Not finished with inburgering in time? Fines, extra time and who never gets a fine

If you finish late, DUO can give you a fine of at most 1,000 euro under the 2021 law. Asylum status holders never get a fine. After a fine you still have to integrate, and you get 6 months to 2 years of extra time. Your own letter from DUO decides what applies to you.

By the Kora team: Alex, Mariel and Abena, who did inburgering themselves. Written with help from AI. Every fact is checked against the official source. How we write our guides

Checked against official sources on 2026-11-14 · Plain text version to copy (.md)

The short answer

Being late with inburgering is stressful. The rules are clear, though, and DUO always sends you letters first. Here is the short version, from DUO's fines page on inburgeren.nl.

This guide explains DUO's public rules, checked on 14 November 2026. It is not legal advice. The letters DUO sends you decide what applies to you.

Asylum status holders never get a fine for being late.
DUO can only fine you if you are late and you have no right to an extension.
Under the Wet inburgering 2021, the fine for not finishing your learning route on time is never more than 1,000 euro. It can be lower.
Finishing the PVT or the MAP late each has a fine of 340 euro.
Under the Wet inburgering 2013, the fine is never more than 1,250 euro.
A fine does not end your inburgering. You still have to integrate, and you get extra time to do it.

Asylum status holders: no fine

If you are an asylum status holder, DUO never gives you a fine for taking too long. This is true under the Wet inburgering 2021 and the Wet inburgering 2013.

The Dutch court (Raad van State) ruled that DUO may not fine asylum status holders for taking too long. DUO also may not ask them to pay back a loan for inburgering. DUO announced this on 6 July 2026.

You do not have to do anything. If you still have to integrate, keep going with your inburgering. DUO sends you a personal letter if something changes for you.

Under the 2013 law: if you already paid a DUO fine, or paid back (part of) a loan for inburgering, DUO pays that money back. Amounts you still owe on the fine or the loan are cancelled. DUO sends a letter in autumn 2026 to the people this applies to. Please wait for that letter.

Under the 2021 law: DUO does not fine asylum status holders, and the municipality pays for their inburgering, not a DUO loan. So there is no money to pay back.

This part is only for asylum status holders. If you came as a family migrant or another kind of migrant, the rules below are for you.

inburgeren.nl news: no fines and no loan repayments for asylum status holders (6 July 2026) ↗

The letters you get first (2021 law)

This part is for people under the Wet inburgering 2021 who are not asylum status holders. A fine never comes as a surprise. DUO writes to you first.

2 months before the end of your term (your inburgeringstermijn), you get a letter. It shows the information DUO has about you.
After your term has ended, you get another letter. It is called 'Vooraankondiging termijnoverschrijding' (advance notice that your term has passed). It says that DUO can give you a fine, and how much.
That letter is not the fine yet. DUO still has to decide if you really get a fine. The amount can also still change.
If DUO decides to fine you, you get a letter with the amount and how to pay.

Check your information: it changes the amount

The amount of the fine depends on the information DUO has about you. For example, the number of course hours you followed. If DUO does not have all your information yet, send it right away.

Only course hours at a school listed on zoekinburgerschool.nl count.

Did you go to school, but DUO does not know? Take the form 'Verklaring Deelname Cursus' to your school. You got this form with the 'Vooraankondiging termijnoverschrijding' letter. Your school fills in the form. Then you send it to DUO, and DUO looks at the hours.

zoekinburgerschool.nl: find a school whose hours count ↗

How much the fine is (2021 law)

There are three fines under the Wet inburgering 2021.

Not finishing your learning route on time: never more than 1,000 euro.
Not finishing the PVT (participatieverklaringstraject) on time: 340 euro.
Not finishing the MAP (Module Arbeidsmarkt en Participatie) on time: 340 euro.

What makes the learning route fine higher or lower

DUO looks at four things when it works out this fine:

Which learning route you follow: the B1 route, the education route (O-route) or the Z route.
How many course hours you followed. Only hours at a school on zoekinburgerschool.nl count.
How often you tried to pass all parts of the exam.
How many parts of the exam you already passed.

