# Moving to the Netherlands for your partner: inburgering step by step Source: https://mykora.nl/blog/inburgering-partner-step-by-step ยท Sources checked 2026-11-14 Moving to live with your partner usually means steps in a set order. Often an exam abroad first. Then the mvv and residence permit from the IND, registering at your municipality, DUO's letter and 3 years to integrate. Here is the order, with official sources. ## The short answer Here are the usual steps for someone who moves to the Netherlands to live with a partner, in order. Not every step applies to everyone. Some people are exempt from the exam abroad, for example. This guide explains official public rules, checked on 14 November 2026. It is not legal or immigration advice, and we never ask about your residence status. Your own letters from DUO, the IND and your municipality decide what applies to you. - 1. Check if you need the exam abroad (Basisexamen Inburgering Buitenland). - 2. If you do, pass it before you apply for the mvv. - 3. Apply for the mvv and the residence permit at the IND, at the same time. In most cases your partner does this. - 4. Arrive and register at your municipality within 5 days. You get a BSN. - 5. Wait for the letter from DUO. You then have 3 years to integrate. - 6. Under the 2021 law: the broad intake and your personal plan (PIP) with the municipality, then your route and exams. - 7. Pay for your course and exams, or borrow from DUO. - 8. After your diploma: later steps like permanent residence or naturalisation. ## Step 1: do you need the exam abroad? Rijksoverheid says your integration starts in the country where you live now if you will live with your partner in the Netherlands and you need an mvv. The mvv (machtiging tot voorlopig verblijf) is a special visa to enter the Netherlands. The IND lists who does not need the exam abroad. Some examples: - You are under 18, or you have reached the state pension age. - You have the nationality of an EU or EEA country, Australia, Canada, Japan, Monaco, New Zealand, Vatican City, the United Kingdom, the United States, South Korea or Switzerland. - You lived in the Netherlands for over 8 years when you were of school age. - You have certain diplomas, for example a civic integration diploma, a Staatsexamen NT2 diploma, or a Dutch school diploma from education in Dutch. - There is also a dispensation, for example for medical reasons. The IND decides on it. - [IND: the civic integration exam abroad (exemptions)](https://ind.nl/en/civic-integration-exam-abroad) ## Step 2: pass the exam abroad The exam abroad is at A1 level, one level below A2. It has three parts: Lezen (reading), Spreken (speaking) and KNS (knowledge of Dutch society). - Register with DUO first. Then make an appointment at the Dutch embassy or consulate, or the external provider, where you will take the exam. - A complete exam costs 150 euro, according to naarnederland.nl. - You get the result from DUO within 8 weeks, by email, as a PDF. - Did you fail a part? Register and pay again for that part. The parts you passed stay valid until you pass the whole exam. - The result is valid for 1 year. Apply for the mvv within that year. - DUO's site naarnederland.nl has a self-study package and practice exams. - [naarnederland.nl: the exam abroad, self-study package and practice](https://english.naarnederland.nl/) - [Inburgering for partners and spouses: what applies to you](https://mykora.nl/blog/inburgering-partners-spouses) ## Step 3: the mvv and residence permit (IND) The IND decides on the mvv and your residence permit. You apply for both at the same time. naarnederland.nl says that in most cases your sponsor, your partner in the Netherlands, applies for your mvv at the IND. With your application you include the PDF with your exam result, or proof of your exemption. The IND's fee list shows 254 euro for a first application to stay with a family member, including a partner. The IND changes its fees every year on 1 January, so check the fee page before you apply. There are requirements for this permit. The IND's partner page asks a few questions and then shows the requirements for your situation. - [IND: residence permit for a partner](https://ind.nl/en/residence-permits/family-and-partner/residence-permit-for-partner) - [IND: fees, the costs of an application](https://ind.nl/en/fees-costs-of-an-application) ## Step 4: arrive and register at your municipality Government.nl