Learning Dutch in the Netherlands: A2 for permanent residence, B1 for integration, and €50 per exam

The Netherlands is famously easy to live in without Dutch. In the 2025 EF English Proficiency Index, the country ranked first out of 123 countries and regions. Your colleagues, your GP and the person at the supermarket checkout will usually switch to English the moment you hesitate.

Even so, XPat.nl, a site on Dutch law, tax and living, argues that learning at least the basics is worth it. Its article "How to Learn to Speak Dutch: Top Tips and Tricks" gives four pieces of advice: talk to native speakers, watch films you know in Dutch, focus on high-frequency words, and be patient.

Those tips are sensible, but they leave out what most residents actually need to know: which level you need, by when, and what it costs. This guide takes XPat.nl's advice as a starting point and adds the rules from DUO (the agency that runs the integration exams) and the IND (immigration service), data from Statistics Netherlands (CBS), and reporting from IamExpat, DutchReview, Expatica, DutchNews, NL Times, ACCESS and The Hague International Centre.

Main sources for this article

• XPat.nl, "How to Learn to Speak Dutch: Top Tips and Tricks" (the starting point; no publication date shown)
• inburgeren.nl (DUO): exam fees, loans and fines (checked 21 October 2026)
• IND: "Permanent residence permit" (updated 20 May 2026) and "Civic Integration Exam Abroad" (updated 7 May 2026)
• CBS: "Good command of Dutch enhances labour participation" (2023, based on 2021 data)
• DutchNews and NL Times reporting on naturalisation, benefits and integration fines in 2026

1. What the XPat.nl article recommends

The source article is short, so it is worth summarising before building on it.

Learn from native speakers

XPat.nl says experts agree that conversation with a native speaker beats static textbook lessons as a starting point. It suggests booking private lessons online, which lets you practise with a professional and ask questions about your move at the same time.

Watch films you already know

The second tip is to watch a familiar film with Dutch audio and English subtitles. Because you already know the plot, you can pick out words and phrases from context. The article also presents this as a fun fallback when formal lessons start to feel like a chore.

Less is more

Third, avoid trying to learn too much at once. Focus on high-frequency everyday words first. The article says these make up more than 75% of most spoken languages, although it does not give a source for that figure.

Be patient

Finally, XPat.nl notes that Dutch is not a Romance language, so it can feel harder than French, Spanish or Italian. Its closing message is that steady effort pays off.

Section 8 returns to these tips with concrete habits. First, the rules.

2. What is changing in 2026

Over the past few years, how much Dutch the country should require of its residents has become a political question. Putting the official sources and the expat press side by side shows a clear direction.

B1 became the standard for integration

The Civic Integration Act 2021 (Wet inburgering 2021), in force since 1 January 2022, made B1 the default route for people who must integrate. According to inburgeren.nl, the integration period is three years. If you have followed at least 600 hours of lessons and still cannot pass at B1, you can discuss scaling down to A2 with your municipality.

The people covered are mainly recognised refugees and family migrants. Most people who come to work are not covered; section 4 looks at this in detail.

B1 for naturalisation is back on the table

Naturalisation still requires A2. DutchNews reported in January 2026 that the coalition agreement of D66, VVD and CDA drops the plan to double the residence requirement to ten years, but includes raising the naturalisation language requirement to B1. The paper notes that the three previous cabinets made the same promise and none delivered it.

Another DutchNews piece reports that the change could come through the Naturalisation Test Decree rather than a new law, which would not need a vote in parliament. No start date has been announced.

Refunded fines, tougher benefit rules

NL Times reported on 4 July 2026 that the Ministry of Social Affairs will refund €9 million to 3,300 people whose integration fines it now considers unjustified. inburgeren.nl separately states that, following a ruling by the Council of State, DUO cannot fine asylum status holders for taking too long to integrate.

