 2026 that the expected standard is moving from A2 to B1. That discussion concerns life after arrival and citizenship. This research found no decision to raise the exam abroad above A1, as of 1 November 2026.

2. What the exam is

The Dutch name is basisexamen inburgering buitenland, often shortened to BIB. Official English pages use "civic integration exam abroad" or "basic civic integration examination abroad".

Who it was designed for

The IND says that people who need an MVV for purposes such as living with a partner must pass before applying. An MVV (machtiging tot voorlopig verblijf) is the entry visa for stays over 90 days. The government's Q&A adds that this applies whether the partner in the Netherlands is Dutch or not.

The monitor describes the target group as people aged 18 up to state pension age from outside Europe, with a number of exceptions, who settle voluntarily for family reasons or as spiritual counsellors.

The three parts

Formats come from the official practice exam page and the exam regulation.

Part	Questions	Time	Marking
Knowledge of Dutch Society (KNS)	30	30 min	Computer
Reading (A1)	19	35 min	Computer
Speaking (A1)	22	30 min	Human assessors

You can take all three on one day, which takes about two hours, or spread them out.

How it is scored

Each part receives a mark from 1 to 10, and you need 6 or higher on all three. Media summaries phrase this differently, and the differences matter if you are counting correct answers.

Source	What it says about passing
Naar Nederland (official)	A mark of 6+ on each part
Xpat.nl	21 of 30 correct for KNS
DutchNews	60% for speaking and reading, 6+ for KNS

The official pages checked for this article do not publish a conversion from correct answers to marks. Treat the 6 as your target and leave a margin.

3. Who takes it and who is exempt

The IND's list has several routes to an exemption. Check each one, because missing one can cost months and €150.

Exemption by nationality

Holders of these nationalities skip the exam: EU and EEA countries, Australia, Canada, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, Vatican City, the United Kingdom, the United States, South Korea and Switzerland. The same group appears on the MVV exemptions page, updated 6 May 2026.

They do not need an MVV, but they still need a residence permit for stays beyond 90 days. Many readers overlook that last part.

Exemptions that do not depend on nationality

Even without an exempt passport, one of these may apply. This summary draws on the IND page and Appendix 7606.

Ground	Who it covers
Age	Under 18, or state pension age and over
Temporary purpose	Applicant comes to work or study
Temporary-purpose family	Sponsor holds such a permit
Asylum family	Sponsor holds an asylum permit
School years	8+ years in the Netherlands at school age
Qualifications	Dutch-taught diploma, NT2, EB, some IB
Suriname	Surinamese national, Dutch primary schooling

Applicants claim these with the appendix, and they send evidence with the MVV application.

The test looks at the applicant

Read the wording carefully: "you have the nationality of". The test concerns the person applying, not the person they are joining. A Brazilian married to an American is judged as a Brazilian. A Korean married to a Brazilian is judged as a Korean.

Work through each family member separately.

Conflicting information about Turkish nationals

Sources disagree here, so it deserves its own note. The IND's list does not include Türkiye. The monitor reports that the integration requirement for Turkish nationals was reinstated from 1 January 2022 and that Ankara candidates rose sharply, with 1,014 passes there in 2024.

Yet the government Q&A on integration and ACCESS still mention Türkiye as exempt. Turkish applicants should rely on the current IND page, and ask the IND if in doubt.

4. Why the sponsor's permit changes the answer

This is the exception most couples never hear about. A partner who needs an MVV can still be exempt from the exam because of what the sponsor's permit is for.

"Temporary" has a legal meaning

Appendix 7606 lists the temporary purposes under the Civic Integration Act. They include self-employment, highly skilled migrant work, EU Blue Card, intra-corporate transfer, paid employment, researcher, seasonal work and study. It then exempts anyone joining a family member with such a permit.

In everyday language, a highly skilled migrant who has been here for seven years is hardly temporary. In this law, the permit still counts. It is probably why The Hague International Centre says only that a partner must pass the exam "in some cases".

