The 3-year inburgering deadline: letters, fines and extra time

You have three years. What happens two months before the end, how DUO calculates a fine of up to €1,000, how much extra time you then get — and who is never fined at all.

Updated November 3, 2026 · 4 min read

اقرأ هذا الدليل بالعربية

Bu rehberi Türkçe okuyun

Canal houses along the Singel in Amsterdam — Photo: Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0, resized.

Every newcomer who must integrate has an integration period of 3 years (inburgeringstermijn). Under the 2021 Act it starts on the date in DUO's second letter, which follows your personal plan with the municipality (the PIP); Mijn Inburgering always shows it (inburgeren.nl). This guide covers what happens if the three years run out — under the 2021 Act, for people who are not asylum status holders.

Never fined: asylum status holders. The Raad van State (the highest administrative court) decided that DUO cannot fine status holders for taking too long, nor make them repay an integration loan; they simply continue their integration (inburgeren.nl).

What happens near the end

2 months before the end of your period, DUO writes to you with what it knows about your integration so far.
After the period ends, a second letter — the vooraankondiging termijnoverschrijding — says DUO may fine you and how much. Nothing is decided yet, and the amount can still change.
If DUO's information is incomplete (for example, your course hours), send the correct information immediately: the fine is based on it.
If you are fined, a letter states the amount and how to pay — and you still have to finish your integration, with extra time.

The fines (2021 Act)

Not completed in time	Fine
Your learning track (B1, education or Z route)	never more than €1,000 — based on your route, your course hours at a listed school, your exam attempts and the exams you passed
The participation statement process (PVT)	€340
The labour market and participation module (MAP)	€340

Only course hours at a school listed on zoekinburgerschool.nl count towards the calculation (fines) — so keep proof of your hours.

The extra time you get

B1 route or education route	Extra time
no exams passed	2 years
1 exam passed	1.5 years
2 exams passed	1 year
3 or 4 exams passed	6 months

Z route (course hours followed)	Extra time
200 hours or less	2 years
200–400 hours	1.5 years
400–600 hours	1 year
600–800 hours	6 months

PVT not done: 6 extra months; MAP not done: 6 extra months; both: 1 year. With several fines you get the longest period, not the sum.

Every exam you pass shortens the extension and lowers the fine. If time is running out, book the part you are strongest in first. Exam dates can be more than six weeks away, so register now, not when the letter comes.

How to finish in time

Check your date in Mijn Inburgering and count back: when must your last exam be?
Test your level with our free level test, and if B1 is far, read A2 or B1 — after 600 hours of lessons the municipality can scale your target down to A2.
Check whether you need every exam — exemptions exist for a Dutch-taught diploma, ten years here of which five working, or illness.
Spread the exams — our 12-week plan books one part every two to three weeks.
Learn a little every day. The words of reading, listening, writing, speaking and KNM overlap: the inburgering path covers them in 40 sets.

Words in DUO's letters

de termijn, de inburgeringstermijn — period, the integration period
de boete — fine; de vooraankondiging — advance notice
de verlenging — extension; het uitstel — postponement
[betalen](/conjugation/dutch/betalen) — to pay; [wachten](/conjugation/dutch/wachten) — to wait; [sturen](/conjugation/dutch/sturen) — to send; [bellen](/conjugation/dutch/bellen) — to call
[halen](/conjugation/dutch/halen) — to pass (an exam: een examen halen); [slagen](/conjugation/dutch/slagen) — to pass (ik ben geslaagd)

Five minutes a day, before the deadline

16Word drills Dutch words 16 at a time, with audio and a game of Blocks between answers — built for people who have little time. Free to start.

Keep learning

All our Dutch exam guides

Frequently asked questions

How long do I have to complete inburgering?

Three years — the integration period. Mijn Inburgering shows the date it started and ends.

What is the fine for not completing inburgering in time?

Under the 2021 Act the fine for not completing your learning track never exceeds €1,000; it depends on your route, course hours, exam attempts and exams passed. Not completing the PVT or the MAP costs €340 each.

Do refugees get a fine for missing the inburgering deadline?

No. Asylum status holders are never fined, and the Raad van State decided DUO cannot fine status holders for taking too long or make them repay an integration loan.

Do I still have to integrate after a fine?

Yes. You get extra time: on the B1 or education route 2 years if you passed no exams, down to 6 months if you passed 3 or 4.

Does DUO warn me before the deadline?

Yes. DUO writes two months before the end, and again after it with an advance notice that you may be fined — before any decision is made.