The three inburgering routes: B1, education and Z route explained

Since 1 January 2022 your municipality decides your route: the B1 route towards work, the education route towards study, or the Z route towards self-reliance. From DUO's letter to the personal plan — and what MAP and the participation statement are.

Updated November 3, 2026 · 4 min read

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The Dom Tower of Utrecht seen from the Oudegracht canal — Photo: Michielverbeek, CC BY-SA 4.0, resized.

If you became required to integrate on or after 1 January 2022, the Wet inburgering 2021 applies — and unlike before, the municipality guides you. If you came before that date, the 2013 Act applies and you arrange your integration yourself, though the municipality can help (Staatsexamens NT2). Not sure? Mijn Inburgering says which Act is yours.

From the letter to your plan

DUO's letter. It comes once you have a BSN, a residence permit and a municipal registration — sometimes up to 8 weeks later. It says you must integrate.
The broad intake (brede intake). The municipality invites you for an interview and a learnability test (leerbaarheidstoets) to see what you already know.
Your plan — the PIP (persoonlijk plan inburgering en participatie). It sets your route and the exams you take.
A second letter from DUO gives the date your integration starts — and with it your 3-year integration period (inburgeren.nl).

The three routes

	B1 route	Education route (O)	Z route (self-reliance)
For	paid or voluntary work	young people heading for MBO, HBO or university	people for whom B1 and education are too hard
Dutch	B1 — the Staatsexamen NT2	B1 (or B2) — the NT2	A1; A2 exams optional
Knowledge	KNM, MAP, PVT	KNM, PVT	MAP, PVT
End	a diploma stating the level	a diploma	an interview with the municipality and a certificate, not a diploma

On the B1 route, if after at least 600 hours of lessons you still cannot pass B1, talk to your municipality about scaling down to A2 (inburgeren.nl). What the levels mean: A2 or B1.

MAP and the participation statement

Two parts are not exams in a hall but programmes with your municipality, and both are free under the 2021 Act (knowledge exams):

MAP — Module Arbeidsmarkt en Participatie (B1 and Z routes). Two parts: labour market — which jobs exist, which suit you, how to apply — through assignments; and participation — practical assignments such as volunteering, an internship or paid work. It must be done before your period ends.
PVT — participatieverklaringstraject. The municipality writes to you about what is important in the Netherlands — everybody is equal, everybody may choose their own religion, everybody can say what they think but may not discriminate. Once you have learned it, you sign the participation statement; about 3 weeks later it shows in Mijn Inburgering. Under the 2021 Act you have the 3 years to do it.
Under the 2013 Act the labour-market part was the ONA exam (€40): a portfolio plus 64 hours of course or a final interview.

Not finishing MAP or PVT in time can cost €340 each (not for asylum status holders) — see the deadline and fines.

Which exams that means, and what they cost

On the B1 route: the four NT2 language exams — reading, listening, writing, speaking — plus KNM, at €50 each, €250 in all. Asylum status holders: the municipality pays the course and the first two attempts. Others: pay or borrow from DUO — see costs and the DUO loan. Some people need fewer exams or none: exemptions.

Words of the intake

Ik wil graag een opleiding volgen, want ik wil later als verpleegkundige werken.

Literally: I would like to do a course of study, because later I want to work as a nurse.

Meaning: A sentence for the intake: your goal decides your route. willen, werken.

In mijn land heb ik twaalf jaar op school gezeten.

Literally: In my country I went to school for twelve years.

Meaning: op school zitten = to be at school; perfect with hebben. zitten.

de leerroute — learning route; het examen — exam; de toets — test
de gemeente — municipality; de klantmanager — caseworker
[leren](/conjugation/dutch/leren), [studeren](/conjugation/dutch/studeren), [werken](/conjugation/dutch/werken), [solliciteren](/conjugation/dutch/solliciteren) — to learn, study, work, apply for a job
[kiezen](/conjugation/dutch/kiezen) — to choose; [afspreken](/conjugation/dutch/afspreken) — to agree

Start before the intake

The more Dutch you have at the intake, the more the route can aim for. 16Word drills it 16 words at a time, from 36 languages, with a game of Blocks between answers. Free to start.

Keep learning

All our Dutch exam guides

Frequently asked questions

What are the three inburgering routes?

Under the 2021 Act: the B1 route (towards work, B1 language exams), the education route (towards MBO, HBO or university, B1 or B2) and the Z route (self-reliance, A1, no compulsory language exams). The municipality decides which is yours.

Who decides my inburgering route?

Your municipality, after the broad intake — an interview and a learnability test. The route is written in your personal plan, the PIP.

What is the MAP?

The Module Arbeidsmarkt en Participatie: a free programme with your municipality on the B1 and Z routes, about finding work (labour market) and taking part in society through practical assignments (participation).

What is the PVT?

The participatieverklaringstraject: the municipality teaches you what is important in the Netherlands — equality, freedom of religion, freedom of expression without discrimination — and you sign the participation statement. Under the 2021 Act it is free, and you have the 3 years of your integration period to do it.

Which law applies to me?

If you became required to integrate on or after 1 January 2022, the Wet inburgering 2021; before that, the Wet inburgering 2013. Mijn Inburgering shows it.

Do I get a diploma on the Z route?

No — the Z route ends with an interview with the municipality and a certificate. If you pass all the integration exams anyway, you can ask DUO about a diploma.