Useful information about the KNM exam

Cost

The integration exam costs €250 for the five components (reading, listening, writing, speaking and KNM) together. If you take the Knowledge of Dutch Society exam separately, it costs €50. Taking an integration course also costs money. The total cost of a course varies per school. If you have been granted asylum, the municipality will pay for your integration course and two attempts at the exam.

Borrowing money

If you have not been granted asylum and you have to pay for the integration exam and any integration course yourself, you can apply for a loan of up to €10,000 from the Education Executive Agency (DUO). DUO is part of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. You repay DUO in instalments.

There are a few conditions for borrowing money if you need to integrate:

• You spend the money on the integration exam and possibly the integration course. If you are entitled to asylum, you may use part of the money for a literacy course.
• You must obtain your integration diploma within three years. If you fail to do so and you have no good reason for this, you can be fined.
• If you borrow money for an integration course, the school where you take the course must be listed on zoekinburgerschool.nl.
• If you come to the Netherlands for family reunification, you can borrow a maximum of €5,000.

Language schools

The website zoekinburgerschool.nl has a list of language schools that have been certified for quality. Many of these schools offer integration courses. An integration course will also prepare you for the KNM exam.

Useful websites

• Inburgeren.nl: here you will find all the information about integration, the exams and the costs. You can also do practice exams here.
• Zoekinburgerschool.nl: this website offers an overview of language schools in the Netherlands that have a quality mark. You can easily search for a language school near you here.
• Rijksoverheid.nl: this website of the Dutch government offers a wealth of information about rules, laws and organisations in the Netherlands.
• Belastingdienst.nl: the website of the Belastingdienst (tax authority) offers comprehensive information about Dutch tax rules.
• Wikipedia.nl: this website offers information on almost any subject, such as Dutch history or the Dutch healthcare system.