For people on social assistance (bijstand), the direction is the opposite. The government announced in September 2025 that the duty to make an effort to learn Dutch becomes permanent, with 2026 as a transition year and extra funding for municipalities from 2027. DutchNews reported in June 2026 that the cabinet wants to increase the benefit cuts for claimants who make no effort.

Should expats integrate too?

In June 2025, NL Times reported a proposal in Amsterdam's city council for a mandatory integration course for expats. A study cited in the article put the number of expats in the city at over 90,000 in 2022, up from 26,300 in 2010. Frustration about English-only bubbles is part of the background.

The pattern is clear: requirements are rising, not falling. But the changes so far mainly affect people with an integration obligation and future naturalisation applicants. The A2 requirement for permanent residence has not changed.

3. The map: CEFR levels and Dutch exams

Every Dutch language requirement is expressed in the six levels of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR). A1 and A2 are basic, B1 and B2 independent, C1 and C2 proficient.

Which level for which purpose

The Hague International Centre summarises the main thresholds like this. The civic integration exam at A2 is required for permanent residence and citizenship. The state exam Dutch as a Second Language (NT2) Programme I, at B1, is the usual entry level for vocational education (MBO). Programme II, at B2, is the level for universities of applied sciences (HBO) and universities.

For most international residents, then, A2 is the first realistic target. B1 and above matter if you have an integration obligation, or if you plan to study or work in Dutch.

How different are A2 and B1?

At A2 you can handle short, predictable exchanges: ordering at the bakery, rescheduling a GP appointment, chatting with a neighbour about the weather. Most A2 exam tasks look like these everyday situations.

At B1 you are expected to talk about work, school or the news and back up your opinion with reasons. Because you must build the structure of an explanation yourself, the step from A2 to B1 feels much longer than the step from A1 to A2.

A useful rule of thumb: A2 means you can get by in daily life; B1 is the entry point for working in Dutch.

4. Do you have to integrate?

The first question most newcomers ask is whether they are obliged to take an exam at all. The honest answer is that it depends on when you ask: before arrival, after registration, or five years later.

Before arrival: the exam abroad

People who need a provisional residence permit (MVV), for example to live with a partner, must pass the Civic Integration Exam Abroad before applying. According to the IND (updated 7 May 2026), nationals of EU and EEA countries, Australia, Canada, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, Vatican City, the United Kingdom, the United States, South Korea and Switzerland are exempt, as are children under 18 and people of state pension age.

After registration: the integration obligation

The obligation to integrate (inburgeringsplicht) is announced by letter from DUO. inburgeren.nl explains that the letter only comes once you have a citizen service number (BSN), a residence permit and municipal registration, and that it can take up to eight weeks after that.

The obligation applies mainly to refugees and family migrants. The IND lists permits with a temporary residence purpose, and family members of people with such permits, among the exempted cases. If you are unsure, log in to Mijn Inburgering, DUO's online portal, rather than guessing.

Five years later: permanent residence

This is the step people miss. The IND's page on the permanent residence permit (updated 20 May 2026) requires five consecutive years on a valid permit and a pass in the civic integration exam at A2 or higher, or an exemption.

The exemptions for this step are much narrower than for the exam abroad (IND, updated 27 August 2026). They include holding an integration diploma, Belgian or Luxembourg nationality, being under 18 or of state pension age, having lived in the Netherlands for at least eight years during school age, and documented medical or individual circumstances. A US, British or Canadian passport, exempt at the first step, does not exempt you here.

The takeaway: people who came for work are the ones who have to decide for themselves. Nobody sends a reminder, and it is easy to discover the A2 requirement only when you sit down to fill in the permanent residence form.

The long-residence alternative

inburgeren.nl describes one way around the exams. If you have lived in the Netherlands for ten years without interruption and worked for at least five (volunteering counts), DUO can confirm in an interview that you are sufficiently integrated. The interview costs €90. It assumes your Dutch is good, so it is not a shortcut for people who lived in English for a decade.