The four main combinations

The figure below shows how nationality and sponsor type combine across the three things couples ask about.

The same partner can land in different rows depending on the sponsor. The exempt-nationality rows also show that skipping the exam says nothing about the duty after arrival.

When a sponsor's status is about to change

A highly skilled migrant who moves to a permanent permit no longer has a temporary-purpose permit. If a family application is planned around that time, the order of events may matter.

The published forms do not spell out every timing scenario. If your application and a status change sit close together, ask the IND or an immigration lawyer before you commit to a date. The steps for each permit are in our residence permit guide.

5. Registering, paying and sitting the exam

Registration runs through DUO, and the exam takes place at an embassy or consulate. The appointment process varies by post, so read the country page for yours.

What it costs

DUO lists a fixed price per part, shown here with the official study pack.

Item	Cost (€)	Note
KNS	50	Pay again if you retake
Reading	50	Pay again if you retake
Speaking	50	Pay again if you retake
Full exam	150	Checked 1 November 2026
Self-study pack	0 to 25	Free download, or €25 printed

DutchReview, IamExpat and DutchNews all agree on €150. The exam is one of the smaller bills in this process. Application fees, document work and travel usually cost more.

Registration and appointment

According to Naar Nederland, you register, pay and then receive a confirmation with your candidate number within five working days. You can pay with iDEAL/Wero if you have a Dutch account, or by bank transfer. Paper registration can take up to ten weeks to process.

Only then do you contact the embassy or consulate for an appointment. The confirmation tells you how. Changing the date or location is allowed once each, up to 24 hours before the exam. A cancellation at least 24 hours ahead qualifies for a refund, paid within six weeks.

Where you can sit it

Normally you take it in your country of residence, or the nearest post if your country has none, and you may need a visa to travel there. EU posts require proof that you live in the EU, and people outside the EU cannot sit it there.

Situation	What to expect
Living in home country	Local embassy or consulate
Living in a third country	That country's post, with proof of stay
Living in the EU	EU post, with proof of EU residence
No Dutch post nearby	Nearest post, possibly with a visa

The Germany page warns that people living outside Europe may not get a slot because of high demand. Always read your country's page on Netherlands Worldwide.

On the day

Bring your appointment confirmation, a valid passport and a recent colour passport photo, plus proof of stay if you are not a national of that country. At the post, staff check your passport and take your fingerprints. The session runs on a computer: KNS, reading, then speaking, with breaks.

Results arrive from DUO within eight weeks. If you supplied your sponsor's email address when registering, they receive the result too.

6. Preparing without overpaying

A1 is the lowest level on the European language scale, and the exam is more transparent than many people expect. Before paying for anything, work through what the government already publishes.

Start with the official materials

The self-study pack contains a manual, glossary, film, photo book, workbook and e-learning. It costs €25 printed, and the digital version is free. The monitor says it comes in 34 languages. Check that yours is available.

Practice exams cover all three parts, and the reading and speaking versions match the real number of questions and time. You need a computer and, for speaking, a microphone or headset.

Much of the exam is published

Few high-stakes tests give this much away. The official site says all KNS questions and answers appear in the photo book. In the exam you see a photograph, hear the question and pick between two answers.

The speaking questions and sentence-completion items are also published as an official list, along with the assessment model. The speaking part has 10 questions to answer and 12 sentences to complete. Reading questions differ from the practice version, so vocabulary and practice with short texts matter most there.

Where media reports disagree

Several articles do not match the current official information. These gaps are worth knowing before you plan from a single article.

Topic	What the article says	Official information
Parts	IamExpat (2025): five	Three (IND)
Upper age	ACCESS: 65	State pension age
Family fee	Expatica: €228	€254 (IND)

The older IamExpat piece lists writing and listening too, whereas IamExpat's current guide has it right at three. The Expatica and ACCESS pages likewise show signs of older figures.

