How Many Times Can You Retake the Inburgering Exam?
DUO sets no maximum number of attempts. You retake only the part you failed, and each attempt costs €50 unless it is one of your free ones. The limit that matters is your three-year deadline, and your attempt count affects extensions and exemptions.
There is no maximum. DUO’s exam rules do not cap how often you can sit an inburgering exam, and you only retake the part you failed. Each attempt costs €50, unless it is one of the two free attempts asylum status holders get under the 2021 law. What actually limits you is time. You have three years to finish, and how many attempts you have made is one of the things DUO counts when that clock runs out.
You retake one part, not the exam
The inburgering exam is really a set of separate exams: Lezen, Luisteren, Schrijven, Spreken and KNM, plus the participation track (PVT) and, depending on your law, ONA or MAP. Each one gets its own pass or fail. Pass four language exams and fail Spreken, and you book Spreken again. The other four stay passed.
The same holds for the B1 route. The Staatsexamen NT2 has four parts. You get a certificate for each part you pass, and the diploma once all four are done. A failed part is booked again the way you booked it the first time.
What each attempt costs
| Exam | Cost per attempt | Which law |
|---|---|---|
| Lezen, Luisteren, Schrijven, Spreken (A2) | €50 each | 2013 and 2021 |
| KNM | €50 | 2013 and 2021 |
| Staatsexamen NT2, per part (B1 or B2) | €50 (€200 for all four) | Mostly the 2021 B1 route |
| ONA | €40 | 2013 only |
| MAP | Free, done with your municipality | 2021 only |
Whether you pay that yourself depends on who you are:
- Asylum status holder under the 2021 law: the municipality pays for the first 2 attempts at each exam. That stops if you take the exam at a lower level than your PIP (your personal integration plan) says. A higher level is fine. From the third attempt you pay, and you cannot borrow for it from DUO. One more detail from DUO: if you pass at the first attempt, you may use the second one to take the exam at a higher level.
- Everyone else (family migrants, and asylum status holders under the 2013 law) pays per attempt, either directly or from a DUO loan if they have one.
Cancelling late costs you too. Remove a booking later than 7 days before the exam and the €50 is gone. If it was a free attempt, that attempt is used up. The details are in how to reschedule or cancel your exam.
How soon you can go again
For the A2 exams and KNM, DUO’s rules set no waiting period. You can book as soon as you are ready. Two things slow you down in practice:
- Results take a while. DUO’s standard is within 8 weeks. Since July 2026 DUO has needed up to 16 weeks to mark Spreken and Schrijven at A2.
- Places are short. DUO says it can take more than 6 weeks before you can sit an exam, and in 2026 there have been too few places for A2 Spreken and Schrijven.
For the Staatsexamen NT2 there is a hard rule: you cannot register for a part while you are still waiting for its result. Results come after about 5 weeks, and registration for a date opens about 8 weeks before it.
The only bans are for misconduct. If DUO finds you cheated, it can bar you from all its exams for three months. Aggressive behaviour can get you barred from that exam location for three months.
Why your number of attempts still matters
Nobody stops you after your fifth try. But DUO does count your attempts, and the count works in your favour when you are close to the deadline. This is also where the two laws differ most.
| DUO decision | 2013 law | 2021 law |
|---|---|---|
| Exemption because you tried hard enough | Yes (the AGI exemption): at least 600 hours of lessons at an approved school, and at least 3 attempts at every exam you have not passed | Not available |
| Extra time because you tried hard enough | At least 300 hours of lessons, every exam you have not passed taken at least twice, and ONA done at least once. You apply with a form. | Automatic 6 months if you are on the B1 route, have passed at least 2 of the 4 language exams plus KNM, took the lessons in your PIP (for family migrants: 450 hours at an approved school), and finished PVT and MAP |
| Size of a fine for missing the deadline | Counts how often you tried and how many parts you passed; at most €1,250 | Same factors; at most €1,000 |
Two footnotes. Under the 2013 AGI rule, at most 2 Staatsexamen attempts count per exam. And under the 2021 law, if you have had at least 600 hours of language lessons and B1 is not working, DUO tells you to talk to your municipality about switching down to A2.
The fine column does not apply to asylum status holders: after rulings by the EU Court of Justice (February 2025) and the Raad van State, DUO no longer fines them for being late. The deadline page has the fine rules in full.