says: if you will live in the Netherlands for longer than 4 months, you must register with your municipality in the Personal Records Database (BRP). Do this within 5 days of arriving. You get your citizen service number (BSN) when you register. The IND says you need a legalised and translated birth certificate to register. Bring it with you, and ask your municipality which other documents you need. - [Government.nl: when to register with the BRP](https://www.government.nl/themes/government-and-democracy/personal-data/question-and-answer/when-should-i-register-with-the-personal-records-database-as-a-resident) - [IND: living in the Netherlands (registering, documents)](https://ind.nl/en/living-in-the-netherlands-with-a-residence-permit/living-in-the-netherlands) ## Step 5: the letter from DUO and your 3 years Passing the exam abroad does not finish your inburgering. The IND says that once you live here with your mvv and residence permit, you need to integrate further. Under the 2021 law, DUO sends you a letter once you have a BSN, a residence permit and a registration with your municipality. It can take up to 8 weeks after all three are arranged. No letter after 8 weeks? Contact DUO. You have 3 years to integrate. Mijn Inburgering shows what you have to do, and from when. - [How long does inburgering take? Deadlines and extra time](https://mykora.nl/blog/how-long-inburgering-takes) ## Step 6: the intake, your PIP, your route and exams If you move now, the Wet inburgering 2021 applies to you. inburgeren.nl explains the next steps: - The municipality invites you for a conversation and a learnability test (leerbaarheidstoets). Together this is the broad intake. - Then you make your personal plan with the municipality: the PIP. It says which learning route you follow and which exams you take. - Once the PIP is ready, DUO sends another letter with the date your inburgering starts. - The B1 route: language exams at B1 (the Staatsexamen NT2), plus KNM, the MAP (labour market module) and the PVT (participation statement). - On the B1 route, after at least 600 hours of language lessons, you can talk to your municipality about moving down to A2. - The Z route is for people for whom the B1 route and the education route are too hard. It ends with a conversation with the municipality and a certificate. - [Which exam do family migrants take?](https://mykora.nl/which-inburgering-exam/family-migrant-2022-or-later) - [A2 or B1: which route are you on?](https://mykora.nl/blog/a2-or-b1-route) - [The KNM exam, explained](https://mykora.nl/blog/knm-exam-explained) ## If you already had to integrate before 2022 This guide is about moving now. If your duty to integrate started before 1 January 2022, the Wet inburgering 2013 applies. Then you arrange your inburgering yourself. The language exams are at A2 level or higher, plus KNM, and depending on your start date ONA and the PVT. - [My residence permit is from before 2022](https://mykora.nl/which-inburgering-exam/permit-before-2022) ## Step 7: paying for your course and exams Rijksoverheid says family migrants always pay for their inburgering themselves. You can often borrow the money from DUO. - You apply for the loan in Mijn Inburgering. DUO pays the school or the exam directly. The money does not go to your bank account. - You can borrow for a course at an approved school (listed on zoekinburgerschool.nl), and for the exam. - You pay interest while you have a debt with DUO. Sometimes part of the loan is cancelled. - Each part of the Staatsexamen NT2 costs 50 euro, or 200 euro for all four, according to DUO. Each A2 language exam and KNM costs 50 euro, according to inburgeren.nl. - Under the 2021 law, the PVT is free, and the MAP at the municipality is free too. - [inburgeren.nl: borrowing from DUO](https://www.inburgeren.nl/inburgeren-betalen/lenen-bij-duo.jsp) - [inburgeren.nl: how much inburgering costs](https://www.inburgeren.nl/inburgeren-betalen/index.jsp) ## Step 8: after your diploma When you pass all your exams, you get your inburgeringsdiploma. It is digital, in Mijn Diploma's, through Mijn Inburgering. Later, two steps often come up: - Permanent residence: the IND usually asks for at least 5 years with a valid residence permit and the civic integration diploma at A2 level or higher, among other conditions. - Naturalisation (becoming Dutch): the IND usually asks for 5 years, but there is an exception after 3 years of living