5. Exams, fees and registration

Learning Dutch costs money in two places: lessons and exams. Exam fees are fixed by DUO; lesson prices are set by schools.

Exam fees

According to inburgeren.nl (checked 21 October 2026), each integration exam part costs €50. Writing, speaking, listening, reading and Knowledge of Dutch Society (KNM) add up to €250. People integrating under the 2013 act also take Orientation on the Dutch Labour Market (ONA) for €40, making €290. Mijn Inburgering shows which parts apply to you.

DUO charges €50 per part for the NT2 state exam, or €200 for all four, at either Programme I (B1) or Programme II (B2). The IND lists €254 as the fee for a permanent residence application.

Even added together, official fees stay around €500. Most of the money goes on lessons.

Lesson prices

DutchReview's learning guide (updated February 2025) estimates €400–800 for a course of 8–12 sessions at a private language school, €1,000 or more for private lessons, and €200–700 per module at a university. Municipal and library courses are free or close to it.

These are media estimates, not official prices. inburgeren.nl itself simply says to ask the school, because prices differ.

Borrowing from DUO

DUO can lend money for integration lessons and exams. Asylum status holders under the 2021 act cannot borrow, because their municipality pays. Almost everyone else who is integrating can, with the amount based on income. People without an obligation who integrate voluntarily can borrow until three years after their first municipal registration, and that includes EU citizens.

The money never reaches your account: DUO pays the school or exam fee directly. Lessons must be at a school listed on zoekinburgerschool.nl. Interest applies, at 2.29% a year for 2026 and 3.28% for 2027.

For a household where one partner studies full-time without an income of their own, a loan can make a structured course affordable. For most employed residents, paying directly is simpler.

Book early

You register for the integration exams through Mijn Inburgering with DigiD, the government login. inburgeren.nl warns that it can take more than six weeks before you can sit an exam. You can change or cancel up to one week beforehand and get a refund. NT2 exams are booked separately through Mijn DUO.

6. How long does it take?

Time is harder to estimate than money, and the sources do not agree. Here are the figures side by side.

What the sources say

Expatica (updated July 2025) gives CEFR estimates of 80–100 hours to A1, 350–400 hours to B1 and 800–900 hours to C1. The same article cites the US Foreign Service Institute (FSI), which expects English speakers to need 600–750 hours of intensive small-group classes.

DutchReview says each level takes around 100–200 hours. The integration system, meanwhile, uses 600 hours of lessons as the point at which someone who still cannot reach B1 may ask to switch to A2.

Reading the gap

"B1 in 350–400 hours" and "some people cannot reach B1 after 600 hours" look contradictory but rest on different assumptions. The first counts classroom hours under good conditions. The second is a policy line drawn for people learning alongside work, childcare and, often, trauma or limited prior schooling.

For planning, a safe assumption is 200–300 hours for A2 including self-study, and at least twice that for B1. At three hours a week, A2 takes around a year and a half.

Your first language matters

The FSI figure is for native English speakers. Dutch is a West Germanic language, close to English and German, so speakers of those languages recognise many words. Speakers of Romance, Slavic or Asian languages usually need longer, though there are no official statistics by mother tongue. A good level of English helps everyone, because many Dutch words become guessable through English.

7. Ways to learn

The right mix depends on your budget, your schedule and your target. Here are the main options the expat media recommend.

Free and low-cost options

The Hague International Centre lists the University of Groningen's free three-week introductory course on FutureLearn, Het Begint met Taal's "kletsmaatjes" programme that pairs learners with volunteers for online chats, the exercise site oefenen.nl, and The Hague libraries' weekly Taal in de Bibliotheek sessions, held at every branch.

The Central Library in The Hague hosts a Taalhuis (language house) on the second floor, where volunteers help you find a course. The municipality also supports Taal in de Buurt, which it describes as conversation and NT2 classes for adults living in The Hague for an indefinite period with a level up to A2. Check current conditions with the municipality.