What the pass rates show

The monitor breaks results down by nationality. This chart shows 2024 first-attempt speaking results for selected groups.

The same table gives reading at 91% for Indonesian candidates, 86% for Filipino candidates, 74% for Thai, 70% for Turkish and 69% for Moroccan. Moroccan candidates are among the strongest at speaking and the weakest at reading, a pattern the monitor also saw in 2021.

Nationality does not explain these gaps. The monitor itself can only suggest that changes in candidate mix may play a part. The practical lesson is simple: test both skills early, because strength in one says little about the other.

Read "it's easy" claims with care

A DutchNews partner article quotes the founder of the study site Inburgering.org saying that a single word is often enough in the speaking exam. Links in the Xpat.nl article to the same site carry a sponsored tag.

Commercial courses can help, but they have a stake in the outcome. Check scoring and content against the official pages.

7. The MVV sequence

Passing the exam is not an end in itself. It unlocks one application, and the clock starts when you pass. The sequence below applies when the applicant needs an MVV and is not exempt.

From exam to arrival

This timeline shows the standard order and the time limits attached to each step.

The steps take months end to end, so gather documents alongside exam preparation rather than after it.

Who files

The IND says the MVV and residence permit are applied for together (updated 22 July 2026). The sponsor in the Netherlands usually submits. Without a sponsor, an application is possible from abroad.

For an application from abroad, the IND's instructions say to book an appointment at the post, bring the form, photo and passport, and give biometric data. You then have three weeks to send the application to the IND and pay.

The sponsor's conditions

The exam is only one of the conditions. These are the figures and rules that most often affect planning.

Condition	Rule	Source
Sponsor income	€2,337.00 gross a month, or €2,523.96 with holiday pay	IND amounts
Income duration	A 12-month contract counts as sustainable	IND rules
Family fee	€254	IND fees
Child under 18	€85	IND fees
Decision period	90 days by law	IND periods

The income figures apply from 1 July to 31 December 2026 and change each January and July, so recheck them right before filing. Exemptions include sponsors at state pension age and those fully and permanently unable to work, under the IND's definition.

Age and health checks

IND brochure 3085 says both partners must be at least 21 for unmarried partners, and for a marriage or registered partnership formed after the sponsor gained lawful residence. Couples who married before then must be at least 18. The brochure carries no publication date, so check the current application form.

The same brochure asks for a tuberculosis test within three months of the permit being issued, unless the applicant's nationality is exempt, and Dutch health insurance within four months.

Documents

Foreign certificates usually need an apostille or legalisation, and The Hague International Centre notes that unmarried status declarations must be issued within six months of the application. The IND warns this can take months. Check the legalisation page for your country on Netherlands Worldwide.

Staying in the Netherlands during the process

The IND does not recommend staying in the Netherlands while the MVV application is pending. If there is an urgent reason, tell the IND before travelling, and be ready to supply documents. Delays are covered in our article on IND decision delays.

8. What is different after arrival

The A1 exam and post-arrival integration share a name and little else. Naar Nederland is explicit that you must continue the process after you land. Confusing the two leads to missed deadlines and fines.

Three systems, three levels

Each language level in this figure belongs to a separate system with its own purpose.

Taller boxes mean higher levels. This table compares the practical differences.

Feature	Exam abroad	Integration duty	Permanent residence
Level	A1	B1 as a rule	A2
Purpose	Condition for MVV	Legal duty	Permit condition
Location	Embassy abroad	Netherlands	Netherlands
Exam fees (€)	150	250	250
Time limit	1 year to apply	3 years	At application

Official pages do not say the A1 pass shortens any later exam. Plan as if the post-arrival process starts fresh.

Who has the duty

Article 3 of the Civic Integration Act 2021 covers non-EU nationals with lawful residence, aged 16 up to state pension age, staying for a non-temporary purpose. Nationals of EU and EEA countries and Switzerland are outside it, along with some family members with free-movement rights.