Three situations, worked through
Leyla (2021 law, asylum status holder, B1 route) failed Schrijven twice. Both attempts were free. The third costs her €50 and she cannot borrow it from DUO. Before she books, she has a better question to ask: she has had a lot of lessons, so should she ask her municipality whether A2 is possible?
Tom (2013 law, family migrant) has failed Spreken three times. Each retake cost €50. If he has 600 hours of lessons at a school listed on zoekinburgerschool.nl, and has also tried every other open exam at least 3 times, he may qualify for the AGI exemption. If not, 300 hours plus two attempts at every open exam can get him extra time, which he applies for by form.
Sara passed everything except KNM, twice. Her language results stand. She only books KNM, for €50. Before she books, she takes a free KNM practice exam, notes which topics her wrong answers come from, and reads up on those in the KNM study guide.
Make the next attempt count
DUO does not let you see your marked exam, so a practice test is the closest look you get at what went wrong. Our free practice exams by part cover all five, including reading, writing and speaking at A2, and a B1 track. The inburgering.coach app then drills the specific mistakes you keep making, which is most of what a second attempt needs.
For everything that happens after a fail, from the letter to your permit, read what happens if you fail the inburgering exam. For the exam itself, see our English guide to the Dutch integration exam.
Sources
All checked on 23 September 2026. When a personal letter from DUO says something different, the letter wins.
- DUO, Examenreglement inburgering, November 2025 edition: article 3 (exam fee and free attempts), article 16 (results), article 18 (three-month exclusion for fraud).
- DUO, Hoeveel kost inburgeren? and Lenen bij DUO.
- DUO, Staatsexamen Nt2: aanmelden, examengeld and uitslag.
- DUO, Genoeg cursus en examens gedaan (the 2013 AGI exemption) and Veel uren cursus en vaak examen gedaan (extra time).
- DUO, Boete and U gaat inburgeren.
- DUO news, Uitslag Spreken A2 en Schrijven A2 duurt langer, 31 July 2026.
Keep learning
Frequently asked questions
Is there a limit on how many times you can take the inburgering exam?
DUO's exam rules do not set a maximum number of attempts, and DUO's Staatsexamen NT2 page says you can redo a failed part by registering the same way as the first time. What does limit you is the three-year deadline to finish inburgering.
Do I have to retake the whole inburgering exam if I fail one part?
No. Every part is a separate exam with its own result. You only book again the part you did not pass.
How much does an inburgering retake cost?
The same as a first attempt: €50 for each A2 language exam, for KNM, and for each part of the Staatsexamen NT2 (B1 or B2). ONA, which only exists under the 2013 law, costs €40.
Are retakes free for refugees?
Asylum status holders who fall under the 2021 law get the first 2 attempts of each exam for free, paid by the municipality, unless they take the exam at a lower level than their PIP says. From the third attempt they pay themselves and cannot borrow the money from DUO.
How soon can I retake a failed inburgering exam?
DUO's rules set no waiting period for the A2 and KNM exams, but the next free date can be weeks away. For the Staatsexamen NT2 you cannot register for a part while you are still waiting for its result, which takes about 5 weeks.
Does failing many times have consequences?
Not by itself. But your number of attempts is counted when DUO decides on extra time, on a fine if you miss your deadline, and, under the 2013 law, on an exemption for people who tried hard enough (at least 600 hours of lessons and 3 attempts at every exam).
Related guides
Guide
What Happens If You Fail the Inburgering Exam?
Failing one part of the inburgering exam changes very little on its own: the parts you passed stay passed, you book the failed part again for €50, and nobody fines you for failing. What matters is your three-year deadline, and what happens there depends on which law you fall under.
Guide
Can You Reschedule or Cancel Your Inburgering Exam? The 2026 Rules
You can move an A2 or KNM exam in Mijn Inburgering up to 7 days before the exam date. B1 is a different exam with a 4-week rule. What each exam allows, what you get back, and what to do if it is already too late.
Guide
The Inburgering Deadline: Extensions, Fines and What Happens When You Run Out of Time
You have 3 years to finish inburgering. Run over and DUO can fine you up to €1,000 (2021 law) or €1,250 (2013 law), then give you more time. Asylum status holders are not fined. Which extensions exist, when you can ask for one, and what proof DUO wants.