According to ACCESS, a non-profit for internationals, there are about 100 volksuniversiteiten (adult education centres) with around 200,000 students a year. Around 65 local Gilde groups, run by volunteers aged 50 and over, offer free conversation practice to learners at roughly A1 level.

Course prices are DutchReview's estimates; the intensive format is from Expatica. Rather than comparing every option, start from how many hours a week you can realistically give.

Apps and media

DutchReview and Expatica both list Duolingo, Memrise, Babbel and Busuu. Apps are a good way into vocabulary and grammar, but they will not prepare you for the speaking and writing exams on their own.

IamExpat recommends NOS Jeugdjournaal, the public broadcaster's children's news, because its language is simpler than the regular news and you can pause the clips online. DutchReview adds the free NPO Start archive and a browser extension that shows two subtitle tracks on Netflix.

Intensive courses

Expatica describes intensive courses running Monday to Friday with four to six hours of classes a day. NL Times has run several pieces in 2026 on an Amsterdam school promising A2 in two weeks; they read largely as promotion. Confirm prices and realistic outcomes with the school directly.

8. Turning the tips into habits

XPat.nl's four tips become much more useful when you translate them into specific habits.

Get ahead of the English switch

The most common complaint from learners is that Dutch people answer in English. DutchReview suggests saying "Ik leer Nederlands en ik moet oefenen" (I am learning Dutch and need to practise). IamExpat's 2024 tips go further: prepare set phrases for when someone switches, for asking people to slow down, and for situations you face every week, such as the bakery.

Know the hard sounds early

The guttural g and ch, the vowel combinations ui and eu, and the difference between long and short vowels trip up many learners. The Hague International Centre advises not worrying about your accent, which is good advice, but knowing which sounds cause misunderstandings saves you from being asked to repeat yourself. IamExpat recommends Forvo, an audio dictionary of native speakers, for checking pronunciation before you practise aloud.

Word order and articles

In main clauses the verb comes second; in subordinate clauses starting with words like dat or omdat, it moves to the end. English speakers find this unnatural at first, while speakers of German, Turkish, Japanese or Korean may find verb-final clauses familiar. Every noun also takes de or het, and there is no reliable rule, so learn each noun with its article. DutchReview suggests sticky notes on household objects.

Pronunciation and articles are worth fixing early: habits formed in the first months are hard to undo.

Swap films for simpler media

The source article recommends films you know, but film dialogue is fast and full of slang. Children's programmes and easy news use simpler vocabulary. If you have children, watching their Dutch shows with them is one of the easiest habits to keep.

9. Answers by situation

The same rules lead to different answers depending on who you are.

Single, here for work

You probably have no integration obligation and an English-speaking workplace. If you are sure you will not stay long, a survival level is enough. If permanent residence is a possibility, plan to sit the A2 exams in year three or four so you are not rushing in year five.

CBS data for 2021 shows that 51.9% of employed migrants with little or no Dutch worked in the highest skill-level occupations, compared with 34.7% of all workers. Many international professionals clearly manage at work without Dutch; the language matters more for life outside the office.

Accompanying partners

A partner who is not working can often attend daytime classes. If you are the partner of a Dutch citizen or permanent resident, you may have an integration obligation. Even without one, the accompanying partner often ends up dealing with schools and doctors, so Dutch pays off quickly. inburgeren.nl notes that childcare benefit may be available while you follow an approved integration or NT2 course.

Children

Children are not subject to integration, and under-18s are exempt from the language requirement for permanent residence. According to The Hague International Centre, children aged 6 to 12 spend about a year in a schakelklas or nieuwkomersklas (newcomer class), and those aged 12 and over join an ISK class for a year or more before moving to regular secondary education. Four schools in The Hague offer ISK.

