Which Dutch exam certificate should you take in 2026?

If you have an inburgering duty under the 2021 civic-integration law, your personal PIP states the language level and exams you must pass. Under that system, integration diplomas can show A2, B1, or B2 depending on your route. People still finishing under older 2013 rules generally target A2 unless an exemption applies: Civic integration.

Staatsexamen Nt2 is the national Dutch-as-a-second-language state exam for adults aged 17 and older. Programma I matches CEFR B1. Programma II matches B2. Each programme tests reading, listening, writing, and speaking. Pass one skill and you can request a certificate; pass all four and DUO issues the Nt2 diploma, which does not expire. Exam centres include Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Rijswijk, Rotterdam, Utrecht, and Zwolle; you must sit in person.

An Nt2 B1 or B2 pass can reduce or replace matching language parts of civic integration, though you may still need to apply for an exemption depending on which integration law covers you. Naturalisation and permanent-residence files look for accepted civic-integration proof, not a random online quiz score.

For Dutch-taught higher education or many professional roles, institutions often prefer Nt2 Programma II (B2) rather than a citizenship A2 paper. Student path: International students community.

Study toward the CEFR level printed on the job ad or authority letter, then sit a recognised centre exam: Learn Dutch in the Netherlands. Keep all skill certificates and digital extracts from Mijn diploma’s; offices want full coverage, not a partial pass. DUO posts Nt2 results in Mijn DUO and sends the diploma by registered mail after the final skill when rules require it.

Employers may accept B1 or B2 for roles even when immigration law does not require a certificate yet: Dutch for work. Do not confuse an English-speaking job with proof for naturalisation.