An example: the B1 route for family migrants

inburgeren.nl links to the full tables in the Regeling inburgering 2021. Here is one of them: the B1 route for family migrants and other migrants. It shows that every course hour and every exam attempt counts. Other routes have their own tables, and your letter shows your own amount.

You did not try every exam part at least once: 1,000 euro with 0 to 249 course hours, 800 euro with 250 to 399 hours, and 400 euro with 400 hours or more.
You tried every part at least once: 800, 640 or 320 euro, for the same hours.
You tried the parts you did not pass at least twice: 600, 450 or 225 euro, for the same hours.
Then the fine goes down for each part you passed: 20% less for 1 part, 40% for 2 parts, 60% for 3 parts and 80% for 4 parts.
Example: 400 hours or more, every part tried at least once, and 2 parts passed. That is 320 euro minus 40%, so 192 euro.

After a fine: extra time to finish (2021 law)

A fine does not end your inburgering. You still have to integrate, and DUO gives you extra time for it. How much depends on your situation.

B1 route or O-route, no exams passed yet: 2 years.
B1 route or O-route, 1 exam passed: 1.5 years.
B1 route or O-route, 2 exams passed: 1 year.
B1 route or O-route, 3 or 4 exams passed: 6 months.
Z route, 200 course hours or less: 2 years.
Z route, between 200 and 400 course hours: 1.5 years.
Z route, between 400 and 600 course hours: 1 year.
Z route, between 600 and 800 course hours: 6 months.
PVT late: 6 months. MAP late: 6 months. Both late: 1 year.
More than one fine: the longest extra time counts. The extra times are not added up.

Under the Wet inburgering 2013

If you integrate under the 2013 law and you are not an asylum status holder, the rules are a little different.

You get a letter called 'Vooraankondiging termijnoverschrijding'. It says you are late with inburgering and that you get a fine.
If you do not react to that letter, you get another letter. It says how much your fine is and how to pay.
The fine for not getting your inburgering diploma on time is never more than 1,250 euro.
DUO looks at your course hours (inburgering course, literacy course and Dutch as a second language), how often you tried exam parts, and how many parts you passed. Only a course at a school on zoekinburgerschool.nl counts.
Finishing the PVT late: a fine of 340 euro. After that you can no longer borrow money from DUO.
After a fine you get 2 years extra to get your inburgering diploma.

Paying, a new bank account, or moving abroad

Some practical things from the same DUO page:

Do you pay the fine in instalments and your bank account number changes? Tell DUO in Mijn Inburgering. Log in, go to 'Gegevens' and then to 'Persoon'.
Cannot log in to Mijn Inburgering? Use the form 'Wijziging terugbetalen lening en/of boete'.
Moving abroad? Tell DUO. You have to give DUO your foreign address yourself, with the form 'Doorgeven buitenlands adres'.

What you can do now

Check your deadline in Mijn Inburgering. Check that DUO has all your course hours, and send what is missing.

DUO only fines you if you have no right to an extension. If you are close to your deadline, read how extra time works first.

Keep going with your exams. Under the 2021 law, every part you pass lowers a possible fine.

Kora lets you practice every exam part in the exam format, with explanations in your own language. It shows what you practiced and what you got right. It cannot tell you if you will pass. Kora is independent and not part of DUO.

Questions

How much is the inburgering fine?

Under the Wet inburgering 2021, the fine for not finishing your learning route on time is never more than 1,000 euro. Finishing the PVT or the MAP late is 340 euro each. Under the 2013 law, the maximum is 1,250 euro. Checked 14 November 2026.

Do asylum status holders get a fine?

No. Asylum status holders never get a fine for being late. The Raad van State ruled that DUO may not fine them, and may not ask them to pay back a loan for inburgering.

Do I still have to integrate after a fine?

Yes. You get extra time: 6 months to 2 years under the 2021 law, depending on your route and progress, and 2 years under the 2013 law.

Can the amount in the 'Vooraankondiging termijnoverschrijding' letter change?

Yes. Under the 2021 law that letter is not the fine yet. DUO still decides, and the amount can change. Send DUO any missing information, like your course hours, right away.

I got more than one fine. Is the extra time added up?

No. The longest extra time counts. The extra times are not added up.

Official sources

General information, not legal advice. Your letters from DUO and your municipality decide what applies to you.

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