Thinking about citizenship

Naturalisation currently accepts A2, but B1 is coming at some point. If citizenship is your goal, aim for B1 rather than stopping at A2. Remember too that the IND says you usually have to give up your current nationality when you become Dutch; exceptions exist, and the IND's dual nationality page lists them.

Different members of the same household can and should have different targets.

10. Common pitfalls

Some mistakes come up again and again in the expat press and in official guidance.

The third point deserves emphasis. IamExpat's January 2026 article on A2 and B1 is marked as a paid partnership, and DutchNews' October 2026 piece on tougher standards is sponsored by a language school. They are not necessarily wrong, but the official figures live on government sites.

11. Why bother, if everyone speaks English?

It is a fair question in a country that tops the world's English rankings. The evidence suggests English covers work for many people, but not everything else.

What the data shows

CBS asked migrants aged 15 to 74 to rate their own Dutch in 2021. About 10.2% said they had little or no command, and 22.3% a fair command. Among those rating their Dutch as excellent, 69.1% were in work; among those with only a fair command, 50.1%. Interestingly, the group with little or no Dutch did slightly better than the "fair" group, a sign that it includes many internationals working in English.

The figures come from CBS's 2021 survey and are self-assessed. They show that Dutch and work are linked for migrants overall, while the high-skilled English-speaking group follows its own pattern.

What the data does not show

Statistics do not capture letters from school, neighbourhood meetings, sports club committees or a conversation with an elderly neighbour. These are the places where long-term residents most often say Dutch made a difference. They are also where the Amsterdam debate about English-only bubbles comes from.

12. A step-by-step plan

Here is the order of actions for someone who may want permanent residence.

1. Read the IND's permanent residence conditions on ind.nl and check whether any exemption applies to you
2. Log in to Mijn Inburgering with DigiD to see whether you have an integration obligation and which exams apply
3. Assess your level against the CEFR; if you are below A1, start with an introductory course
4. Decide how many hours a week you can give, then divide 200–300 hours for A2 by that number
5. Book one free option: a Taal in de Bibliotheek session or a visit to your local Taalhuis
6. Compare paid courses; if you plan to borrow from DUO, choose from zoekinburgerschool.nl
7. Register for the integration exams at least six months before you plan to apply for permanent residence

Even if step 2 shows no obligation, do step 1. Having no obligation to integrate is not the same as not needing A2 later.

13. Fictional cases

The following people are invented to illustrate the rules. Any resemblance to real people or companies is coincidental.

• Case 1, a software engineer in Rotterdam: in year two on a highly skilled migrant permit, no letter from DUO. With permanent residence in mind, she enrols in evening classes at a volksuniversiteit in year three and books the A2 exams for spring of year four.
• Case 2, an accompanying partner in The Hague: two children, one in a newcomer class. School letters are the main problem. He combines library sessions with a private course, aiming for A2 in a year and B1 in three.
• Case 3, the partner of a Dutch citizen in Utrecht: received an integration letter and must complete the B1 route within three years. She borrows from DUO for an approved school and knows she can ask about A2 after 600 hours.

Same country, same rules, three very different plans.

14. What not to do

For people with an integration obligation, inburgeren.nl lists fines of up to €1,000 for not completing the learning route in time, and €340 each for not completing the participation statement (PVT) and the labour market and participation module (MAP). Paying a fine does not end the obligation; you get extra time and must still finish.

15. Checklist

• Read the IND's permanent residence conditions (A2 or higher)
• Checked whether an exemption applies to me
• Checked Mijn Inburgering for an integration obligation
• Assessed my current CEFR level
• Set a weekly number of study hours
• Found one free place to practise speaking
• Asked schools about prices and target levels
• Worked back from my permanent residence date to an exam date

16. Summary

• An exemption at arrival does not carry over: permanent residence usually requires the A2 integration exam
• B1 is the standard under the 2021 act, and B1 for naturalisation is in the coalition agreement without a start date
• Exams cost €50 per part: €250 for the A2 set, €200 for NT2. Lessons are the larger cost
• Hour estimates vary by source; plan on 200–300 hours for A2 and at least twice that for B1
• Free options such as library sessions and oefenen.nl make it easier to keep going
• English covers work for many internationals, but not school letters, neighbours or clubs