So an American, Australian or Canadian who moves to join a Dutch partner skips the exam and the MVV, yet generally still faces an integration duty. People on temporary-purpose permits are not covered, and I amsterdam says their immediate family is exempt as well. The Hague International Centre gives the same picture for temporary work, study and exchange.

What happens next

DUO sends a letter once you have a BSN (citizen service number), a residence permit and municipal registration, which can take another eight weeks. The municipality then holds an intake interview and test, and draws up a personal plan (PIP). There are three routes: B1, education and self-reliance.

The period is three years. If you have followed at least 600 hours of lessons and still cannot reach B1, you can discuss moving down to A2 with your municipality. DutchReview and DutchNews give further background on the levels.

Item	Amount or rule
DUO exams	€50 each, €250 for five
Course fees	Vary by school
DUO loan	Based on income
Loan interest	2.29% in 2026, 3.28% in 2027
Late learning route	Fine of up to €1,000
Late PVT or MAP	€340 each

Costs come from DUO's table, loans from the borrowing page and fines from the fines page. PVT is the participation statement process, and MAP is the job market and participation module. A fine does not end the duty, and you receive extra time.

Permanent residence comes back to it

Families exempt so far can meet the requirement later. The IND's permanent residence page (updated 27 August 2026) lists the integration condition and its exemptions. An exemption from the exam abroad is not one of them.

DUO describes a route without exams for people with 10 or more uninterrupted years of residence and 5 or more years of work, including voluntary work, whose Dutch is good. It requires a DUO interview costing €90.

9. When the exam cannot be taken

Some applicants cannot reasonably pass, whether because of illness, disability or other personal circumstances. A dispensation route exists, but the burden of proof sits with the applicant.

How to request it

On medical grounds, the IND asks you to tell the embassy or consulate first. A doctor is assigned, at your expense, and sends a questionnaire to the IND through the post. You then attach your copy and the appendix to the MVV application. The form must be no more than six months old.

The appendix says the assessment looks at the whole situation, including the effort made to pass. Keep records of study, attempts and any barriers.

How often it works

The monitor shows requests rising faster than candidates.

Year	Requests	Granted (of assessed cases)
2019	490	44%
2022	750	47%
2023	720	56%
2024	800	56%

Just over half of the requests assessed on their merits succeed. That is a real option with strong evidence, but it is not a shortcut.

10. Common mistakes

These misunderstandings came up repeatedly in the research. Check them against your own plan.

Assumption	What actually applies
My passport covers my spouse	The applicant's own nationality counts
No exam means no integration	The duty is decided separately
A pass lasts for ever	One year to apply for the MVV
It can be done in the Netherlands	It is taken at a post abroad
Permanent status changes nothing	The temporary-purpose exemption may not fit
Articles have the rules right	Several are out of date

Timing the one-year window

The result itself stays valid, but the MVV window closes one year after you pass all parts, and Appendix 7606 counts from the date of issue on the PDF. If the sponsor is changing jobs, is on a short contract or is about to fall below the income level, plan the exam backwards from the date the income test can be met.

When the relationship changes

A family permit depends on the relationship. It is worth knowing the rules before you need them, which are covered in our guide to separation and residence permits.

11. Worked examples

These fictional couples show how the rules play out. They are simplified examples, not legal advice, and the IND decides each real case.

Fictional case: Daniel and Ana

Daniel holds a highly skilled migrant permit. His wife Ana has a passport from a country that needs an MVV. She still needs the MVV but skips the exam under the temporary-purpose family exemption, and she has no integration duty when she arrives.

Fictional case: Lena and Marco

Lena has permanent residence. Her husband Marco needs an MVV. He passes the €150 exam at his local embassy, and she files within a year while meeting the income test. After arrival, Marco gets a DUO letter and starts a B1 route.

Fictional case: Sophie and Jack

Sophie is Dutch. Jack is Canadian. He needs neither MVV nor exam, and she can file the residence application. After arrival, he generally has an integration duty, including a three-year period and exam fees.

