What is the format of Spreken at A1?

Spoken Dutch at beginner level.

What is the format of Lezen at A1?

Reading Dutch at beginner level.

What is the format of KNS at not applicable?

Knowledge of Dutch society, taken abroad.

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← Which exam do I have to take?

You are still abroad

You are outside the Netherlands, applying for a provisional residence permit to join a partner or family.

The short answer

The basisexamen inburgering buitenland, taken at a Dutch embassy or consulate before you travel. It is at A1 level, and it is not the same exam as the one you will take after you arrive.

Who runs it

Dutch embassies and consulates, on behalf of the Dutch government.

What you actually sit

Part	Level	Format
Spreken	A1	Spoken Dutch at beginner level.
Lezen	A1	Reading Dutch at beginner level.
KNS	not applicable	Knowledge of Dutch society, taken abroad.

Why this applies to you

This exam exists to be passed before you are granted a provisional residence permit, so it sits earlier in the process than everything else on this page.
It is A1, a level below the A2 exam and two below the B1 route. Passing it does not satisfy your integration obligation once you arrive. You will still have to integrate here, on whichever route your municipality assigns you.

Money, deadlines and booking

Because it is A1 and taken abroad, preparing for it is a different task from preparing for the exams you will face after moving.
Not everyone has to take it. Some nationalities and situations are exempt, and that is the IND's determination to make.

Kora does not cover this exam

We prepare people for the exams taken in the Netherlands, at A2 and B1. The basisexamen inburgering buitenland is a different exam at a lower level (A1), taken at an embassy before you travel, so nothing we make is built for it. Prepare with the official material, and come back to us for the exams that follow once you have arrived.

People in your situation often mix this up with

Where this comes from

Every statement on this page is drawn from official Dutch government sources. We have linked each one so you can check it yourself, and so you can see what we could not verify: where an official source does not publish a figure, we leave it out rather than repeat a number from elsewhere.

Dutch integration rules change. If a source above now says something different from this page, the source is right and we want to know.

Kora is an independent study app. We are not DUO, CvTE or the IND, and we cannot book exams, process applications or make decisions about your case. For anything about your own situation, use the official sources linked above or contact your municipality.