Sources

Government and statistics

• Overview, Integration in the Netherlands — inburgeren.nl (DUO): three-year period, when the letter comes, B1 route and the 600-hour line
• How much does integration cost? — inburgeren.nl: exam fees (€250/€290), childcare benefit
• Borrowing money from DUO — inburgeren.nl: who can borrow, three-year limit, interest rates
• How much money can you borrow? — inburgeren.nl: income-based loan amounts
• Fines — inburgeren.nl: fines up to €1,000, €340 for PVT and MAP, extra time
• Registering for an exam — inburgeren.nl: booking and cancellation deadlines
• Stronger residence permit — inburgeren.nl: long-residence route and €90 interview
• Naturalisation — inburgeren.nl: exams required for citizenship
• Examengeld, Staatsexamen Nt2 — DUO: €50 per part, €200 in total
• Over het staatsexamen Nt2 — Staatsexamens Nt2: what the NT2 exam is for
• zoekinburgerschool.nl: approved schools for DUO loans
• Civic Integration Exam Abroad — IND: exam before arrival and nationality exemptions (updated 7 May 2026)
• Permanent residence permit — IND: five years, A2 or higher, €254 fee (updated 20 May 2026)
• Civic integration for more secure residence permit and naturalisation — IND: exemptions list (updated 27 August 2026)
• Becoming a Dutch national through naturalisation — IND: process, renunciation, 12-month decision period
• Dual nationality — IND: exceptions to renouncing your nationality
• Bijstand meer gericht op werk, taal en meedoen — Rijksoverheid: permanent language duty for social assistance
• Good command of Dutch enhances labour participation — CBS: self-rated Dutch and employment (2021)
• oefenen.nl: free online exercises
• Volksuniversiteit: adult education centres
• EF English Proficiency Index: Netherlands first of 123 in 2025

Expat media and news

• How to Learn to Speak Dutch: Top Tips and Tricks — XPat.nl: the starting point for this article
• Dutch integration exam: Do you need language level A2 or B1? — IamExpat: A2 versus B1 (paid partnership, January 2026)
• Tips for learning Dutch effectively in the Netherlands — IamExpat: handling the English switch (April 2024)
• How to learn Dutch: the ultimate guide — DutchReview: lesson prices, 100–200 hours per level (updated February 2025)
• The top 16 free ways to learn Dutch — DutchReview: free resources (updated February 2026)
• How to learn Dutch: language courses, tips, and tools — Expatica: CEFR hour estimates, FSI 600–750 hours (updated July 2025)
• Learn Dutch fast with an intensive language course — Expatica: intensive course formats
• No change on dual nationality but 10-year residence plan dropped — DutchNews.nl: coalition agreement and B1 for naturalisation
• Cabinet plans tougher enforcement on Dutch language requirement — DutchNews.nl: benefit cuts
• Newcomers face tougher Dutch standards, but some see opportunity — DutchNews.nl: the move to B1 (sponsored)
• Dutch ministry to repay €9 million over 3,300 wrongfully issued integration fines — NL Times: refunded fines
• Amsterdam proposes integration course for expats amid alleged local concerns — NL Times: integration for expats debate
• Are there subsidised Dutch language courses? — ACCESS: volksuniversiteiten and Gilde
• Learning Dutch in The Hague region — The Hague International Centre: level requirements and free options
• Newcomer classes — The Hague International Centre: newcomer classes and ISK
• Taal in de Buurt — Gemeente Den Haag: municipally funded classes in The Hague

Rules, fees and interest rates change every year. All information was checked on 21 October 2026.

Original article

How to Learn to Speak Dutch: Top Tips and Tricks — XPat.nl