Couple	MVV	Exam	Duty after arrival
Daniel and Ana	Yes	No	No
Lena and Marco	Yes	Yes	Yes
Sophie and Jack	No	No	Yes

12. What to do this week

These steps cost nothing.

1. Check the applicant's nationality on the IND's MVV exemptions list.
2. Check the sponsor's permit purpose against Appendix 7606.
3. If the exam applies, download the official study pack and try a practice exam.
4. Compare the sponsor's income with the current required amount.
5. List the documents you need and how each is legalised.
6. Read your country's page on Netherlands Worldwide and check appointment availability before paying DUO.

13. Checklist

Use this as a final check before filing.

• Applicant's nationality checked against the MVV list
• Sponsor's permit purpose checked for the exam exemption
• Income measured against the current half-year figure
• Study pack in hand and practice exams tried
• Embassy or consulate and booking method confirmed
• Filing date within one year of passing
• Certificates legalised and translated in the right order
• Post-arrival duty understood and budgeted

14. Key points

• The exam applies to people who need an MVV to join a partner, unless an exemption applies
• The test looks at the applicant's nationality, not the sponsor's
• Temporary-purpose sponsors, including highly skilled migrants, exempt their partners from the exam
• It costs €50 per part, €150 in total, with a mark of 6 needed on each part
• The MVV and residence permit are filed together, within a year of passing
• The integration duty after arrival and the permanent residence exam are separate requirements

Sources

Government and official bodies

• Civic Integration Exam Abroad — IND: exemptions, results and dispensation (updated 7 May 2026)
• Appendix 7606 — IND: temporary purposes and family exemption
• MVV exemptions — IND: nationalities (updated 6 May 2026)
• Provisional residence permit — IND: MVV basics (updated 22 July 2026)
• Apply for MVV and residence permit from abroad — IND: steps at the post
• Fees — IND: application fees
• Required amounts — IND: income levels from 1 July 2026
• Income requirements — IND: contract rules and exemptions (updated 1 July 2026)
• Decision periods — IND: statutory periods (updated 1 October 2026)
• Enabling a family member to come — IND: ages, MVV collection and health checks
• Civic integration for a more secure permit — IND: permanent residence (updated 27 August 2026)
• Naar Nederland: registering, taking the exam, practice exams, study materials and after the exam
• Civic integration exam abroad — Netherlands Worldwide and Germany: country pages
• Do I need to start civic integration before I arrive — Government.nl
• Do I have to comply with civic integration requirements — Government.nl
• Civic Integration Act 2021 — wetten.overheid.nl: legal definition of the duty
• Exam programme — wetten.overheid.nl: parts and timing
• Monitor 2022-2024 — commissioned by the Ministry of Social Affairs: candidates, pass rates, dispensations
• Letter on exam fraud — Rijksoverheid, with text of the letter
• Overview, costs, loans, fines and stronger permit on DUO's inburgeren.nl
• Civic integration — I amsterdam: family of temporary residents

Expat media and support organisations

• Preparing for the Inburgering A1 Exam — Xpat.nl: starting point (28 April 2026)
• Welkom in Nederland! How to pass the A1 language exam — DutchNews: partner content on the format
• Newcomers face tougher Dutch standards — DutchNews: A2 to B1 (14 October 2026)
• Civic integration exam — IamExpat: parts and exemptions
• Moving to the Netherlands for love — IamExpat: older five-part description (17 April 2025)
• Permits and visas — DutchReview: partner permit order
• The Dutch integration exam — DutchReview: post-arrival A2 and B1
• Dutch visas — Expatica: MVV collection and travel
• What is the inburgeringsexamen — ACCESS: overview
• Family migrant permit and Inburgering — The Hague International Centre

All links were checked on 1 November 2026. Rules and amounts change, so confirm the latest figures on the official sites before applying.

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Original article

Preparing for the Inburgering A1 Exam: What Future Residents Should Know — Xpat.nl