together in the Kingdom with the same Dutch partner. You apply at your municipality, and the IND decides. - If you are married to a Dutch citizen, or their registered partner, on the day the Royal Decree is signed, the IND says you do not have to give up your other nationality. - [Permanent residence or Dutch citizenship: the differences](https://mykora.nl/blog/permanent-residence-vs-naturalisation) - [IND: exceptions to the 5-year term for naturalisation](https://ind.nl/en/exceptions-to-the-5-year-term-for-naturalisation-in-the-netherlands) ## What you can do now Keep your letters from DUO, the IND and your municipality together. They decide your steps and deadlines. Kora is for the exams you take in the Netherlands, at A2 and B1, not the exam abroad. For the exam abroad, use the official self-study package on naarnederland.nl. Once you live here, Kora lets you practice every exam part in the exam format, with explanations in your own language. It cannot tell you if you will pass. Kora is independent and not part of DUO. ## Questions ### Do I have to pass an exam before I move to my partner? Often, yes. If you need an mvv to live with your partner, you usually pass the Basisexamen Inburgering Buitenland first. Some people are exempt, for example because of their nationality or a diploma. The IND decides. ### Is the exam abroad enough for inburgering? No. The exam abroad is at A1. After you arrive, you still have to integrate here. DUO sends you a letter, and you have 3 years. ### When does DUO's letter come after I arrive? Under the 2021 law, DUO writes once you have a BSN, a residence permit and a municipal registration. That can take up to 8 weeks after all three are arranged. ### Who pays for inburgering when you come for a partner? You pay for the course and exams yourself, according to Rijksoverheid. You can often borrow from DUO for an approved school and for the exams. ### Can I become Dutch sooner because my partner is Dutch? The IND has an exception to the 5-year term: after 3 years of living together in the Kingdom with the same Dutch partner. The other conditions, like the integration requirement, still apply. ## Sources - [Rijksoverheid: when integration starts in your home country](https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/onderwerpen/immigratie-naar-nederland/vraag-en-antwoord/moet-ik-al-met-mijn-inburgering-beginnen-in-het-land-van-herkomst) - [IND: the civic integration exam abroad (exemptions, result, validity)](https://ind.nl/en/civic-integration-exam-abroad) - [Naar Nederland (DUO): the exam abroad, 150 euro, results within 8 weeks](https://english.naarnederland.nl/) - [IND: residence permit for a partner](https://ind.nl/en/residence-permits/family-and-partner/residence-permit-for-partner) - [IND: fees, the costs of an application](https://ind.nl/en/fees-costs-of-an-application) - [Government.nl: registering with the BRP within 5 days](https://www.government.nl/themes/government-and-democracy/personal-data/question-and-answer/when-should-i-register-with-the-personal-records-database-as-a-resident) - [IND: living in the Netherlands (registering, birth certificate)](https://ind.nl/en/living-in-the-netherlands-with-a-residence-permit/living-in-the-netherlands) - [inburgeren.nl: 3 years to integrate, letters, broad intake, PIP and routes](https://www.inburgeren.nl/en/integration-in-the-netherlands/index.jsp) - [Rijksoverheid: Wet inburgering 2021 (family migrants pay themselves)](https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/themas/migratie-en-reizen/inburgeren-in-nederland/nieuwe-wet-inburgering) - [inburgeren.nl: how much inburgering costs](https://www.inburgeren.nl/inburgeren-betalen/index.jsp) - [inburgeren.nl: borrowing from DUO](https://www.inburgeren.nl/inburgeren-betalen/lenen-bij-duo.jsp) - [DUO: Staatsexamen NT2 exam fees](https://duo.nl/particulier/staatsexamen-nt2/examengeld.jsp) - [IND: permanent residence permit](https://ind.nl/en/replace-extend-renew-and-change/permanent-residency/permanent-residence-permit) - [IND: exceptions to the 5-year term for naturalisation](https://ind.nl/en/exceptions-to-the-5-year-term-for-naturalisation-in-the-netherlands) - [IND: renouncing your nationality (exceptions)](https://ind.nl/en/renouncing-your-nationality) Kora is an independent practice app. It is not connected to DUO, CvTE or the IND. Your own letters from DUO and your municipality decide what applies to you.