Welcome to Naar Nederland
This website is for people who wish to prepare to take the Basic Civic Integration Examination Abroad. This is the examination which some people must take and pass in order to obtain a provisional residence permit (mvv) allowing them to live in the Netherlands.
- IMPORTANT: read this brochure about integration in the Netherlands by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment. The brochure is available in several languages. Click here.
- IMPORTANT: If you’ve bought the Naar Nederland package before 1 november 2014 you can download the NEW KNS QUESTIONS here. You have to make the new exams on a computer. You can read about it in the article below (More about changes in the basic civic integration exam for those abroad).
News
Change in price of exam and self-study pack
From December 17, the price for the exam will be €150,-
Speaking € 60,-
Reading € 50,-
KNS € 40,-
If you paid € 350,- for the exam since July 9, you can get a refund of € 200,-.
Minister Asscher is working on a compensation agreement for the group of people who participated in the integration exam abroad since the verdict of the European Union’s court of Justice on July 19, 2015. The agreement is expected to be published in the beginning of 2016.
Self-study pack Naar Nederland available in 16 extra languages from 21st of December 2015
The official self-study pack Naar Nederland which will help you to prepare for the Basic Civic Integration Examination Abroad is from 21st of December 2015 available in the following 16 extra languages:
Algerian Arabic, Bosnian, Cantonese, Croatian, East Armanian language, Egyptian Arabic, Hindi, Iranian Farsi, Iraqi Arabic, Libanese Syrian Arabic, Punjabi Indian, Serbian, Sinhala, Tamil, Ukrainian, Tunisian Arabic.
Basic civic integration exam to be conducted again
On 1 December 2014, the basic civic integration exam can be conducted again. After registering and paying for the exam, you will receive an email from DUO. This email contains data which you need to use to make an appointment at a mission.
You will make the exam on a laptop. An exam taken on a laptop looks slightly different. Videos and instructions about these exams are available on naarnederland.acc-2.edia.nl (Click ‘Practice exams’).
The civic examination abroad can’t be taken temporarily
During the preparations for implementing the new exam some problems with the connection to the server in Netherlands arose. Therefore, it is currently not possible to take the exam at the embassy. We are working hard to ensure that exams will be available from the 1st of December 2014 again. You can sign up for the exam, but making a final appointment with an embassy is not possible at this time.
More about changes in the basic civic integration exam for those abroad
The form of the basic civic integration exam is going to change. The main change is that the exam will no longer be taken by telephone, but by computer. The new KNS questions about the Dutch royal family can be found here. The new basic exam takes effect on 1 November 2014. FAQs:
What does the new basic exam look like?
All the exam modules are taken by computer.
Fluency comprises two parts:
A) Question-Answer: The candidate receives questions and has to formulate his/her own answers.
B) Completing sentences: The candidate hears a short sentence, followed by the first part of a sentence the candidate has to complete.
Reading proficiency comprises two parts:
A) The candidate hears a word and chooses from four written answer options + the candidate reads a word and chooses from four spoken answer options.
B) In this part, the candidate sees reading texts on the screen; two multiple choice questions are asked with three or four answer options.
Knowledge of Dutch society:
The candidate sees photos and reads the questions. The questions are also spoken in a slow tempo. The candidate sees and hears two answer options.
- IMPORTANT: You’ll receive your results for the exam in eight weeks. This is because the new exams are judged by people instead of the computer.
A complete example of an exam module is available free of charge on naarnederland.acc-2.edia.nl.
How much do the different modules cost?
The exam modules Reading proficiency, Fluency and Familiarity with Dutch society can also be taken separately from 1 November, which means there is also a fee per exam module:
Fluency: € 150.00
Reading proficiency: € 100.00
Familiarity with Dutch society: € 100.00
Total for basic naturalisation exam: € 350.00
Is it possible to retake an exam module after 1 November 2014?
Separate certificates will be used for the exam from 1 November 2014. This is stipulated in the exam regulation (‘Examenreglement Basisexamen inburgering in het buitenland’) and only applies to candidates who take the basic naturalisation exam abroad from 1 November 2014.
This means that a module of the basic exam achieved before 1 November 2014 does not give exemption from a module of the basis exam taken after 1 November 2014.
Exemption from oral exam A2 (integration test after arrival in the Netherlands)?
If a candidate passed the basic exam before 1 November 2014 and achieved more than 37 points for the TGN, he/she can be exempted from the Fluency exam (national, level A2).
If a candidate takes the exam on or after 1 November 2014 there is no possibility for exemption from the Fluency exam (national, level A2), regardless of the score achieved for the basic exam, module Fluency (level A1).
How can I register for the basic exam as from 1 November 2014?
Starting on 1 October 2014 you can register for the basic exam via http://naarnederland.acc-2.edia.nl/category/aanmelden, which will be taken with effect from 1 November 2014. It will then no longer be possible to register for the current exam.
As of 1 November 2014 the basic civic integration exam for those abroad will change
The changes primarily lie in the way in which the exam is taken. Whereas the exam is currently taken by telephone, as of 1 November 2014, it will be taken by computer. This means that the exam questions will be asked in a different way. To be able to properly align with this, the exam components themselves will be renewed. The level* of the exam will remain the same. This also means that the curriculum will remain the same.
The most important changes are:
- As of 1 November 2014, the basic civic integration exam for those abroad will no longer be taken by telephone but by computer.
- The exam will still consist of the same components. However, the name of a number of components will be changed:
- Speaking skills (until November 1st TGN)
- Reading skills (until November 1st GBL)
- Knowledge of Dutch Society (KNS)
- These three exam components can be taken at the same time or individually. This means that a candidate need not take the entire exam all over again if he or she fails to pass an exam component.
- The greater part of the questions will be in the form of multiple-choice questions. For the Speaking Skills component the candidate also has to speak in answers. These answers will be assessed by human assessors and not by the computer.
- Candidates can register for the new exam as of 1 October 2014.
- In its current form, the basic civic integration exam will be taken for the last time on 31 October 2014. As of 1 November 2014, the basic civic integration exam will be taken in the new form.
- The modified self-study package is available here.
- The old self-study package can still be used but, in the end of September 2014, an overview will be available on the website ‘NaarNederland.nl’ showing the changes relating to the old package. It will also be possible to download a new manual regarding the procedures relating to the exam.
- In the end of September 2014, practice exams will be made available on the ‘NaarNederland.nl’ website.
* Level A1 Common European Framework of Reference for Languages
Candidates for the Basic Civic Integration Examination Abroad can now purchase preparation assistance
As of 24th April 2013, candidates for the Basic Civic Integration Examination Abroad will be able to purchase individual support for their exam preparation from Agens. The support is aimed at candidates – often people with limited experience of learning – who need extra help with the official self-learning package known as Naar Nederland (To the Netherlands). The Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment commissioned Agens to develop individual support for those preparing for the Basic Civic Integration Examination Abroad. Candidates will receive help from teachers in the Netherlands who speak their native language. The contact between the candidates and the teachers will take place over the internet, Skype or Virtual classroom, by (mobile) phone or, if necessary, by post.
For more information, see naarnederland.acc-2.edia.nl and/or www.linguaagens.nl
