Integration law for immigrants to the Netherlands

The Law on integration (Dutch: Wet inburgering) obliges most immigrants who are not citizens of the EU, Switzerland, Turkey, or the European Economic Area countries to learn Dutch and pass an exam within a few years of their arrival in the Netherlands. Since first appearing in draft form as part of a proposal in the House of Representatives, the exam has proven to be highly controversial. It continues to be both a subject of controversy, and even ridicule, in the Netherlands.

According to a separate law, known in Dutch as the Wet inburgering in het buitenland, certain classes of prospective immigrants must also pass a test involving basic knowledge of Dutch and Dutch society even before they first enter the Netherlands.