· 6 min read
Do You Need Dutch to Live in Amsterdam?
By Language Lab editorial team
English gets you through Amsterdam; Dutch gets you residence. Who must reach B1 in 3 years, what exams cost, why the city's free courses exclude expats.
You can live in Amsterdam on English alone, and many expatriates do for years. Whether you need Dutch depends on your residence permit. Family migrants and others with an integration obligation have three years to integrate under the 2021 Civic Integration Act, most on the B1 route with the state Dutch exams and the knowledge exams; if after at least 600 hours of lessons you still cannot pass at B1, you can switch to A2. Highly skilled migrants, EU citizens and most work-permit holders have no obligation. The exams cost 50 euro per part: writing, speaking, listening, reading and Knowledge of Dutch Society, 250 euro in total, with the labour-market module free; the participation statement process is free for people integrating under the 2021 act. The city's free Dutch courses are for residents who speak little Dutch but are not open to expats and their partners.
Who has to learn Dutch
| Your situation | Integration obligation |
|---|---|
| Family migrant (joining a partner) | Yes: 3 years to integrate, exams through DUO |
| Asylum status holder | Yes: municipality guides and pays for the course |
| Highly skilled migrant, EU Blue Card, intra-corporate transfer | No obligation |
| EU or EEA citizen | No obligation |
| Student, researcher | No obligation while on that permit |
The obligation arrives as a letter from DUO once you have a citizen service number, a residence permit and a municipal registration; it can take another eight weeks after those are in place. The letter starts the three-year integration period.
The B1 route
Most people with an obligation follow the B1 track. Within three years you take the language exams at level B1, also known as the Dutch as a second language state exam, Nt2, and the knowledge exams. The municipality holds a broad intake, an interview plus a learnability test, and writes a personal integration and participation plan that says which track and which exams. If you have followed at least 600 hours of language lessons and still cannot pass at B1, the plan can be switched to A2.
What it costs
- Writing, speaking, listening, reading: 50 euro each.
- Knowledge of Dutch Society (KNM): 50 euro.
- Total for the five exams: 250 euro; the labour-market module (MAP) is taken with the municipality at no charge.
- Participation statement process (PVT): free under the 2021 act; 150 euro for non-asylum migrants still under the 2013 act.
- Asylum status holders: the municipality pays for the course and the first two attempts at each exam are free.
DUO lends money for courses and exams to people who must integrate and pay themselves; the inburgeren.nl pages set out the loan limits and repayment.
Amsterdam's free courses, and who gets them
The city offers free Dutch courses to residents who speak little or no Dutch: two lessons a week of three hours, with homework, in courses of 13, 26 or 39 weeks, taught in your neighbourhood, with a certificate after the 39-week course. They are not available to university students, to expats and their partners, or to people who still have to complete civic integration. For expats the city points to language coaches, volunteer organisations, language cafés and free online exercises such as Oefenen.nl.
If you have no obligation
No obligation does not mean no reason. Dutch is what turns a job into a career in a Dutch-speaking team, what makes a parents' evening or a GP visit yours rather than your partner's, and what the naturalisation rules will ask for if you stay. Aim for A2 in the first year and B1 by the third, the same path the state sets for people who must.
Frequently asked
Can I live in Amsterdam without Dutch?
Yes, if your permit carries no integration obligation; highly skilled migrants and EU citizens have none. Family migrants must integrate within three years.
What level of Dutch does integration require?
B1 on the standard route, through the Nt2 state exams; A2 is allowed after at least 600 hours of lessons without reaching B1.
How much do the integration exams cost?
50 euro per exam: writing, speaking, listening, reading and Knowledge of Dutch Society, 250 euro in total; the labour-market module is free.
Are Amsterdam's free Dutch courses open to expats?
No. The city's free courses exclude expats and their partners, university students and people who still must complete civic integration.
How long do I have to integrate?
Three years from the start date in DUO's letter.
Checked against inburgeren.nl (DUO) and the City of Amsterdam's Learning Dutch page on 3 November 2026.
